Pupils get creative in class and display their art at Tate Modern
Artwork by pupils from Wales is going on display at Tate Modern as part of its Tate Exchange programme next month.
Pupils from 32 schools will also travel to London to take part in Tate Exchange activities.
They were chosen from schools which have taken part in a Welsh Government and Arts Council Wales scheme to put art and creativity at the heart of education.
More than 40,000 pupils from 548 schools in Wales have taken part in Lead Creative Schools, which is also informing the new 2020 school curriculum.
Tate Exchange allows organisations, schools and members of the public to participate in the gallery’s creative process, running events and taking part in projects and activities on site.
The Lead Creative Schools Scheme is part of the Welsh Government and Arts Council of Wales joint-funded £20m programme Creative Learning Through the Arts – An Action Plan for Wales 20152020.
The programme, which is expected to form part of the 2020 new school curriculum, is designed to use creative techniques to improve attainment, develop the skills of teachers and reduce the impact of deprivation in Wales’ primary, secondary and special schools.
The event at Tate Modern aims to show the positive impact the scheme in Wales has had on schools, teachers, pupils and the artists involved.
The Lead Creative Schools Scheme has involved matching schools with creative professionals, using teaching and learning methods specifically designed to be practical and relevant to real-life curriculum demands and provide new ways for young people to engage with subjects, developing increased motivation for learning.
Arts Council of Wales chairman Phil George said: “This bespoke creative learning scheme isn’t just about improving access to the arts in schools, but harnessing the arts and using creative techniques to improve the quality of teaching and learning across the whole curriculum, particularly in literacy and numeracy.
“Within just three years, we have already started to see that by nurturing and developing the creativity of pupils, they’re taking steps to achieve their academic potential and grow as well-rounded individuals, closing the gap between the best and least well performing pupils.”
Mr George added: “We’re delighted that the Lead Creative Schools Scheme has been selected as a Tate Exchange Associate to showcase some of the great creative work taking place here in Wales as part of Tate Exchange at Tate Modern in London.”
Ange Angelique, a teacher at Ysgol Pen Coch School in Flintshire, said teaching methods have improved across the school since it was involved in the Lead Creative Schools Scheme.
She said: “The project helped the school develop sustainable and embedded creative learning. The project has assisted us to identify that outdoor learning helps our learners achieve more easily than in a classroom. As a result, it is now a significant part of our curriculum.”
As well as the Lead Creative Schools Scheme, there are also a number of other initiatives, also funded by the Creative Learning Through the Arts programme.
The All-Wales Arts and Education Offer, which includes the Experiencing the Arts Fund and regional arts and education networks, are aimed at enhancing existing arts activity in Wales’ schools and supporting arts organisations to strengthen relationships with education by making the arts more accessible.
Education Secretary Kirsty Williams, said: “Reducing the attainment gap between pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers is at the heart of our national mission to raise standards and is also one of the driving principles behind this programme.
“There’s no better showcase for the programme’s excellent work than the Tate Modern.
“This is testament to how well schools, teachers and learners have embraced these learning methods and I want to congratulate everyone involved.
“We are already starting to see the results of our investment, which is changing how we view the arts and creativity in relation to the school curriculum, while also improving academic achievement, broadening experience and developing crucial life skills.”