Schools – Elaine Grant Creative Consulting

Why my schools work lands

A lot of what I do for schools is about relationships and trust. I have known some of the teachers I work with for many, many years. I have an organic list of school contacts that has been built one teacher, one school, one production at a time, and it grows whenever I meet a new teacher who loves the arts.

That list does not look like a marketing database. It looks like a network of teachers who pick up the phone when I call. They book through me because they trust me to bring them shows worth their time, and to make the practical bits easy.

Elaine Grant recently hosted Family Arts Campaign’s national Fantastic for Families award ceremony. Elaine was a brilliant host. She was well-prepared and great to work with. Her presentation was clear, concise and warm and drilled up lots of excitement when announcing the winners!

Anna Dever | Executive Director, Family Arts Campaign

What schools work usually looks like

A typical schools project covers some or all of the following.

Disseminating exclusive ticket invites to my list of teachers and schools for a particular performance, exhibition or event
Coordinating workshops in schools, in theatres or in venues, including sourcing and briefing the practitioners
Observing the workshop on the day, taking notes and reporting back to the client
Surveying teachers and students for feedback on the production and the workshop
Building the longer-term relationship with the teacher so they hear about the next production too

I also create surveys that go out to schools and teachers after a production. Feedback matters. It is how the next round of work gets sharper.

How an outreach push for schools usually runs

The shape of a schools push depends on the production and the timeline, but it usually covers:

The brief from you about the production, the dates, the audience and the access offer
Outreach to my teacher list and to relevant new schools, with a clear, honest invitation
Practical support for teachers booking, including age suitability, running times, content guidance and any access information
Workshop coordination if workshops are part of the offer
On-the-day attendance where it adds value, particularly for the first matinee or workshop
Feedback and reporting after the run

Questions schools-facing clients often ask

Can you handle the logistics of an education matinee from start to finish? Yes, including outreach, ticket coordination with the venue, workshop arrangement and on-the-day support. The exact split depends on what your in-house team is doing.

Do you cover schools outside London? Yes. My teacher list includes contacts in regional cities and across the UK, particularly in places I have toured to with productions over the years.

Can you bring SEND schools and access-priority schools? Yes. I have particular experience with relaxed and chilled performances and with making sure the right groups know about them.

Do you work with primary or secondary schools? Both. The shape of the outreach is different but the principles are the same.

Working with Elaine has been incredibly rewarding for our project. As a predominantly white organisation, we called upon Elaine’s lived experience and expertise to recruit African Caribbean participants for Focus Groups this year, and I don’t think we would have been able to run those consultations to time, or as successfully, without her support. Elaine went above and beyond from the get-go, even travelling to Harewood to visit and meet with some of the participants, which I think had a positive contribution to their experience. Plus, she’s a lovely person to be around and work with! Elaine’s dedication and communication throughout is testament to how invested she is in diversifying cultural audiences in a genuine and authentic way, and I’m really looking forward to continuing to work with her and draw upon her expertise for this important work. Don’t hesitate to work with Elaine!

Beth Dawes, Head of Marketing and Audiences. Harewood House, Leeds

Audience outreach for schools

What clients say

What clients say