The AccessArt Primary Art Curriculum – Impact & Evidence Autumn 2023
Since the launch of the new AccessArt Primary Art Curriculum in 2022, we have seen thousands of new members sign up to use the resources in schools to help inspire and enable a rich, diverse and flexible visual arts curriculum for all pupils.
In the summer of 2023 we invited users to complete a survey to feedback their experience of using our Primary Arts Curriculum in their school. We would like to thank the 447 teachers who responded on behalf of their school.
We are pleased to share the results of the survey.
As a result of the feedback we received through the survey, over the summer period we made some changes to AccessArt:
We redesigned the website layout, creating a new menu to make it easier to navigate to the parts of the website most relevant to you.
We added relevant supporting documents and videos to each curriculum version.
We created new pages to help people who are starting out navigate their way through the AccessArt offering.
For those using AccessArt to supplement their own curriculums, we redesigned the discipline and materials resource pages.
We created a separate “Mixed and Split” curriculum version plus support documents.
We are committed to also creating further Curriculum Support for our members:
We are in the process of creating Powerpoints to support Art Leads with CPD.
We will continue to add to our collection of zoom CPD recordings taking you through each pathway in detail.
We will continue with our Sketchbook Share session to develop your sketchbook use.
We will run Introduction to AccessArt sessions to help new users navigate AccessArt.
“As the art lead, teaching all mainstream art in my school, the AccessArt curriculum has been really enjoyable to teach. I have been able to extend my own knowledge and skills along the way. The children have enjoyed the range of activities and introduction of ‘new’ artists and styles. I have noticed increased levels of confidence and enthusiasm in our pupils and their approach to their artwork since we started following the scheme in September.”
You can see a map of some of the schools using AccessArt here.
Paula Briggs
CEO & Creative Director AccessArt 2023
This is a sample of a resource created by UK Charity AccessArt. We have over 1500 resources to help develop and inspire your creative thinking, practice and teaching.
AccessArt welcomes artists, educators, teachers and parents both in the UK and overseas.
We believe everyone has the right to be creative and by working together and sharing ideas we can enable everyone to reach their creative potential.
The AccessArt Primary Art Curriculum User Survey October 2023
In the summer of 2023, a year on from the launch of the AccessArt Primary Art Curriculum, we conducted this survey to invite users to feedback their experiences of using the resources so far.
You can find everything you need to know about the AccessArt Primary Art Curriculum here. The survey did not include feedback to the EYFS element of the Curriculum, though many respondents mentioned the benefits of this addition in their qualitative responses.
A total of 447 people completed the survey – thank you to all those who took the time. We hope you find this summary useful.
You can find a pdf of the report here including an appendix of qualitative feedback.
How do Schools Use AccessArt?
How is AccessArt Being Used Across Schools?
The majority of respondents use AccessArt as a scheme, with a smaller percentage using our resources to support their own planning or to extend the resources of other schemes such as Kapow.
How Large is Your School?
How Long has Your School Been Using AccessArt?
The smallest school that uses AccessArt as a scheme has just 18 pupils.
The majority of schools are 1 form entry and a significant number teach in mixed year groups.
AccessArt Primary Art Curriculum Versions
We offer four versions of the Curriculum: the Full (36 pathways based upon one week of art each week), the Split (for schools who alternate Art with DT), the Mixed (for schools teaching art full time in mixed year group classes), and the Split & Mixed (for schools teaching in mixed year group classes and alternating with DT).
Interestingly, and a clear indicator of the pressures on schools across the timetable, the single largest sector of schools use
our Split Curriculum. This may also be an indicator of the flexibility of our Curriculum for schools working in this way.
Which Curriculum is Used by Schools?
Some schools did comment that using the Split Curriculum successfully
in their school had strengthened their argument to move art to a full time basis; clear evidence that if we can create an enthusiasm for art in schools amongst teachers and pupils, and demonstrate its purpose and relevance, then we can create a demand.
When making choices about which scheme to use, it is vital that teachers choose a scheme whose ethos matches or informs that of the school.
The Pathways, Creative Ethos, flexibility and adaptability all scored highly as reasons teachers choose AccessArt. The Curriculum also comes highly recommended by other teachers and trusts.
Why do Schools Choose AccessArt?
Impact Upon Teaching
We are thrilled to see dramatic increases in staff experience, confidence, and enthusiasm in teaching art after just a short time of using our resources, as perceived by the Art Lead.
Staff Feeling Before AccessArt
Staff Feeling After AccessArt
Over 67% of respondents feel that their arts curriculum is now more diverse, contemporary and relevant, and therefore there was more appreciation for art as a valuable subject in their school. Over 66% of teachers feel that they now have a clear structure from which to explore art, and that they understand how their teaching fitted into the bigger picture in school. 62% of teachers have a better understanding of the importance of an open-ended exploratory approach and how to enable this kind of learning.
Class teachers reflected upon changes to their own understanding, with 47% / 49.4% teachers agreeing / strongly agreeing that their confidence had increased, 39% / 58.5% of teachers agreeing / strongly agreeing that they felt more enthusiasm to teach art, and 50% / 45.1 agreeing / strongly agreeing / that their understanding in teaching art had increased.
Impact Upon Teachers
65% of teachers responded saying they felt using our resources had helped them feel more connected to their own creativity.
Adaptability
Over 68% found it easy to adapt the Pathways to their pupils / needs.
Ofsted
Of those who answered, 26% were due for an Ofsted Visit imminently and 13% had just been visited. AccessArt will be inviting teachers to submit experiences to share on AccessArt.
Impact on Children
As with the teachers, we saw large increases in confidence, enthusiasm, skills and knowledge from the children, as perceived by the teachers. This is especially heartening to hear given the short amount of time most schools have been using AccessArt. We expect these increases to compound over time as children are exposed to AccessArt approaches and pathways each year.
Pupils Before Using AccessArt
Pupils After Using AccessArt
Skills and Knowledge
Teachers report demonstrable growth in skills and knowledge relating to drawing (77.4%), sketchbooks (71.9%), painting, printmaking & collage (45.5%) and sculpture (45.5%), amongst others. These figures follow the emphasis in weight given to these areas in the Pathways with drawing and sketchbooks underpinning all creative activity.
Oracy
Oracy skills have dramatically improved.
Behaviours
The AccessArt Primary Art Curriculum
is a holistic curriculum, and teachers reported the following behaviours had been developed through Curriculum use:
Enjoyment of Exploring 92.8%
Willingness to Take Creative Risks
82.1%
Sharing Ideas 60.7%
Pleasure in Discovery 60.1%
Opening of Minds 50%
Listening to Others 38.2%
Sense of Identity 28.9%
You can find a pdf of the report here including an appendix of qualitative feedback.
A collection of sources and imagery to explore the work of Samantha Bryan.
This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.
Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control.
Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate.
We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks.
Samantha Bryan
“Working from her garden studio in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, Samantha Bryan has produced a new body of work for her exhibition at YSP celebrating 20 years of making. Known for creating distinctive figures, she has gained a worldwide cult following.
For two decades Bryan has been making humorous yet industrious fairy-like creatures; adorned with items from her eclectic hoard of buttons, spotted feathers, seed pods, dyed leathers, and contraptions influenced by Victorian flying machines. She combines these materials and found objects to inform their intriguing personalities.” – Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Introducing the BAAV Blimp
Brain’s Ariel Application Vehicle is a new cutting edge tool welcomed by the Fairy Dust Industry. This aircraft can do in minutes what it would take ground-based workers days to complete. Its increased capacity makes dust spreading incredibly efficient. It’s hopper can hold 120 pounds of dust and can sprinkle around 80 acres per hour. Revolutionary for fairy life.
51 x 41 x 21cm (w,h,d) 2022 Image: Red Photograpgy
Introducing… Brain’s Bottom Warming Garments for fairies. Vital for high altitude flying. 36 x 12cm x 10cm (h,w,d) 2022 Image: Joanne Crawford
Fairies often find themselves flying at high altitude. A dangerous pursuit with its many risks. The most obvious and most disastrous outcome would be ‘wing or limb freeze’. The consequence of which is high speed plummeting fairies. This is easily preventable if body temperature is maintained.
Brain’s Crash Helmet, designed specifically for accident prone fairies…
36 x 12cm x 10cm (h,w,d) 2015 Image: Jess Petrie
The clumsier variety of fairy would always be advised to wear a crash helmet rather than a standard issue helmet. The Crash Helmet offer greater head coverage and substantial inner padding for increased protection.
The fairy is wearing a tan leather flight suit, hand stitched with patch detail. It stands securely on a wooden base that can be easily mounted on the wall should you wish to do so. It features a typed label and is signed on the reverse
Brain’s Dust Distribution Vehicle (Glider)
35 x 31 x 35cm (w,h,d) 2014 Image: Edward Chadwick
Designed to enable a busy fairy to spread dust easily and efficiently
Questions to Ask Children
What objects can you see in Samantha’s fairies and inventions?
What do you like about the fairies and why?
Which fairy is your favourite and why?
How has Samantha created personalities for the fairies? Consider accessories, outfits and props.
Do you think the personality grows as she creates the fairies or she plans it in advance? Why?
If you were going to design a fairy based on you, what personality traits might it have? And how could you highlight those traits through accessories, outfits and props?
