Sparkhouse Creatives CIC offers a nurturing alternative education provision for children aged 5-12 in the North Cotswolds. Located in Bourton-on-the-Water, we specialise in learning through creativity and the arts. Our small, structured, relationship-focused sessions help children reconnect with learning, develop their social abilities and improve their emotional wellbeing in order that they can thrive.
What we do at Sparkhouse
At Sparkhouse children are at the centre of what we do.
We make room for creativity and the arts to build spaces for self-expression, resilience and growth in the young people we work with. We are privileged to be the place where we can make a difference.
A place where young people feel safe, build relationships are creative and heard.
Sparkhouse alternative provision is an initiative which has grown out of this objective, with a desire to provide local, affordable alternative provision rooted in the North Cotswold Community.
Our curriculum maps give examples of the kind of work we do. Every child is different and we will adjust and adapt our practice to the young people in our care. This may include working towards outcomes on EHCPs, My Plans or My Plan Plus documents and we will work with you to get this right.
Emotional and social wellbeing is woven through all that we do as we equip young people on their educational journey. This may be both in the form of specific or bespoke programmes and in the holistic nature of the arts-based activities we do.
Gemma Wingrove
Provision Lead
Gemma began her career nearly thirty years ago as an English and Drama teacher in a large secondary school, driven by a strong passion for supporting children with additional educational needs. After leading an English department, she was given the opportunity to broaden her role to include EAL and SEN provision, where she developed targeted interventions and curriculum support for children with specific learning differences such as dyslexia, ADHD, and autism.
As her career progressed, Gemma went on to lead and teach within on-site SEN units linked to mainstream schools. In these roles, she designed and delivered bespoke, evidence-based curriculum experiences that were flexible and responsive to individual needs, enabling children to thrive within a supportive school environment.
Gemma has also taught across the full primary curriculum and held leadership roles in primary education, leading on curriculum development and delivery. Alongside this, she introduced programmes focused on emotional wellbeing, emotional literacy, and psychoeducation around neurodivergence.
In addition to her classroom practice, Gemma has worked in leadership, advisory, and consultancy roles, delivering CPD and training with a particular focus on literacy and inclusion. This included supporting teachers with the practical application of inclusive and adaptive strategies in the classroom. She has also served as a tutor on a PGCE course, quality-assuring and assessing student teachers as part of their journey towards Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
Alongside her teaching qualifications, Gemma has completed training at all levels of IPSEA SEN law. Over the past three decades, she has had the privilege of working with a wide range of children and young people from diverse backgrounds, many of whom faced significant barriers to education.
More recently, Gemma has been working part-time with Cotswold Youth Theatre, part of Sparkhouse Creatives CIC.
While Gemma brings extensive professional experience to Sparkhouse, she also brings lived experience. With a sibling who has severe learning disabilities and complex needs, and a child with ADHD and dyslexia, she has a deep personal understanding of the challenges faced by families. This perspective continues to shape her commitment to creating learning spaces that place each child and their individual needs at the centre.
Baden Powell Hall, Bourton on the Water
The Space
Sparkhouse AP is situated in Baden Powell Hall in Bourton on the Water. Thebuilding comprises of kitchen, individual toilets, and a large learning and activityspace on the ground floor. Upstairs, there is a teaching room ideal for 6-8 students.The building is entirely self contained and Sparkhouse has use of the whole building.In the evening and at weekends it is used for scouting groups and a youth club.The AP is a one minute walk from a playground and green open space (The Naight)and outside space which is off road. It is a two minute walk away from a quiet stretchof the River Windrush, away from the centre of the village.We are delighted to be working in conjunction with the Scouting community andusing their child-friendly space.
