Art In Schools - ‘Great art for all children, all the time’

Each week, five thematically curated artworks are shown in participating schools with a focus on one of the artworks each day. Pupil interaction is encouraged through discussion prompts and teachers are supported with information about the artworks and possible questions they might ask pupils.

The artworks are displayed on existing screens in the schools, including large screens in dining halls, interactive whiteboards in classrooms, and as screensavers on computer screens and iPads. Art becomes integrated into everyday school life, helping teachers to fulfil requirements in the newly published Department for Education Enrichment Framework.

The themes for the digital exhibitions range from Animals in Art, Identity, Science in Art, and Maths in Art, to exhibitions curated in partnership with major art institutions, for example, Masterpieces at the National Gallery, Great Britons in the National Portrait Gallery, and Our Public Sculpture with Art UK. Careers in the creative industries is a series of exhibitions being curated for the coming academic year. Well-known artists, including Damien Hirst, Bridget Riley, Antony Gormley, and Cornelia Parker support the initiative by selecting artworks they would like young people to see.

A pilot with three secondary schools was started in 2023, with another 90 secondary schools becoming involved to date. The ambition is to roll out the initiative nationwide.

Since 2024, Dr Karen Hosack Janes, Senior Lecturer in Education at Oxford Brookes University, has been the charity’s Education and Art Consultant. This involves working closely with the founder and the trustees on strategy and content development.

Karen was invited to join the Art In Schools team after one of the trustees read her 2022 book Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom: An exploration of consensus across theory and practice (Critical Publishing/Routledge). The team were particularly interested in the ‘conditions for creativity’ proposed in the book, developed from Karen interviewing people well-known for being creative. These are: (i) Valuing the arts in everyday life; (ii) Having time for experimentation and play; and (iii) Having opportunities to collaborate with others. The first condition resonates strongly with the Art In Schools mission ‘Great art for all children, all the time’.

Last spring term, Karen tested the Art In Schools resources in two North Oxfordshire primary schools. The schools are part of a network called Cotswolds Arts Through Schools, which Karen works with on another initiative at Oxford Brookes called Kids on Campus - where local whole primary schools visit campus for a day of art activities run by primary teacher education students.

The two primary schools used the resources in different ways. St Mary’s Primary School, Chipping Norton, displayed the daily artworks in the dining hall for the children to see when they were eating their lunch. Some teachers also used the artwork to stimulate discussions in their classroom, or as a backdrop to concentrate on in free-choice time, or when getting changed for PE. The other school, Bishop Loveday Primary School, Banbury, displayed an artwork in the dining hall every day, asking the children to post their personal written responses in a box, which the pupil Art Ambassadors collated for the headteacher to share during Friday afternoon assemblies.

When Karen spoke to pupils from both schools about their experiences of Art In Schools they enthusiastically remembered many of the artworks, explaining what they thought of them. Children commented on specific artworks from the Animals exhibition. They all loved the way the eyes moved in the National Portrait Gallery video. One boy spoke about seeing the portrait of Nelson and being motivated to find out more about him. Discussions about women's right to vote were sparked by the portrait of Emmeline Pankhurst. And Stormzy’s modest pose in his portrait was also talked about. There was a sense of excitement and anticipation wondering what the next day’s artwork would be.

The strong engagement of the staff and pupils at both primary schools has led to the schools wanting to keep using the resources going forward. 28 more primary schools in the Cotswolds Arts Through Schools network are joining the initiative from this September.

To find out more about the charity’s work visit www.artinschools.org.uk. If you would like to register your interest to participate in the initiative, you can do so via the School Info page.