Arts Alive: how to guide for schools

This advice covers both remote and in-person residencies, so not all will apply to you.

There are two main paths sessions and residencies may follow:

• You choose an existing workshop or series of events from those listed in the application form.
• You work with the artist(s) to plan sessions along a theme or idea.

To get the most out of either option, we recommend getting in touch with the artist and us as early as possible in the planning process. This gives us the chance to talk about your plans, set expectations and make sure that everyone is on the same page.

You might want to talk about:

• What you both expect from the session(s) and what you would like to achieve
• The subject, content and approach, including format or anything that might not be suitable for your audience
• How long the session(s) will be and what the timetable is. Once this is agreed, be sure to stick to it
• The invoice and expenses processes
• Any equipment the artist may need, such as a microphone, projector, space for children to move etc., and what to do if these aren’t available
• Anything the artist(s) need to know about COVID-19 prevention measures in your school and your child protection policies

Now the real planning can begin! It's time to start putting the different elements of your session or residency into place. Not all of the points below will be relevant to you, but this checklist is a useful place to start.

• Format: if you are developing a residency with your artist, make sure they are comfortable with the format. For remote events, consider any support they might need with webinar software, recording and sharing videos, or sharing resources. Be sure to book a test session beforehand to work through any potential technical issues.
• Venue: book a suitable space for your event, such as the gym hall or a playground space, including time to set up and clear away afterwards if needed.
• Travel and accommodation: does your artist need advice about local transport and accommodation?
• Preparing your class/es: think about how you will get ready for the sessions or residency. Do your class(es) need to prepare anything or generate ideas in advance?
• Film and photography permissions: If you're filming the event or taking photographs, please complete the Arts Alive media consent form.
• Protecting children: plan all events involving children with safeguarding in mind. You can refer to our child protection policy and digital child protection policy for guidance.
• Communicating with the artist: make sure the artist knows the timeline for the day, venue address and how to contact you should there be an urgent issue. If plans change significantly, let the artist know as soon as possible. Remember that if you make a major last-minute change that the artist is not happy with, they do not have to carry out the session e.g. changing the age group or group size significantly.
• Payment for the artist(s): Make sure you have completed the top half of your Arts Alive claim form and passed it on to the artist(s) by email or in person so we can arrange payment and reimburse expenses. See our page on invoicing information for schools for further guidance.
• Cancelling a session: we understand that many things are in flux at the moment, but we strongly suggest trying to reorganise or reschedule a session where possible. We will support you in making this possible in any way we can. In the unfortunate event of cancelling, please give the artist as much notice as you can, as they may need to find other paying work for that day. If the artist has already paid for travel and accommodation, advise them to email arts.alive@scottishbooktrust.com as soon as possible. If a session is cancelled less than a week before the event date, we will invoice you for the session and consider it used.

• Double-check you have any equipment or resources your artist requested – from an appropriate Teams or Google Classroom channel to in-person equipment, such as music stands.
• Find a quiet space for them to prepare, get comfortable, organise their notes and let them know where they can find a bathroom. If online, set up a waiting room where you can greet your artist beforehand.
• If in person, provide refreshments such as tea or coffee and a glass of water to help them stay chatty.
• We recommend a minimum of two facilitators for any online event, including someone to offer technical support if needed (especially during streamed events such as webinars or online workshops) and a host to assist the artist. For example, to relay questions from a chat or Q&A function.

• Make sure you have completed the top half of your Arts Alive claim form and passed it on to the artist so we can arrange payment and reimburse expenses.
• Please let us know how the session went by completing a short online evaluation form. Your feedback will be confidential.
• If you encountered any issues or the session didn't go as planned, we'd be grateful for your feedback – from both the schools and artists on the programme. You can let us know on the evaluation form or call or email if you feel more comfortable. We'll always do our best to try to resolve a situation.