Specifically, education of the whole child is about preparing pupils for their lives beyond school. It’s an approach that aims to give pupils all the skills they need to grow, live, work and thrive in a demanding 21st Century environment.
Focusing on multiple areas, from academic performance to emotional wellbeing, the whole child approach to learning is certainly a diverse one. And, we’ve seen the focus on whole child education change the types of Wall Art that schools have requested from us over the past few years.
In the past, we saw a huge demand for academic-based designs, like timelines, maps and subject zones. And, whilst these topics remain popular choices, we’ve also seen demand for other areas of focus like wellbeing, creativity and self-expression.
How can you use your school’s walls to support learning?
Think of your walls as a blank canvas for visual learning opportunities. We can install Wall Art on your school’s corridors, stairwells, hall, classrooms, playgrounds and welcome areas. And we design for extra large spaces, so you can visually bring to life the information you teach your children in the classroom.
Consider this; people retain 80 percent of what they see, compared to 20 percent of what they read and only 10 percent of what they hear.
So, if you presents facts and information to pupils in a visual way, pupils are more likely to absorb and remember it.
One can’t underestimate the value of your curriculum in educating the whole child. Schools need to deliver a well-rounded curriculum, with a wide range of subjects.
It’s equally important to give pupils context of WHY the curriculum matters so much. Many schools and colleges do this by celebrating their curriculum within their Wall Art designs. Some schools provide inspiration on how the curriculum will provide career opportunities in the future. Whilst others may feature examples of past students who have excelled, or famous people who have worked hard to achieve success.
Inspiring quotes and motivational messages go a long way to inspire pupils to dream big about their futures.
We know that educating the whole child means focusing on their academic progress as well as their involvement in other areas.
A few areas that can enrich the whole child include;
And, as we we recently shared in another blog, according to The Arts Council England; “Arts subjects encourage self-expression and creativity and can build confidence as well as a sense of individual identity”.
Creating a sense of community plays a big part in education of the whole child. Pupils need a framework of policies, values and boundaries that make them feel safe and secure.
Your school’s values can support this. In fact, many schools ask us to feature their values within their Wall Art designs. For example, they might showcase their values in a reception area or assembly hall. These tend to be heavily populated areas, so they set the scene for what’s expected of pupils as soon as they arrive at school each day.
School values can create a sense of belonging, and a spirit of unity amongst pupils. They can also promote independence and decision-making in students, by giving them a reference point for behaviours and actions. These are all facets of whole child education.
At Promote Your School, we have over twenty years’ experience in education and design. So we’re well placed to help you achieve your aims as a school through our bespoke Wall Art.
Contact us for a free, no obligation consultation. And let’s bring your walls to life!
We’ll visit your school to understand your goals, explain our process and provide you with a no-obligation quote.