Culture enriches lives, and participation in creative and cultural activities can have a significant impact on young people, by developing their appreciation, their skills and helping them to learn.
This has been shown repeatedly in international studies, and has also been backed up by recent evaluations of major programmes such as Creative Partnerships and Museums’ Strategic Commissioning. What these evaluations have shown is that culture and the arts can help young people achieve all of the Every Child Matters outcomes.
Cultural activities also gives young people the chance to develop important life skills such as creativity.
As well as being valuable and enjoyable in its own right, participation in cultural activities also gives young people the chance to develop important life skills such as creativity, confidence, self-discipline, effective communication and the ability to work in teams. These skills are particularly important in a world of rapid technological and social change where the cultural and creative industries are increasingly important to our economic future.
That is why a commitment was made in the Children’s Plan to work towards a position where all children and young people — no matter where they live or what their background — have the chance to participate in at least five hours of high-quality culture per week, in and out of school. The Find Your Talent programme looks at different ways of offering young people a range of cultural experiences.
The aim is to give young people the chance to develop as:
Arts and cultural activities are also an important stimulus to develop young people’s creativity. Learning Outside the Classroom activities which give children and young people the opportunity to work on real-life challenges; handle risk; develop their capacity to think imaginatively and creatively; define and explore complex problems; use and adapt multiple resources both within their community and beyond in order to experiment and devise solutions to these problems — all of these experiences nurture the mix of thinking, imagining, facing the unknown and making things happen which are the ingredients of creativity.
School Art and Design courses provide students with a wide range of creative, exciting and stimulating opportunities to explore their artistic interests and design skills in ways that are personally relevant.
All schools aim to develop students’ ability to engage in practical ways with the processes of Art and Design. And at examination level all courses build on students’ innate creative skills through learning and doing in order to develop imaginative ways of working. They aim to enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of media, materials and technologies in historical and contemporary contexts, societies and cultures.
The educational visits that can enhance the learning experiences outside the classroom obviously include art galleries and studios, but there are now many opportunities to have hands-on experiences in a variety of skills, including sculpture, wood carving, furniture making, weaving, jewelry making, and pottery.
The BBC offer a fabulous section of their website called Your Paintings. It boasts a superb schools section which grew out of a Your Painitings Masterpieces in Schools event that took place across the country. The event gave thousands of UK school children the opportunity to experience great art close-up when a masterpiece visited their schools for the day. To support the project the BBC have curated a host of online resources including: slideshows of paintings with ideas for use in the classroom; profiles of careers in the art world; and a guide to artistic styles and movements. These cover many areas of the curriculum including History, Music, Geography, English and Drama as well as Art.
Main organisations:
National Society for Education in Art and Design
National Foundation for Educational Research
Inclusion: NASEN, and the Royal Academy of Arts runs regular sensory workshops for SEN students.
Thought of visiting?
Cardiff Art Gallery at the National Museum Cardiff
Keith Harding’s World of Mechanical Music, Gloucester
Sir Richard Arkwright’s Cromford Mill, Derbyshire
Snibston Discovery Park, Coalville, Leicestershire
Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth
The National Stone Centre, Wirksworth
Articles about Art, Education and Trips on SchoolTripsAdvisor
Find out about the National Portrait Gallery's exhibition: Real Tudors: Kings & Queens Rediscovered
Explore our collections of art, nature and history on display in this beautiful building. Find out about the last billion years of earth’s history, explore the region’s natural wonders and discover more about peoples’ lives, past and present. Entry to the Museum is free.
Schools
We deliver tailor-made programmes to Early Years, Key Stage 1 and 2 in our pond, meadow and woodland habitats. The Haven Plotland Museum provides pupils with a unique insight into home life in the past and during World War 2.
EYFS:
Exploring Senses, Pond Power, Go on a Bug Hunt, Teddy Bears Picnic, Natural Art
Key Stage 1:
Choose from our wide range of plain bisque shapes to paint and create your own pottery masterpiece to be treasured.
Activity day camps for children aged 4 to 14 combining Sports and Arts into a fun-fuelled programme keeping children active, alert, safe and happy especially during the Easter and Summer holidays!
At Super Camps your child can expect to take part in awesome activities regardless of their ability or experience.
See how people lived through time - what they wore, the toys they played with and how they managed their household chores. Find out about the history of the house, the landscaping of its estate and enjoy the beautiful Picture Room. Free entry.
Our exhibitions include Dolls, Art, Victorian School Room, Costume and Bristol at School.
Corsham Court is one of England's finest stately homes and is based upon an Elizabethan Manor dating from 1582. The interiors are laid out as a suite of magnificent Georgian Staterooms, the work of leading 18th and 19th Century architects. Their brief was to properly display the famous Methuen/Sanford art collection featuring Old Masters by Van Dyck, Carlo Dolci and Lippi.
The Old Skating Rink Gallery has permanent displays and changing exhibitions of decorative arts and crafts from South Asia, from the collection of the SADACC Trust.
An inspiring, surprising, family-friendly, free attraction in South London’s Forest Hill.
Discover the geology, archaeology and history of the Peak District through seven time zones, experience the Wonders of the Peak Time Tunnel and step into a Victorian scientists study in the Buxton Museum.
Education sessions in the museum
Make a voyage of discovery about Gosport in this exciting display, with objects, display panels and set pieces which trace the story of Gosport through the centuries.
Chapter Arts Centre houses contemporary art in Canton, just a few minutes from Cardiff city centre. A former school, the building now features a 60ft light box which spans the whole frontage of the building - a living canvas to showcase Welsh artists' work. Equipped with cinemas, gallery space, restaurant and bar, Chapter is now one of Europe's leading arts centres.
Free admission.
A fascinating medieval cob house, containing a cross-passage screen decorated with a painting of St Andrew. See the smoke-blackened timbers. Discover the fascinating history behind the cottage and enjoy the garden with contemporary cob summer house.
Dartmouth Museum is a small, fascinating and interesting museum housed in an atmospheric old merchant's house, built in approximately 1640.
The Brixham Heritage Museum and History Society was founded in 1958 for the purpose of recording, saving and displaying the heritage of the historic town and fishing port.
Since 1976, the Museum has been located in what was once the Police Station and Sergeant's House, built 1902.
Burton Art Gallery & Museum situated in Victoria Park, Bideford, was reopened in May 1994, after a major extension and refurbishment. The new building has three exhibition spaces including a permanent pottery exhibition, a museum, craft gallery, shop, workshop and lecture area, tourist information desk and cafe.
A glimpse of the museum from Runnymede Gardens, which is situated next to The Landmark Theatre on Ilfracombe's seafront. A fascinating place to visit come rain or shine and one of the best value for money attractions in North Devon.
The remains of the largest castle in Devon, in a stunning setting on a wooded spur above the rushing River Okement. Begun soon after the Norman Conquest as a motte and bailey castle with a stone keep, it was converted into a sumptuous residence in the 14th century by Hugh Courtenay, Earl of Devon, much of whose work survives.
For over a century the Whitechapel Gallery has premiered world-class artists from modern masters such as Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Frida Kahlo to contemporaries such as Sophie Calle, Paul Noble, Thomas Struth, Sarah Lucas and Mark Wallinger.
The Whimple Heritage Centre is managed and maintained by an enthusiastic group of volunteers interested in Whimple's past and also its present.
Bristol Cathedral is full of rich learning opportunities for children of all ages. Our aim is to engage children with the past as we explore the history of this amazing building; with the present as we show them how the Cathedral impacts lives today; and with the future as we consider together how we can grow and develop as individuals and as a community.
Surrounded by 3,000 acres of rolling parkland, Holkham Hall is one the finest examples of Palladian architecture in England.
A great little local museum with plenty to discover such as a panoramic view of Victorian Louth, the story of the Ghost of the Green Lady, rock and fossils, plus 200,000 years of local archaeology!
Louth Museum will take you on an amazing journey of discovery, with several galleries, plus a courtyard to explore.
One of a number of forts built in the 1850s and 1860s to protect Portsmouth and its vital harbour against a French invasion. Largely unaltered, the parade ground, gun ramps and moated keep can all be viewed.
Victorian re-creation of a medieval castle, beautifully decorated rooms. We also provide Medieaval Treasure Chest handling and self-led activity packs on Castles, English and Science, Technology and Mathematics.
Welcome to Bring Yer Wellies! We provide fun and engaging outdoor learning for school trips and children’s parties in a unique, hands-on outdoor countryside environment.
We provide a whole range of educational visits and childrens’ parties in a unique outdoor countryside location in Hoghton, Lancashire.
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.