Art

Art

Culture enriches lives, and participation in creative and cultural activities can have a significant impact on young people, by developing their appreciation, their skills and helping them to learn.

This has been shown repeatedly in international studies, and has also been backed up by recent evaluations of major programmes such as Creative Partnerships and Museums’ Strategic Commissioning. What these evaluations have shown is that culture and the arts can help young people achieve all of the Every Child Matters outcomes.

Cultural activities also gives young people the chance to develop important life skills such as creativity.

As well as being valuable and enjoyable in its own right, participation in cultural activities also gives young people the chance to develop important life skills such as creativity, confidence, self-discipline, effective communication and the ability to work in teams. These skills are particularly important in a world of rapid technological and social change where the cultural and creative industries are increasingly important to our economic future.

That is why a commitment was made in the Children’s Plan to work towards a position where all children and young people — no matter where they live or what their background — have the chance to participate in at least five hours of high-quality culture per week, in and out of school. The Find Your Talent programme looks at different ways of offering young people a range of cultural experiences.

The aim is to give young people the chance to develop as:

  • informed spectators (through attending top quality theatre and dance performances, world class exhibitions, galleries, museums and heritage sites)
  • participants and creators (through learning a musical instrument, playing and singing in ensembles, taking part in theatre and dance performances, producing artwork, making films and media art, or curating an exhibition).

Arts and cultural activities are also an important stimulus to develop young people’s creativity. Learning Outside the Classroom activities which give children and young people the opportunity to work on real-life challenges; handle risk; develop their capacity to think imaginatively and creatively; define and explore complex problems; use and adapt multiple resources both within their community and beyond in order to experiment and devise solutions to these problems — all of these experiences nurture the mix of thinking, imagining, facing the unknown and making things happen which are the ingredients of creativity.

School Art and Design courses provide students with a wide range of creative, exciting and stimulating opportunities to explore their artistic interests and design skills in ways that are personally relevant.

All schools aim to develop students’ ability to engage in practical ways with the processes of Art and Design. And at examination level all courses build on students’ innate creative skills through learning and doing in order to develop imaginative ways of working. They aim to enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of media, materials and technologies in historical and contemporary contexts, societies and cultures.

The educational visits that can enhance the learning experiences outside the classroom obviously include art galleries and studios, but there are now many opportunities to have hands-on experiences in a variety of skills, including sculpture, wood carving, furniture making, weaving, jewelry making, and pottery.

The BBC offer a fabulous section of their website called Your Paintings. It boasts a superb schools section which grew out of a Your Painitings Masterpieces in Schools event that took place across the country. The event gave thousands of UK school children the opportunity to experience great art close-up when a masterpiece visited their schools for the day. To support the project the BBC have curated a host of online resources including: slideshows of paintings with ideas for use in the classroom; profiles of careers in the art world; and a guide to artistic styles and movements. These cover many areas of the curriculum including History, Music, Geography, English and Drama as well as Art.

Main organisations:

Arts Council

Engage

National Society for Education in Art and Design

National Foundation for Educational Research

Inclusion: NASEN, and the Royal Academy of Arts runs regular sensory workshops for SEN students.

Thought of visiting?

The National Gallery

National Portrait Gallery

Royal Academy of Arts

Tate Modern

The Tate, St Ives

Victoria and Albert Museum

Birmingham Art Gallery

Cardiff Art Gallery at the National Museum Cardiff

The Eden Project, Cornwall

Keith Harding’s World of Mechanical Music, Gloucester

Sir Richard Arkwright’s Cromford Mill, Derbyshire

Snibston Discovery Park, Coalville, Leicestershire

Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth

The National Stone Centre, Wirksworth

Articles about Art, Education and Trips on SchoolTripsAdvisor

Find out about the National Portrait Gallery's exhibition: Real Tudors: Kings & Queens Rediscovered

Read Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry's thoughts on Art Education, published recently in the TES.

Venues for this Curriculum

Learning at our outdoor education centre makes Mill on the Brue a perfect environment to inspire people. With over 40 activities to choose on our 25 acre estate, we can tailor-make your programme to suit the needs and requirements of your group.

Yorkshire's Finest House & Gardens

Castle Howard is Yorkshire's finest stately home and garden near York. Grand interiors, gardens and an adventure playground make for a great family day out.

Taurus Crafts is a vibrant visitor centre celebrating creative design and healthy living. Bringing together arts, crafts, designer gifts and wholesome food, we offer an alternative to the high street experience where you can eat, shop and relax.

Taurus Crafts Pottery Activity

Open weekends and Holidays. Your chance to throw your own pot, paint your own pot.

Cheshire Wildlife Trust is the leading environmental charity in Cheshire offering high quality environmental education field trips and sessions to schools or community groups.

Norfolk’s wonderful museum of rural life and the Workhouse

This fifty-acre site with its magnificent Georgian workhouse invites you to explore two centuries of life on the land. There are recreations of shops and homes, extensive displays on farming and village life and the popular Collections Gallery - a real treasure trove. 

A working cattle farm on the urban fringe of Huddersfield. We promote healthy food growing in the community and wildlife conservation, with indoor and outdoor learning facilities.

Get up close to animals in a real farmyard setting.

Welcome to Hereford Cathedral. This beautiful building is the home of a community which has worshipped and worked together here continuously for well over 1200 years.

It is a place where the mission of the church to proclaim Christ's love is central, and therefore the community has always warmly welcomed visitors. We all hope that you enjoy your visit.

Originally the Police Station and Courthouse, the Museum is opposite St. Mary's Church in the centre of Axminster. Visitors may discover the old police cells which have now been incorporated into the Arts Cafe adjacent to the Museum.

Ripon Cathedral is a beautiful, ancient church with a history reaching back to the 7th Century. It is a mother church for the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales and home for the cathedra (throne) of the Bishop of Leeds. The Cathedral is an active, living Church with a community of Christians who seek to make worship a priority for life and to reach out in service to the wider community.

Built in 1582 as a Merchant's House and set in the beautiful Waterlow Park, Lauderdale House is a Grade II listed building and now runs primarily as an arts and education centre, welcoming over 65,000 visitors each year.

Exhibitions & Fairs

Honeybourne Pottery was established in 2001, and is run by Paul and Kath Sillence.

Churches throughout England contain Medieval and Tudor brasses illustrating the knights and ladies, scholars,merchants and priests of the past, often laid down as portraits in memory of the dead. They are accurate 'postcards of the past' telling us about social custom, armour, dress, trades, professions and families.

An indoor pottery studio where you learn how to make things from clay. Try the art of the potterâs wheel. Model your favourite animal or figure. Create a mug, bowl or vase. 100âs of exciting projects and pottery making techniques. Creative, fun and suitable for all ages and abilities.

Educational projects for schools and early years are also available.
 

A gallery of rogues and rascals, wizards, witches and wild things unfolds throughout the atmospheric spaces of The Story Museum in our immersive exhibition '26 Characters'.

Sail to a tropical island, walk through the wardrobe into Narnia, listen to stories, dress up and meet a talking throne. Exhibition runs until November 2014

Learn about the history of the Northamptonshire Regiment & Yeomanry and about how we used to live. Discover historic and contemporary leather design.

You can find us in Abington Park.

Liz Monk Studio Pottery & Gallery is situated on a picturesque traditional farm courtyard, set in the north Worcestershire countryside. Manor Farm is a working farm, where the Monk family have lived and made their livelihood for the past 35 years.

Cors Dyfi is a wonderful little nature reserve that is teaming with wildlife for most of the year. This is where the Dyfi Osprey Project is situated.

Our fantastic new Visitor Centre offers a modern base for your visit. Discover a wide range of Environmental Education programmes and also visit the nearby water treatment works to learn about the water cycle.

EYFS: 

Exploring Senses, Pond Power, Go on a Bug Hunt, Teddy Bears Picnic, Natural Art

Key Stage 1:

Visit our working arable farm to learn about food production and sustainable farming methods to help our farmland wildlife. Find different habitats and understand the effects of breaching the sea wall and the salt marsh created.

Adapted for KS1-4:

FARMING AND WILDLIFE...

We deliver tailor-made sessions for EYFS to KS4, on various topics including minibeasts, habitats, sustainability and woodland management, through investigations of our ancient woodland, reservoir, pond and grassland.

EYFS: 

Exploring Senses, Pond Power, Go on a Bug Hunt, Teddy Bears Picnic, Natural Art

Key Stage 1:

Experience the diversity in LEGOLAND

    Our Education Centre at Magor Marsh is able to cater for groups of up to 32 children and for a variety of age ranges from pre-school and beyond, including teacher training days at all times of year! All our activities have been designed specifically for schools by qualified teachers and a teacher and forest school leader is available at the centre to discuss your individual requirements.

    Chafford Gorges Nature Park offers a variety of activities for schools and nurseries. Topics covered: Habitats Studies, Ponds, Bugs, Plants, Rock and Soils, Bush craft and Den-building, Birdwatching. We have an on-site classroom, toilets, gift shop and more.

    EYFS: 

    Exploring Senses, Pond Power, Go on a Bug Hunt, Teddy Bears Picnic, Natural Art

    Fingringhoe Wick is one of the county’s top wildlife sites. Uncover the secrets of woodlands, meadows, ponds, heathland and the Colne Estuary. Our varied hands-on Environmental Education programme caters to all ages, from bug hunts for the early years to vegetation sampling for secondary pupils. 

    EYFS: 

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