CLASSROOM AS STUDIO BLOG: Charlotte Hancock, Year 1 Teacher, Villiers Primary School

I began the programme feeling confident and excited. After eight years of teaching, and always having loved art, I was ready to refresh and strengthen my practice. I hoped the experience would help me grow beyond familiar routines and rediscover a sense of creative freedom within my teaching.

What particularly interested me was the opportunity to improve my practice as a teacher of art. I wanted to become freer and less reliant on rigid structures. For some time, I had felt that my lessons were purposeful but overly guided, often centred around a PowerPoint and a very clear end product. I wanted to feel confident delivering meaningful lessons without needing to tightly control every step. My hope was to trust the process more and allow creativity to unfold more naturally in the classroom.

Working with my artist partner, Kanj, has been fantastic. She is organised, enthusiastic and full of ideas rooted in her own artistic practice. I have appreciated how willing she is to venture into new realms of art and embrace experimentation. Her approach has encouraged me to loosen my own planning and think more like an artist alongside the children, rather than solely as their instructor. Seeing her model risk-taking and creative exploration has been inspiring.

The learning cohort sessions have also been insightful and inspirational. I consistently leave these days feeling enthusiastic and more confident about my art teaching. They have provided valuable space to share ideas, reflect on challenges and celebrate successes. Being part of a professional community focused on creativity has been energising.

At the beginning, I found learning and trying new things quite tricky. Not having a fixed end goal and trusting the art process felt uncomfortable. Reducing structure required me to relinquish some control. However, over time, I have seen clear artistic and oracy benefits. Children are talking more about their ideas, making independent choices and engaging more deeply in the creative process.

Reflecting on my own learning has been particularly useful. In the pace of full-time teaching, we rarely pause to question our practice. This programme has given me that space, and it has been transformative.

So far, we have completed a project based on painting and storytelling. The children became artists, creating characters and backgrounds for a storybook which they then collaboratively assembled. My practice has definitely shifted. I feel more able to “go with the flow” of the children and less anxious about sticking rigidly to structured plans. It has been a surprise to see how differently the children’s artwork is produced when given more freedom.

There have been challenges, particularly managing behaviour when many tools and paints are accessible. Clear expectations were needed during these times. However, I have enjoyed every aspect—being creative, talking more with the children and using art as an expressive outlet. A particular moment of joy was watching a very quiet child unleash his talent and produce an incredible painting.

By the end of this academic year, I hope to continue building oracy and support my Year 1 pupils in becoming more collaborative, confident young artists.