Hello October!
As we settle into the autumn term, this month’s edit brings together key updates, useful CPD opportunities and a seasonal art club idea to try in school. I hope it gives you a few moments of inspiration in the middle of a busy term.
Hannah x
In this month’s edit…
- Education updates for primary art
- CPD opportunities from AccessArt and NSEAD
- A seasonal art club idea
- A five-minute subject leader action
- News from The Primary Art Network
01 In the know
Education updates for primary art
Ofsted’s current inspection framework
The updated Education Inspection Framework (EIF), published in September 2026 for use from November 2025, continues to emphasise a broad and ambitious curriculum, including the arts. This is a useful opportunity to revisit how your school’s art curriculum is understood, implemented and evaluated.
The importance of a broad and balanced curriculum
Recent DfE guidance continues to highlight the value of a broad and balanced curriculum, including the arts, for all pupils. The arts support creativity, cultural understanding and wider development, helping children flourish both in and beyond school.
Try this:
Can you explain how pupils’ artistic knowledge, practical skills and creative independence develop from year to year?
02 CPD for your diary
Upcoming opportunities from AccessArt and NSEAD
These opportunities are run by other organisations and are listed for information. We recognise AccessArt and NSEAD as high-quality providers of art education; The Primary Art Network is independent and is not affiliated with either.
AccessArt · 12 October · 5–6:30pm · online
How Do We Know Our Curriculum is Inclusive?
Exploring inclusive curriculum design and meaningful creative participation.
NSEAD · online, anytime
Primary Practicals
Ink, pastel and plaster: three practical primary art CPD modules. Self-paced online.
AccessArt · 9 November · 5–6:30pm · online
What is an Ambitious Art, Craft and Design Curriculum?
Looking beyond isolated projects towards an ambitious, connected curriculum.
03 The art club corner
October’s creative invitation
Autumn Impressions
Invite children to explore the shapes, textures and patterns of autumn leaves through rubbing, drawing and layered printmaking.
Time: 30–45 minutes · Age: KS1–KS2 (easily adapted)
You will need:
- Fallen leaves (a range of shapes and sizes)
- Paper
- Wax crayons
- Water-based printing ink or paint
- Rollers or sponges
The invitation:
Begin by looking closely at the veins, edges and shapes of the leaves. Experiment with rubbings and prints, then layer the marks into an autumn-inspired composition.
Creative challenge:
Can you communicate the feeling of autumn without drawing a recognisable tree?
Artistic learning:
Observation · texture · mark-making · composition · experimentation
Encourage children to make their own choices about colour, placement and layering. Use fallen leaves, check for irritants and supervise printing materials appropriately.
04 Five-minute subject leader action
Take a look at your sketchbooks
Choose a small sample from two different year groups. Look for evidence of exploration, experimentation, revisiting ideas and growing confidence. Rather than asking whether every page looks finished, consider what the sketchbooks reveal about pupils’ artistic thinking.
One question to take away:
Are our sketchbooks spaces for creative thinking, or mainly places to present completed work?
05 From the network
Our next network meeting
Monday 9 November · 3:45–4:30pm
Join fellow primary art leaders to connect, reflect and share. Links sent to member schools.
Not a member yet? There is still time to join for this year’s meetings. See membership details.
Keep creating, keep questioning, keep sharing.
