Classroom as Studio

Classroom as Studio

A pioneering two-year professional development and learning programme for primary teachers, inspired by the ideas and practices of contemporary art and artists

Funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Teacher Development Fund (TDF) – Round 7 grant

The programme

The Classroom as Studio programme aims to develop the art pedagogy of primary school teachers in Birmingham and the Black Country, reimagining the classroom as an artist’s studio and growing the influence of participating teachers as leaders of learning. The programme will expand the art teaching repertoire and the research skills of primary teachers and engage them in the world of contemporary art.

Collaborative working: The practice of collective making is key to Classroom as Studio, helping us to understand how collaboration and partnership between schools, teachers, artists, art galleries and between children, generates new possibilities for creativity and achievement.

Oracy: Through the programme we aim to develop the social oracy skills of children and build oracy rich classrooms that are authentic to the way that artists create and talk about their work.

Embedding change: Classroom as Studio will embed change through teacher and artist workshops, in-school development work and by taking inspiration from the exhibitions and collections of art galleries, especially those local to the schools.

A two- year process: In the first-year of Classroom a Studio, teachers will be partnered with a partner artist who will work with them to test out new ideas and approaches to teaching through contemporary art and support them with their reflection and learning. Teachers will be inspired by the work and ideas of current artists and be supported to take risks with their art teaching and will focus on bringing these ideas and their experiences to the children in their care.

In the second year of the programme each school will expand on this work to engage more teachers in the new practices being developed via Classroom as Studio and use the evidence and research findings from the programme, to embed arts-based learning in the curriculum and their School Improvement Plan.

As an outcome of the programme Classroom as Studio will develop the art skills, creativity, wellbeing and oracy of children at partner schools via a collective of schools, teachers, art galleries and local artists.

 

Why are we doing this?

The TALE Research project (2019) (Thompson, Hall et al) The APPG report (2023)- Art Now, The Ofsted research review series: art and design (2023) and our own programmes, the Inspired by British Art Show 9 learning programme, Contemporary Art in the Classroom programme and The ‘More Things Change’ programme, have evidenced the profound and positive impact of visual art on the creative and personal development of children and young people.

The report, Art Now, shows the huge gap in provision of Continuing Professional Development and Learning (CPDL) opportunities (CPDL) for teachers of art, especially at primary level. This is backed by our own evidence that shows great demand from teachers who need high quality support to enhance their skills and knowledge.

There are also significant inequalities in the arts education system, one of these is the access for children to high quality art teaching and a sustained programme of creative learning. This access is dependent on a skilled workforce of art teachers and art being seen as a curriculum priority.

So we see an opportunity to challenge this inequality and offer high quality CPDL, by building a programme that inspires collective action and forges deep connections between educators, artists and cultural organisations.

Confronting inequity: The schools in the programme are already active in challenging the effects of the disadvantage their children experience, with 89% of them in the lowest quintile for income in the UK. Classroom as Studio seeks to add to the formidable work of our partner schools in challenging disadvantage, by expanding arts opportunities.

Our schools told us that fewer resources have significantly impacted upon the learning experiences, personal development and aspiration of their pupils. The children in their care, tend to have had limited life experiences, rarely leave the local area and have little contact with the creative and cultural world on their doorstep, unless school provides access to it. As a way to challenge this trajectory, as part of Classroom as Studio, children will visit local galleries and artist studios, building their confidence and developing a sense of belonging and ownership in these spaces. We also hope that through investigating and working with local artists in their schools, pupils will be able to see that being an artist is a  potential career pathway.

 

Why contemporary art?:

We have seen a huge appetite amongst our teachers for using contemporary practice to expand the relevance and diversity of the art curriculum in their schools and to engage with the galleries and exhibitions on their doorstep.

Contemporary Art practices are accessible to non-specialist teachers as ideas are realised through a range of media and techniques. This invites teaches to explore new materials and making processes shaped by their existing skills, interests and available resources, materials and space. For the specialist teacher it opens new worlds of possibility to stretch their practice.

We have found that young children find it easy to engage with contemporary art, unencumbered by preconceptions that it is ‘hard’ and that they understand the playfulness and experimentation lying at its heart.

Contemporary art opens up a new way of learning that is active and hands on and our teachers have told us of their pupils’ frustration at sitting, listening and writing for long periods of time.

We have also found that the work of contemporary artists empowers young people to explore and confidently express their identities, emotions and beliefs and offers a path to communicate in ways that are different to those that are typically available to them.

 

Who is involved?

The programme is a partnership between Arts Connect, The University of Wolverhampton, seven Birmingham and Black Country primary schools, six local artists and three local galleries.

What will our partner artists be doing?

Our specialist partner artists will be creative and critical friends to our teachers and schools. They may work as a mentor, planning partner, co-deliverer, as a builder of confidence and a guide to the contemporary art world and its possibilities. They will also be advocates for the teachers, school and children in their own practice and in public.

 

What does Arts Connect want to learn from this programme?

We want to test and understand the extent to which Classroom as Studio works, we are interested in:

1) What kind of teaching and learning is enabled differently in the Classroom/ Studio? What are the possibilities of contemporary arts practice within a ‘studio’ for enriching oracy?
2) What happens when we place teachers at the very centre, when they become learners and leaders and are given agency and expert resources?
3) What are the realities, challenges and requirements for embedding arts-based learning in schools?
4) What are the needs, experiences and risks for teachers to confidently address inequity in their arts teaching?

 

Our funding

Arts Connect have been awarded £165,000 by Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Teacher Development Fund (TDF) – Round 7 grant.

The Teacher Development Fund aims to enable teachers and school leaders to develop their skills, knowledge and experience in order to embed learning through the arts in the primary curriculum.

Get in Touch

Please contact Arts Connect for further information about our work on Classroom as Studio.