Childhood is a stage of life with its own integrity. It is not merely a preparation for adulthood and we do children a great disservice when we treat it (and them) as if it were. Children have their own eyes They see the world around them just as we adults do. But they each see it in their own way. Given materials, opportunity and encouragement they can produce images which capture their own unique experience of what they see.
We should do all we can to help children fulfil their potential; their potential in the present, not just their potential for the future. (I actually think the one is, in any case, the best route to the other, but that should not be the main reason for seeking it.). Children have the potential to be artists, at the time they are children, and not merely at some time in their futures. We should delight in their art.
Throughout my many years teaching KS2 children, both as a Y6 teacher and later as a headteacher (when I continued to teach as often as I could) I kept a photographic record of the breathtaking artworks produced by class after class of children. I am now long retired and, in the course of a recent clear out at home, I rediscoveted this archive and was thrilled all over again by the children’s creations.
I have therefore decided to make digital images from some of my original pictures and, over a period of time, will share them on this blog. It seems to me that these examples of children’s art are well worth seeing in their own right, but I also hope they might provide some inspiration for other teachers. As I work through, I will try to give a little context to explain how each set of pictures came about.
Most of these creations are from Y6 children, but some from younger KS2 classes. I promise you that these are not the work of some small group of artistically talented youngsters. They are typical of what almost all our mixed-background children produced, year on year. And if a few of their pictures were a little more, shall we say, idiosyncratic than others, then that was all to the good. They were truly remarkable and gave their creators an invaluable sense of achievement and worth.
From time to time, I will also try to explain some of the approaches and principals which I believe supported these children in developing the confidence and skill to be the artists I think they truly are. These complementary notes will be in the Commentary Pages.
The artwork on this blog was all done by children between the ages of 8 and 11 during the time I was a teacher and headteacher at:
Birchwood CE Primary School, Warrington, Cheshire
Whaley CE Primary School, Ribble Valley, Lancashire
Gisburn Road Primary School, Barnoldswick, Lancashire
And an apology to those who were the young artists . . .
Since I recorded almost all of this work photographically, and since the creators’ names were generally on the backs of the originals, I am really sorry but it is quite impossible for me to remember, at this distance of time, which individual created what. My only option is therefore to share the pictures anonymously. For this I sincerely apologise to each of the wonderful individuals who made them. This is an accolade to the amazing achievements of your younger selves and I really hope you don’t mind the liberty I have taken in displaying now the artwork you made in primary school. If, after this length of time, anyone does recognise a particular picture as their own, and would like to reclaim it, if you DM me on Twitter I will gladly send you the digital file. If you object to any picture of yours being shared on this blog, then I will, of course, take it down.