Maths, reading and writing skills are incredibly important, there is no doubt about that. However, art and creativity, in my opinion, carry equal weight in our children’s educational recovery post-covid.
Knowledge and skill gaps across the core subjects are something we had anticipated and something we as teachers can plan for and address. What we didn’t fully anticipate was the huge impact the pandemic would have on children’s mental wellbeing. Returning to school with the thought of lost education, many children would have been daunted by that and overwhelmed at the thought of ‘catching up’. Having art in a school’s curriculum enriches children’s experience of school and provides a welcome escape from those subjects where answers are black and white.
What I love to discuss in art lessons is how art is subjective. It’s completely down to personal opinion. At the beginning of every new project, we study a new artist. Children share their opinions and acknowledge that others may not agree with them. We practice how to recognise our peers’ differing opinions in a respectful and thoughtful way. No doubt a skill that will benefit them in other subjects and in other aspects of life. Studying different artists and being exposed to different art forms develops critical thinking. Just like in reading, children make predictions, summarise, retrieve and make inferences from what they see.
At Coppice Valley, we place huge importance on developing the children’s skills across a variety of art forms, from when they begin school in Reception, up to Year 6. Each year they learn, revisit and apply a skill, building upon this year on year. By the time they leave, the children will be well equipped to approach any form of artistry they could hope to try in secondary school or as a hobby.
The delivery of our art lessons at Coppice is integral to their success. We want the children to be inspired by artists and art forms but also their teachers and peers. At Coppice, we deliver some specialist teaching where subject leaders deliver their subject’s lessons across the year groups. I, therefore, teach Art and DT. As someone who has dabbled with lots of different art mediums over the years, I’m very confident modelling techniques and skills across
the board. Whilst modelling techniques the children ask ‘How did you get so good?’ and ‘You’re an artist!’. They don’t half feed my ego but they also play into my plan of realising that they can be an artist too. I make it clear that they are all ‘artists’. If they create, they are an artist. A lot of children laugh it off and take some convincing so we make sure that we celebrate their work like the artists they are with an end of year art exhibition. Our first exhibition was a resounding success and we can’t wait to make this year’s bigger and better than before. Giving children the opportunity to show off and celebrate their work is a really wonderful way to build confidence.
Since the pandemic, we’ve noticed so many of our children lacking in confidence. Art promotes self-expression and creativity as well as allowing for them to develop their own individual identity, something that other subjects struggle to achieve. It’s so important to have a subject that gives children freedom to be themselves, create without limits and develop their own style. My role as art teacher is not to tell them what to do, but to guide, suggest and to bounce ideas off as they find their own creative style.
As we near the summer term, it’s always an exciting time for art in school. We have lots of projects in the pipeline after becoming an Art Builder school for 2022. Art Builders champions art in schools and works with schools to help them deliver engaging and inspiring projects, from whole school projects to individual pieces based on a theme. The Art Builders organisation should also support us in networking and getting in touch with local artists. If you are a local artist and would be willing to come into school and talk about your craft, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to have you as a guest to inspire our enthusiastic and budding artists.
‘Art is a place for children to learn to trust their ideas, themselves, and to explore what is possible.’ – Maryann. F. Kohl
Coppice Valley Primary School: Charlotte Hawkins, Year 4 Teacher, Art Subject Lead
Twitter: @CVPSArt
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