Creative Thinking in Schools: A Leadership Playbook

This leadership playbook has been published to coincide with the global release of the first PISA test results on creative thinking, the Creativity Collaboratives under way in England and the growing importance of creative thinking in countries across the world.

Creative Thinking in Schools focuses on how leaders can create capacity among their staff to embed creative thinking, both in their own lives and in the lives of their pupils. It offers a framework for improving creative thinking based on the widely used five creative habits framework developed by the Centre for Real-World Learning. The framework focuses on developing learners who are inquisitive, persistent, collaborative, disciplined and imaginative.

Underpinned by research and analysis of practice in hundreds of schools across the world, and more recently by an in-depth study of fifty schools in England, Creative Thinking in Schools provides a range of accessible resources, planning tools and practical examples. These support leaders to reflect on their core purposes, understand the changes needed to embed creative thinking, develop leaders across their staff, facilitate the development of their teachers, plan, teach and assess creative thinking, and work with external partners, all the while developing a vibrant professional learning community.

Complemented by a dedicated website which contains additional downloadable materials and case studies, the playbook will allow leaders and teachers around the world to connect with each other and share their own experiences in order to develop, spread, extend and evaluate creative thinking within and across schools.

Creative Thinking in Schools will support a professional learning community of leaders and teachers who see creative thinking as a core purpose of education and are interested in making it a priority in their school. It will encourage pupils to develop their creativity in the classroom, allowing future generations to thrive in a world that is increasingly complex.

Creative Thinking in Schools: A Leadership Playbook has been supported by the Mercers Company, Creativity, Culture and Education and the Arts Council of Wales.

Suitable for school and system leaders, teacher leaders and policy makers who see creative thinking as a core purpose in education.