Wakefield Curriculum Resources
Throughout 2024, SPARK, the Local Cultural Education Partnership for Wakefield, have developed a new place-based curriculum for Wakefield Council’s Our Year 2024 celebrations.
Co-produced with local teachers, cultural organisations and artists the curriculum focusses on three subjects – Sculpture, Coal Mining and The Local Environment – with a whole suite of resources suitable for EYFS, KS1 and KS2.
Download an overview of The Wakefield Curriculum, and find all the free resources on Wakefield Traded Services.
SCULPTURE RESOURCES
Sculpture Videos
These three videos have been created in collaboration with ArtJohn to explore sculpture making activities in the classroom.
They include simple sculpture making ideas, ways to create sculptures inspired by Barbara Hepworth and using nature to create sculptures. Each video is packed with different sculpture techniques and vocabulary to develop pupils’ skills, while using low cost materials.
This resource was created by artist John Mayson, The Hepworth Wakefield and Yorkshire Sculpture Park in collaboration with local teachers and SPARK members.
Introduce sculpture to your pupils using this resource and explore ways of talking about, drawing and making sculpture. Filled with questions and activities to use with your class the resource shares lots of ideas to help look, discuss and create sculpture.
You can use the accompanying Sculpture Cards and Presentation as inspiration while using the resource. These contain images and information about 10 local sculptures.
Resources created by artist Harriet Fletcher, The Hepworth Wakefield and Yorkshire Sculpture Park in collaboration with local teachers and SPARK members.
COAL MINING RESOURCES
Wakefield district has a long history of coal mining going back to the Roman settlement of Lagentium (now Castleford).
In the resource below The Hepworth Wakefield shares Henry Moore’s artist response to mining heritage. During the Second World War, Moore was commissioned by the War Artists Advisory Committee to illustrate the work of the ‘Bevin Boys’. He returned to Wheldale Colliery in Castleford, where his father had been pit manager.
THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT
Place-based resources in this section offer an approach to climate education that helps pupils understand their local natural and built environment in Wakefield district and encourages them to take positive action.
The Hepworth Wakefield have developed a resource to use senses and noticing skills to explore your local environment. Activities encourage pupils to discover the colours, textures and sounds of nature in their school grounds or local area.
