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

High Service + Quality Suppliers x 35 years experience = Wyvern Value

Wyvern Schooltours was founded by teachers in 1979. We specialise in humanities and arts tours, with particular focus on MFL, history tours and day trips to a diverse and extensive selection of European destinations. We also have a specialist set of tours for Primary Schools.

Scotland's largest & oldest keep. There's a dungeon alongside artwork by Raeburn & Van Dyck. School visits are available by arrangement, and focus on Mary, Queen of Scots and the 1st Earl of Mar. There is an education/teachers and restricted access pack available. The approximate length of a school visit is 2 hours.

The Aldeburgh Museum is housed in one of the most important timber-framed public buildings in England. Dating from the first half of the 16th Century it originally contained six small shops on the ground floor and a spacious meeting chamber on the first floor. The Town Council still meets here today and it provides an attractive display area for the Museum.

This is the perfect place to relax, create and enjoy painting your own ceramic item. An ideal activity for children, adults, birthday parties, rainy days and sunny days. Choose from over 120 ceramic items and a selection of 30 colours to create a master piece or a simple handprint.

Discover what a Bristol sugar plantation and slave owner’s home might have looked like around 1790. Eleven rooms spread over four floors reveal what life was like above and below stairs, from the kitchen in the basement where servants prepared meals to the elegant formal rooms above. Free entry.

This unique collection interprets the rich architectural history of Bath and the men who transformed a provincial town into the world famous Georgian Spa. It demonstrates how classical design influenced the buildings and illustrates the construction of a house from the cellars to the rafters.

We cater for Key Stages 1 to 4.

Welcome to a vibrant world of entertainment and versatile event spaces in two magnificent buildings. Genteel yet lively. Historic yet cosmopolitan. Truly the energy and heart of Cheltenham.

A treasure chest of history, telling the story of a fishing and trading port that became a fashionable resort

The museum features the geology and prehistory of the area, maritime and piracy, a local history gallery and the Story of Tenby Gallery as well as two art galleries, one featuring the permanent collection, the second exhibiting changing temporary exhibitions. 

Explore the amazingly vast history of South Tyneside, come face to face with exotic snakes, spiders and lizards and admire fantastic works of art at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery.

Cornwall Learning, the Cornwall Council organisation, brings together the expertise and experience of a range of teams to focus on improving standards, aspirations and skills of children, young people and those working with them.

The Hatton stages a highly regarded programme of historical, modern and contemporary art exhibitions. The permanent collection consists of over 3,500 works, including Kurt Schwitters’ Merzbarn.

Book a tour of the magnificent Grade 1 listed Bruce Castle with one of the curators? See behind the scenes. Discover more about the history of the building and the fascinating people who lived here.

Schools

Visit the award-winning IWM North to discover powerful stories that reveal how war shapes lives, from a soldier’s last letter home to the twisted steel of New York City's World Trade Center. Housed in Daniel Libeskind’s iconic building representing a globe torn apart by conflict, IWM North offers a free day out like no other.

Fairlynch Museum and Arts Centre is one of the very few thatched museums in the UK. The building, a typical example of a 'marine cottage orné' and Grade II listed, dates from 1811.

The museum opened in 1967. It aims, for educational and general interest to exhibit artefacts and information about the history and development of Budleigh Salterton and the Lower Otter Valley. 

Most of the Society’s archive is housed, by kind permission of the family of the Boer War hero, General Sir Redvers Buller, at their home, the historic Downes, on the edge of the town. Access to this is by appointment only and material is usually brought to the museum in High Street for examination.

Strabane District Council established its Museum service in 1997. The core of the councils museum collection is formed by "The Dunbar Collection". This is a collection which encompasses several collection areas such as photography, Victoriana, Militaria, fine arts and folklife.

Topsham Museum is housed in one of a group of late 17th century buildings overlooking the Exe Estuary. Following completion of a stunning new River Gallery, the Museum was 'long-listed' for the Art Fund Prize in 2008.

The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre programme theatre, music, cinema, visual arts and workshops for all ages. We also have a museum, cafe / shop and craft cabinet.

A great place to relax, enjoy a coffee in the cafe, visit the shop, view some great art, look around the Museum, watch live music, theatre shows and cinema screenings or try out a new activity / workshop.

The Naughton Gallery is named after its generous benefactors Martin and Carmel Naughton. Since 2001, The Gallery has become one of Belfast's most sought after and exciting visual arts platforms, featuring a rolling programme of works from the University's own collection, touring exhibitions and shows by local and international artists. The Naughton Gallery is a registered museum.

In a healthy environment, YSP's learning programme uses art and landscape to build young people's intellectual knowledge, skills and aspirations. 

Our learning programme reaches 45,000 people every year. 

Workshops

YSP offers unique workshops and tours aimed at providing an enhanced focus and stimulus for visiting pupils and students. 

Come face to face with dinosaurs, meet an Egyptian Mummy and see modern masterpieces with a visit to the Ulster Museum!

Enjoy our regular workshops, special exhibitions and guided tours.

Well preserved 17th century chapel with wonderful wood carvings and painted galleries. A feast for the eyes.

Made of Strong Stuff

A warm welcome awaits all visitors. Centre entry and parking are free and we're open daily throughout the year. We've been making our famous Denby Stoneware in the heart of Derbyshire for over 200 years. Find us close to Ripley, just 15 miles from Chatsworth House.

The Idle Valley Rural Learning Centre is the gateway to exploring the beautiful Idle Valley Nature Reserve, a nationally important site for wildlife close to Retford.

The Bristol Life gallery explores people’s shared experiences in the city, from the momentous to the everyday – see, hear and share stories.

The Bristol People gallery explores activities past and present that make Bristol what it is – creating, trading, challenging and celebrating.

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British schoolgirl assaulted on school trip to Iceland

hotel corridor

A viral video shows a black girl being assaulted by a white woman in a corridor.

Police in Iceland are investigating after a British schoolgirl was slapped and chased by a tour guide in a hotel corridor.

The schoolgirl, 13, who attended Harris Girls’ Academy, was assaulted whilst on a school trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. The incident occurred at Hotel Örk, Hveragerdi on 13th October.