Junior School Summer Art Exhbition: celebrating creative learning at kes

Last week’s Junior School Summer Art Exhibition transformed the School into a vibrant gallery, filled with artwork of every size, medium and colour. It offered a powerful reminder of the importance of creativity in our pupils’ lives, not simply as something they do in an Art lesson, but as a way of thinking, exploring and expressing who they are.

A Creative Art Curriculum in the Junior School

Creativity and artistic expression are embedded in teaching Art across the Junior School. Pupils are given the widest possible opportunity to explore different media and techniques, whether in painting and drawing, sculpture, printmaking or ceramics. Alongside this, they are introduced to a carefully chosen range of artists, from Duncan Cameron to Matthew Wong.

The Summer Exhibition brought this breadth to life. Across the School, displays included imagery of Istanbul using Indian ink, oil pastel and watercolour by Year 3, Greek amphora and batik work from Year 4, charcoal drawings and self-portraits drawn in pencil by Year 5, and mixed media still life artwork by pupils in Year 6.

Creative Learning in Practice: Take One Picture

A central part of this year’s exhibition was the Junior School’s participation in the National Gallery’s Take One Picture programme. This national initiative invites primary schools to respond creatively to a single painting from the Gallery’s collection.

For 2026, the focus is A Muse by the 15th-century Italian painter Cosima Tura. After studying the artwork, pupils drew inspiration from the sea creatures and shells on Calliope’s throne.

• Year 5 created their own mythical sea creatures using scrap materials and mod roc
• Year 4 produced sculptural shells in white earthenware clay
• Year 3 pressed scallop shells into clay to make dishes and created semi-abstract shell collages, with a nod to Matisse

The completed project, displayed in its entirety, will shortly be sent to the National Gallery for judging. We very much hope to be among the artwork exhibited at the Gallery later this year.

KES Quick Fact:

Did you know that we offer a Special Talent Award for Art in Year 7.  Find out more HERE.