Working alongside professional artists gives children the opportunity to develop their expression, and broadens their ability to relate to others. Alison Clark reports
Ariot of sound and colour greeted visitors to the Croydon Clocktower, as young children busily worked with an artist to transform the community facility's foyer.
The three- to seven-year-olds from local nurseries and infant classes were taking part in the 'What is a present?' project initiated by the Clocktower's arts education officer, which enabled them to be involved in a large-scale public art experience.
The children were invited to work with a musician, poet, storyteller, dancers and visual artists to explore the theme of presents and giving. This led to them making gifts for the building, including composing music for the staircase and food for the pillars to give them strength! Artists also worked with the children to transform their ideas into a giant sculpture that was assembled in the foyer of the Croydon Clocktower.
Along with enabling the children to learn new skills in different art forms, the project gave them the opportunity to work in a different environment and establish new relationships with a range of adults.
The importance of such collaboration between young children, the early years sector, arts education organisations and artists is highlighted in a new report commissioned by Arts Council England (formerly the Arts Council of England). The arts in the early years: a national study of policy and practice, by Alison Clark and colleagues at the Thomas Coram Research Unit in London, explores and identifies current practice. It collects the views of key providers in the arts and early years sectors, with the aim of providing a firm foundation for development work in this area.
'What is a present?' and nine other case studies (see box, right) are used in the report to illustrate current practice and demonstrate the wide range of possibilities for developing the arts in the early years. These include:
- Involving artists, early years practitioners and young children in a project inspired by the pre-schools of Reggio Emilia in Italy
- Working with a local gallery on an interactive exhibition
- Collaborating with an arts education officer to enable young children to work with artists in a public space
- Involving parents and children in dance, music and visual arts projects
- Artist residencies linking early years provision with arts organisations
- Touring artist initiatives to reach small, rural provision.
Wide-ranging benefits
A survey of early years and arts sector representatives and national and regional focus groups were conducted for the report. The views expressed reveal a strong belief in the value of the arts in the early years, with 92 per cent of respondents regarding increased self-esteem and encouraging creative thinking as 'very important' aims.
Respondents also reported benefits to parents when their children took part in arts activities. These included opportunities to become involved in their children's learning and the opportunity for self-expression. Early years professionals and artists also gained inspiration from working with other professionals, including challenges for their own practice.
The study found an exciting range of current practice throughout the country. Almost three-quarters (71 per cent) of respondents had included music in work with young children, and 68 per cent had included visual arts and crafts.
Survey respondents and focus group participants stressed the importance of training for both artists and early years practitioners. A number of different training models were used, including separate professional training and collaborative training.
Bringing artists into an early years setting may also open up opportunities for informal exchanges between artists and people working in the early years. A practitioner commented, 'You learn a lot more from working alongside the artist and the children than from going on a course.'
Artistic role models
The report concluded that current practice in the arts in early years settings is benefiting from a number of positive changes. Practitioners reported being encouraged to explore arts with children following inspirational theory and practice from the UK and abroad. The pre-schools of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy (see Nursery World, 7 January 2003) have had an important impact on practice.
Other participants pointed to Education Action Zones as encouraging debate on the arts and other subjects across age ranges, from nurseries to secondary schools.
Positive structural change has included the creation of Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships (EYDCPs), which some participants saw as bringing together early years providers in new ways that could benefit the promotion of the arts. Improved liaison between EYDCPs and Arts Council regional offices could improve the dissemination of good practice both regionally and nationally.
New sources of funding, particularly from the education sector, are also available to allow early years exploration in the arts - including EYDCPs, Sure Start programmes, Early Excellence Centres and Education Action Zones.
However, not everyone has equal access to these funding sources. Half of the respondents had received specific funding for the arts in the early years in the past 12 months. A minority of respondents gained funding from the arts sector, including 14 per cent who had benefited from funds from the Regional Arts Lottery Programme (which will be absorbed into three new funding streams called 'Grants for the arts' from this month).
Focus groups expressed fears about the trend towards short-term funding opportunities for the arts, rather than extending core funding. There is also a particular difficulty for practitioners in the non-maintained sector to access funding. The range of providers across the early years sector makes the development of funding and training opportunities in the arts more complex.
'If you want to address every child's entitlement (to the arts) in the early years you have to include private providers. You have childminders - you have such a mixture,' one early years practitioner responded.
The impact of the QCA Foundation Stage curriculum guidance on the arts was also discussed by focus groups. Some participants saw the naming of the creative arts as one of the areas of learning as a positive move. However, most were critical of the current educational ethos.
The study identified a number of negative factors that early years practitioners and artists cited as hindering developments in this area. Participants expressed concern at the low status of the arts in the early years. Pressures from the curriculum and, in particular, the 'measurement' culture of testing for older children has led some practitioners to feel that opportunities to develop the arts are being squeezed out. An EYDCP officer expressed the need for 'putting the balance back in the Foundation Stage curriculum, away from the land owners of literacy and numeracy.'
Alison Clark is a research officer at Thomas Coram Research Unit
More information
The arts in the early years: a national study of policy and practice, by Alison Clark, Ellen Heptinstall, Antonia Simon and Peter Moss, is available from Arts Council England. The report and executive summary are available as downloadable documents at www.artscouncil.org.uk,together with information about all other Arts Council England work. Please note activities which begin in a formal education setting for statutory educational purposes are not eligible for 'Grants for the arts' funding.