CORNWALL SECONDARY ART TEACHERS CONFERENCE 2025

CORNWALL SECONDARY ART TEACHERS CONFERENCE 2025

MON 10 NOV: 10.00 - 15.30, THE EXCHANGE, PRINCES STREET, PENZANCE, TR18 2NL

After discussions with art teachers across the region, this year’s event will focus on key curriculum challenges—such as integrating risk-taking, 3D practices, and cross-curricular approaches—while still meeting exam requirements. The day will also include a provocation, inviting participants to consider how, as a collective cohort, we can more effectively advocate for the arts. Read on to find a detailed programme. Refreshments and lunch will be included.

Portfolio session & discussion, led by educator and moderator Kimberley Pallot:

Perhaps one of the most valuable elements of the conference, this session gives you the
opportunity to share and compare recent outputs generated in your classrooms. Please
bring examples of work by your high, medium and lower-level Year 10 students. By request, for this year’s session there will be a special focus on how to support lower achieving students.
Assessment & Risk - Workshop, led by Kimberley Pallot

Are assessment and risk mutually exclusive? A provocation set by regular conference attendee Amy Green. Following on from her portfolio session Kimberly will explore ways to match 3D / Ceramics to the assessment matrix and how to encourage risk taking within lessons.

Exhibition visit and sketchbook tour with Cat Gibbard & Rebecca English:

Just before lunch, the gallery team will lead a Sketchbook Tour of our current exhibition, Chantal Joffe: The Prince. Usually delivered to school groups (KS1–5), this adapted session provides a short introduction to the exhibition through group discussion and the sharing of ideas and opinions. You are then invited to respond creatively to the artworks, using your sketchbook as a space for reflection and exploration.

Lunch:

An ever popular and essential element of the conference, lunchtime gives you the opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones over a delicious lunch.

Puppets, Play & Process - a practical workshop led by artist Mae Voogd:

This workshop explores puppetry as a playful and process-led approach to 3D art and creative communication. Inspired by objects from PK Porthcurno Museum of Global Communications, participants will design and build puppets using found and everyday materials, experimenting with how form, movement, and message intersect.

The session uses guided activities to show how making puppets can encourage risk-taking, connect STEAM subjects, and inspire storytelling and student creativity across the curriculum.

Freelands Foundation Book Club for Educators:

To round up the day we will review the Freelands Foundation Reading Group’s latest series of set texts which consider arts-based utopian practices and their role in democracy, education and social change. We explore the model – is this something we could collectively adopt or adapt?

£85 per person, booking essential.

(To acknowledge budget constraints this year, we’ve reduced the fee by £5, bringing it back in line with our 2023 conference rate.)

Bios in order of appearance:

Kimberley Pallot FRSA has been an educator since 2007, with extensive experience in both state and private school settings. As a Head of Department and Senior Leader, she has worked in cross-cultural international contexts, bringing a global perspective to her leadership. Kimberley is also an experienced moderator for GCSE and A Level Art & Design across various examination boards, ensuring alignment with national standards. Currently pursuing an MA in Education Leadership & Management, Kimberley is passionate about driving positive change in education. A long-standing member of the National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD), she has served on its council to influence policy and action, benefiting students across all levels of education.

Cat Gibbard is Programme Curator and Learning Lead at Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange. The primary aim of Cat's role is to connect audiences with art and artists, both within and beyond the gallery buildings, designing and delivering programmes which place artist experimentation and visitor engagement at the centre of our programme, and which explore the usefulness of art in shaping and enriching our day-to-day lives. Cat is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Art, Craft and Design, which actively campaigns to raise the profile of art within education settings.

Rebecca English works across learning and programming at Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange, helping to shape inclusive, community-focused experiences that connect contemporary art with diverse audiences. Rebecca has over 10 years’ experience working in arts education in the cultural sector and has worked on national learning programmes, temporary exhibitions, and gallery development. Rebecca also serves as South West Area Representative for Engage, supporting peer learning and advocacy within the visual arts education sector.

Mae Voogd is a puppet maker and animator, with extensive experience creating puppets for Cornish theatre productions such as O-Region’s White Horse, Cousin Jack’s Mousehole Cat, Wildworks’ I am Kevin, and Stranger Beats. She is also the Learning and Participation Facilitator at PK Porthcurno, Museum of Global Communications, where she leads family-friendly workshops inspired by the museum’s collections, her artistic practice, and the local natural environment.

Accessibility:

The Exchange is fully accessible and has a parking bay for visitors with limited mobility. (Please phone ahead if you would like to use this so we can ensure it is kept free.) We have a wheelchair available if you would like to use one during your visit.

https://newlynartgallery.co.uk/visit/

Parking:

The Exchange does not have its own car park but there are public car parks nearby, in 5 to 10 minutes walking distance:

https://www.penzance-tc.gov.uk/wellfields-car-park/ (£2.50/day, cash only, no change given)

https://www.apcoa.co.uk/parking-in/penzance/penzance-station/ (daily rate £5.90, APCOA)

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/transport-parking-and-streets/parking/cornwall-council-car-parks/st-erbyns-penzance-tr18-2rg/ (£6.30 for 24h, council car park)

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/transport-parking-and-streets/parking/cornwall-council-car-parks/harbour-penzance-tr18-2gb/ (£10.50 for 24h, council car park)

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Host or Publisher Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange