Inclusive by design: how we adapted Arts Councils for Sullivan and Frederick Holmes

We believe art is for everyone. That's easy to say. Making it true takes actually changing how you work when the standard process doesn't fit. Here's what that looked like for two of our Batch 2 schools.

Two schools, a different starting point

Sullivan and Frederick Holmes are both specialist schools, working with students whose needs are significantly different from the rest of our Batch 2 group. Running the same process we use everywhere else would have meant asking students to make direct choices in a way that could easily become overwhelming rather than empowering.

So, we didn't run the same process everywhere else.

What changes when the standard approach doesn't fit

Across most of our Batch 2 schools, our youth-led artist selection process is exactly that: pupils choose the artist they want to work with directly. It's a model that works well for the vast majority of our schools, putting the decision firmly in students' hands.

For Sullivan and Frederick Holmes, we took a different route. Instead of presenting students with a list of choices to work through, we're matching them directly with specialist artists who truly reflect their student intake. The aim is a supportive, beautiful, and accessible experience for every student involved, built around what actually works for them rather than a one-size-fits-all process.

Frederick Holmes is confirmed to be working in Visual Arts. Sullivan's match is still being finalised alongside our Youth Advisory Council.

Why this matters

Inclusive creativity isn't just about who gets a seat at the table. It's about adapting the table itself when it doesn't fit everyone sat at it. That's the thinking behind this approach, and it's exactly the kind of detail that gets missed when inclusion is treated as a checkbox rather than a genuine part of how a programme is delivered.