The Artshed provides highly personalised creative alternative provision delivered directly by a qualified, practising secondary Art & Photography teacher with over 20 years’ experience in education.
Creative Pathways is designed for young people who may be struggling to engage or thrive within a traditional classroom environment, including learners experiencing anxiety, emotionally based school avoidance, SEND/SEMH needs, low confidence or disengagement from education.
Provision takes place in a dedicated specialist art studio with access to approximately two acres of private outdoor grounds. Through drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed media, photography, digital processes and individual creative projects, learners experience genuine, high-quality Art education while developing confidence, resilience, communication, independence and a renewed sense of achievement.
This is not simply an arts-and-crafts or wellbeing programme. Learning is planned and delivered by an experienced secondary Art teacher and can be personalised from creative re-engagement and personal development through to portfolio building, GCSE Art/Photography support and progression towards further creative study.
Small-scale delivery allows provision to be genuinely individual. Each learner’s programme is developed around their starting point, interests, barriers to learning and agreed outcomes with the referring school. The aim is to use creativity as a meaningful route back into learning: enabling young people to experience success, rediscover confidence and recognise what they can achieve.
Course Modules
1. Creative Re-engagement & Confidence - accessible practical art experiences designed to establish trust, success, routine and positive engagement with learning.
2. Drawing & Visual Skills - observation, line, tone, proportion, mark-making and visual recording, differentiated to the learner’s starting point.
3. Painting, Colour & Mixed Media - colour theory, watercolour, acrylic, ink, collage and experimental processes.
4. Printmaking & Creative Processes - accessible print and surface techniques with opportunities for individual experimentation.
5. Photography & Digital Creativity - composition, creative photography, image manipulation and experimental photographic processes where appropriate.
6. Art in the Natural Environment - observational drawing, photography and creative responses using The Artshed’s private outdoor grounds.
7. Personal Creative Project - learners develop an individual theme from their own interests, experiment with materials and create a resolved outcome or portfolio.
8. Progression Pathway - where appropriate, portfolio development, GCSE Art/Photography support and exploration of post-16 creative courses and careers.
Personal development is embedded throughout, including confidence, communication, emotional expression, problem-solving, resilience, independence and sustained engagement.
Awarding Body
Current proposal: personalised non-accredited provision, with GCSE Art & Photography curriculum support where appropriate. Potential accredited pathway: Arts Award and/or another suitable creative qualification can be explored and added once registration, assessment and moderation arrangements are confirmed.
Student Expected Outcomes
Outcomes are individually agreed with the referring school and learner and may include:
• improved engagement with education and participation;
• increased confidence, self-esteem and sense of achievement;
• development of Art and/or Photography knowledge and practical skills;
• improved concentration and ability to sustain a task;
• greater independence, resilience, problem-solving and willingness to take creative risks;
• improved communication and reflective skills;
• creation of a meaningful personal portfolio;
• progress within GCSE Art/Photography where applicable;
• increased awareness of post-16 creative pathways, courses and careers;
• improved readiness for transition or reintegration where this is an agreed placement aim.
Progress will be evidenced through an individual baseline, learner voice, attendance/engagement information, photographic and portfolio evidence, agreed personal targets and regular progress reviews shared with the referring school.
Key Stage course delivered to
KS1, KS2, KS3 and KS4 (approximately ages 6-16).
Admissions Criteria
Suitable for KS!, KS2, KS3 and KS4 learners for whom a small, calm and highly personalised creative environment may support engagement and progress. This may include learners experiencing anxiety, emotionally based school avoidance, SEND/SEMH needs, low confidence or disengagement from mainstream education, as well as young people with a particular interest in Art or Photography.
No previous artistic ability or experience is required. A learner does not need to see themselves as “good at art” to benefit from the programme.
All referrals are considered individually following discussion with the referring school, review of relevant safeguarding, SEND, medical and risk information, and consideration of whether The Art Shed can safely and appropriately meet the learner’s needs.
Staff Experience
Provision is delivered directly by Jackie Clark, a qualified secondary Art & Design and Photography teacher with over 20 years’ experience in education including moderation for awarding bodies and teching in a variety of contexts.
Jackie continues to teach in secondary education and has extensive experience across KS3, GCSE and A Level Art & Design and Photography, including examination moderation experience. She has previously delivered Arts Award and provides personalised 1:1 GCSE Art tuition.
Her experience combines strong subject-specialist teaching with extensive experience adapting creative learning for young people with different starting points, confidence levels and barriers to engagement.
The Artshed is intentionally small-scale. Learners receive consistent, direct teaching from the same experienced qualified teacher rather than being passed between a large staff team.
Delivery Area
The Artshed is a dedicated specialist art studio in Allesley, Coventry, with access to approximately two acres of private outdoor grounds with mature trees and natural areas.
The studio is equipped for drawing, painting, mixed media, printmaking, photography and 3D/experimental creative work. The outdoor environment allows supervised observational drawing, photography and nature-based creative activity where appropriate.
The setting is deliberately small, calm and personal, providing an alternative to a busy classroom environment while retaining clear educational structure, safeguarding expectations and agreed learning outcomes.
Programme length
Flexible according to learner need. An initial 6-12 week placement is recommended, with regular review and the option to extend up to a full academic year where appropriate and agreed with the referring school.
Transport Provided
N/A
Days Of Delivery
Monday: full or half-day provision available Wednesday: afternoon provision available Thursday: afternoon provision available Friday: full or half l-day provision available Placements are subject to current capacity and may be arranged flexibly around the learner’s agreed programme.
Times of Delivery
Full day: 9:30am-2:30pm Half day: normally up to 2.5 hours Wednesday availability: approximately 1:30pm-3:30pm Thursday availability: approximately 1:30pm-4:00pm
Well-being assessment tools
Individual baseline and progress measures will focus on engagement, confidence, independence, communication, resilience and agreed personal-development outcomes. Measures will be proportionate to the learner and placement purpose and reviewed with the referring school.
Staff Ratio
Flexible according to the needs of the learner and the nature of the referral. Provision can be delivered 1:1, in small groups, or in groups of up to 10 learners. Jackie is an experienced secondary teacher with over 20 years' experience managing and teaching groups of young people with a wide range of abilities and needs. Group size and composition will be agreed with the referring school to ensure that each learner can be supported safely and effectively and can benefit from the provision.
Cost of Course
£220 per full day (9:30am-2:30pm). £120 (up to 2.5 hours). Standard art materials and resources are included. Any exceptional specialist material or external activity cost would be agreed in advance.
