Callout for Creative Writer

Tees Valley Museums are looking to appoint a writer who will work alongside two museums in the Tees Valley. The writer will use a painting or object(s) from the collections which will give information about an individual who lived in the Tees Valley in the past. The collections identified will tell the impactful stories of individuals who have settled in the Tees Valley and their life stories. Following on from this, the workshops will also encourage students to reflect on their own sense of identity and belonging within the Tees Valley.

The writer will be invited to collaborate with two teachers and museum staff  to design a session exploring the theme of identity. This session will be delivered to two separate groups of KS3 pupils from different schools, with a full-day workshop taking place at each museum.

The writer will have the vision, drive and experience to collaborate with teachers and museums teams to design and deliver high standard KS3 workshops responding to the stories of the people of the Tees Valley as told in the museums, and by the participants themselves.

The writer will have an opportunity to work with the Kirkleatham and Preston Park Museums teams to share knowledge and understanding of the objects chosen from the collections.

Time will be allocated to plan sessions with teachers and museum staff.

The writer will deliver two similar workshops to two different classes of KS3 students at two separate museums. The workshops will be similar in their content, adapted slightly to focus on more local heroes from the collections, but still with an overarching theme of people of the Tees Valley in the past.

In addition to historical exploration, students will be invited to consider self-identity, creating writing about how they perceive themselves within their community and in the Tees Valley.  These sessions will aim to spark meaningful dialogue about the composition and experiences of our local communities today. By creating a space for open and respectful discussion, the workshops will foster deeper understanding, empathy, and a shared commitment to building a more inclusive Tees Valley.

The workshops will be a full day session from approx 10am -2.30pm.

The culmination of this work will be shared in the form of a small publication.

The work of the children alongside activity ideas and suggestions for teachers to use in the future will also be made available on the Tees Valley Museums website, offering opportunities for teachers to access resources to be used as part of future planning. The website will also contain information about the people and objects used in the workshops in order that this work can be picked up by teachers in the future to be used in the classroom.

The writer will support with an overview of the activities used in the workshops which will be presented online.

Tees Valley Museums will:

• Liaise with schools, writer and museums coordinating dates and venues
• Collect and evaluate responses for project evaluation
• Liaise with the writer to present and print the children’s work
• Attend planned sessions and events where appropriate.
• Record and document activities to present on the Tees Valley Museums website

Partner Museums will:

• Support with identifying relevant items from the collections to support with the project
• Support with learning officer time for planning and delivery.
• Provide space for school visits.
• Contribute to monitoring and evaluation of project delivery

School Teachers will;

• Support with identifying appropriate pupils for the project
• Attend a planning meeting with the writer and museums for planning and delivery
• Contribute to monitoring and evaluation of project delivery

The Writer will:

• Deliver two workshops in two museums using objects from the museums collections.
• Plan with museum and school staff to ensure the work is relevant and engaging
• Liaise with partner museums and Tees Valley Museums to present the children’s work for publication and online sharing.
• Have an up-to-date DBS and Public Liability Insurance
• Contribute to monitoring and evaluation of project delivery

Writer including writer transport and materials £2000

This will include planning alongside teachers and museums in order to deliver two full day workshops.

This will also include some support with evaluation, anthology and online resources.

Materials and first instalment (20%) to be paid on receipt of invoice and all relevant paperwork, including this agreement and insurance certificates, as well as DBS check and Risk Assessments

• Recruitment of writer – October /November 2025
• Recruitment of schools – October / November 2025
• Identification of objects – November / December 2025
• Planning with teachers- January 2025
• Workshops with Schools – January/ February 2026
• Production of anthology and resources on website March 2026

Please apply for this opportunity by sending an overview (letter or CV) of any relevant previous project experience you have worked on along a similar theme or with a similar group of participants. Please include and relevant web links or images.

Please also share a brief outline of your ideas and or activities for these workshops.

Send completed applications to: Jenny.Wilkie@stockton.gov.uk by Friday 14th November 2025

For further information and details please contact Jenny Wilkie