Creativity and Science - two sides of the same coin?

With a record number of students facing a scramble for university places this year combined with the coalition government’s proposed overhaul of higher education, it seems young people in Britain are faced with uncertainty over their future now more than ever.


Inherent in the wave of change sweeping our education system is a greater focus on maths and sciences – funding cuts to the humanities and arts have raised fears that creativity and imagination are no longer being encouraged in our schools and have been traded in for rational thinking and logic. But why should science and creativity be separated in this way? Such artificial boundaries between subjects prevent children and young people from accessing a wider and more diverse learning experience In the view of many in the education sector, in order to meet the challenges of the coming century, this needs to change, fast. One organisation leading the change is Ignite!.

Ignite! is a not-for-profit organisation set up in 2006 to promote creativity in learning. Over the past four years, Ignite! has sought new ways to bring creative thinking into the teaching and learning of STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) through its Ignition* programme, which it has delivered in collaboration with creative development agency The Mighty Creatives and with funding from the East Midlands Development Agency.

The principle is simple; by approaching STEM subjects in an open and inquiring way, Ignition* has broken down the invisible wall between the arts and the sciences and created a more nuanced approach to education.


The programme has been a vital part of the work done by The Might Creatives in preparing young people for a lifetime of leadership, innovation and enterprise. “As funding priorities shift, one thing remains clear: our children face an unknowable future.



Our biggest gift is to help them develop the right creative skills and capabilities to drive change that brings positive results for both people and the planet. Ignition* has been a powerful way to implement this,” says Richard Clark, Chief Executive of The Mighty Creatives.


This approach is rapidly gaining leverage in this country, and the evidence of four years intervention is that as more young people shift their perceptions of STEM, they are more likely to express a desire to take them as possible subjects in higher education and to seek careers with a STEM connection. As the government looks set to focus on maths and sciences as the subjects of the future, it is vital now more than ever these subjects are made accessible and exciting to students.

Rick Hall, Director of Programmes at Ignite! explains the philosophy behind the Ignition* programme as a way of taking education into the future:


“The majority of young people who enter the education system today will leave in the future to take up jobs that have not been invented yet. They will lead changes from this century onwards in a world that we can only imagine. The solutions that they find to the challenges of the time – social, economic and environmental – will require a combination of knowledge, skills and imagination.


“Many of the solutions and opportunities of the future will be found in the application of STEM subjects, but without imagination and creativity we will merely repeat the mistakes of the past. Ignite! promotes creativity in learning and works with partners to test new models of curriculum development and change.”


In the four years since it began, Ignition* has worked with over 20,000 pupils and young people, 80 scientists and artists and 50 teachers across the East Midlands to bring creativity and excitement to the sciences. One of the most innovative programmes created by Ignition* is the Lab_13 initiative.



Lab_13 designates a space within a school where children can let their imaginations loose. Run for young people, by young people, and based on the Room 13 art initiative in Fort William, Scotland, the lab provides an extra-curricular way for students to share their enthusiasm for experimentation and ideas by creating their own science projects. Six Lab_13s have been set up to date, and have proved a resounding success with pupils and teachers alike.



Ignition* has also run a series of STEM Fluency Labs, a five-day residential lab where teachers can work in collaboration with artists and scientists to breath new life into the teaching of STEM subjects. As one teacher put it, “the STEM Fluency Lab is possibly the single most influential course in my career to date, [it] has armed me with a great many skills for the classroom.”


Underpinning the range of activities in the Ignition* programme is a belief in the value of collaborations between artists and scientists. Placing artists and scientists in school in preparation for National Science and Engineering Week in March in a programme called Come Alive With Science has proved especially successful in engaging young people from all abilities and interests.


As well as promoting changes within the classroom, Ignition* has also provided support and funding for a number of exceptional individuals, or Creative Sparks. These young people have received support to follow a programme of personal creative STEM development, including travel expenses and residential creativity labs. In return, they have acted as role models and ambassadors to inspire their peers and raise their educational and career aspirations.


Courtney Williams is one Spark who has used her award to create a resource combining web design and writing to encourage more people to study physics.

“Through Creative Sparks came the revelation that I could, and had been, creative with science too. The concept of science being an innately creative thing, once so foreign to me, is now ingrained.”

Another Creative Spark, Sophie Jones, recently visited Brazil with her award to learn about sustainability in manufacturing, and is currently leading workshops for young girls to promote awareness of the role scientists and engineers will have in resolving environmental issues.


“There is a high awareness among young people of the importance of environmental issues such as climate change and renewable energy. However, they often do not see the role of engineers and scientists in finding the solutions. The national curriculum, sadly, often fails to communicate this to students and this is why organisations like Ignite! are crucial to ensuring that more students are attracted towards the STEM subjects.”


As Ignition* comes to the end of its current funding, the programme will be celebrating four fantastic years of creative STEM programmes and activities with a celebration event, to bring together some of the brilliant young people, teachers, supporters, practitioners and partners that have been involved.

The Celebration Event will take place over Monday 12th & Tuesday 13th September in Leicester.