Waltham Forest’s London Borough of Culture year will create a model of high quality and innovative arts provision for young people.

The education programme will maximise opportunities for children and young people to be excited and inspired by arts and culture, and to develop confidence as co-creators. 

There will be structured opportunities throughout the year for young people to participate in workshops and events linked to the curated programme. For example in April, Atomic 50 will offer Key Stage 2 pupils the chance to participate in an imaginative experience exploring the process of tin-making, an industry which played an important part in the borough’s history.

The Bauhaus Centenary programme at the Walthamstow Wetlands and William Morris Gallery will offer design and make opportunities to both primary and secondary pupils.

In November, for Molecules on the Marshes, every school in the borough will be provided with resources to explore the science and art linked to this ambitious installation.

Teachers and those working with young people we will be encouraged and empowered to develop their own creative responses to the year’s events through a regular programme of artist-led training. This will be sustained as a legacy beyond 2019 to interpret and engage with the borough’s cultural heritage with the support of both online and hands-on resources.

With the help of investment from the London Challenge Fund, a new Cultural Education Partnership is being developed within the borough to support educators and arts providers to work more closely together, building skills, knowledge and networks to sustain a high-quality arts provision in the future.  

If you are a Waltham Forest educator and would like more information about the London Borough of Culture education programme or the Cultural Education Partnership, please email with your name and school’s name.