{SECTION_MENU}
Art
our vision for art at ashton
At Ashton, we want all children to leave at the end of KS2 with a confidence to work creatively with their art skills to record their imagination and ideas, to be able to apply their experience of a range of techniques, materials and a good understanding of how humans use art for self-expression and making sense of their lives.
‘It seems so obvious, but a lot of people simply don’t understand that, at the beginning and end of all the things that are essential to a civilised world is a creative human being. That the cars that they drive in, and the suits that they’re wearing, these items all started off with work by a creative person. That if it wasn’t for artists and designers, you would have had to walk out without your clothes on.’ Lubaina Himid RA, CBE
It is therefore an important part of every child’s education, or as artist Bob and Roberta Smith would say:
‘Art is your human right’ and ‘All schools should be art schools’
our intent
At Ashton, we aim to create children who are confident in working creatively. From the minute that they join us they are encouraged to see the importance of art to humans from its earliest origins. By the time they leave in year 6, children have experienced a range of artistic techniques and materials and have a good understanding of how humans have used art through the ages for self expression and making sense of their lives. We encourage our children to see art making as a process of experimentation and development and recognise that creative thinking can help us in other areas of our lives.
how we implement our curriculum
At Ashton, we explore the three main techniques of painting, printmaking and sculpture. Alongside this we also explore other areas such as photography, digital art, environmental art, ceramics and collage.
We learn about artists throughout history; from our prehistoric ancestors up to artists living and working today. Through looking at these artists, we aim to learn their techniques and use them to produce our own artworks. The artists that we study are drawn from a wide and diverse range of backgrounds and cultures and allow our children to fully appreciate the breadth of human creativity.
We are also developing links with local artists so that the children can begin to develop their aspirations towards a creative career.
the impact of art in our school
Art has become something that our children love to do and take a great deal of pride in. They can see how their learning in previous years is developed and skills built upon. Our children enjoy the variety of materials and techniques that they use and apply the knowledge that they gained, from looking at the work of other artists, to their own work. They also see the value of art as a way of being more mindful and living in the 'now'.
our curriculum
artists in schools project
Our Year 4 and 6 children have recently had their very own exhibition at the Birley Studios Exhibition Space!
In November of 2025, children in Year 4 and 6 worked with local artists Kathryn Poole and Sarah Grant from Preston's Birley Studios. Over several sessions the children learnt a number of skills based around printmaking, painting and sculpture. This culminated in a one week public exhibition of their work at the Birley, even getting a feature on ITV Granada Reports!