Visual Literacy Week launched by Art UK to teach children how to decode images

Art education charity Art UK has called for all primary school-aged children to be taught the critical skill of visual literacy – decoding the meaning of images.

Running until 6 October, it is hosting Visual Literacy Week, engaging teachers and school leaders through a programme of events including, webinars, thought leadership and a free online ‘school trip’ open to all primary schools across the UK. The week will culminate with a symposium at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

From advertisements and social media to art and instructional materials, images play a significant role in how we communicate, learn and understand the world. Therefore, the ability to interpret these visuals – known as visual literacy – is an essential skill that will be critical both in today’s society and the future.

This initiative comes at a time when arts education is under the spotlight, with a recent report from the Fabian Society, Arts for Us All, proposing measures including the teaching of visual literacy skills. Art UK has developed the award-winning learning programme ‘The Superpower of Looking’, funded by Freelands Foundation, which uses artworks to teach primary school pupils how to decode meaning in images.

Art UK’s aim for the Visual Literacy Week is to spark a national conversation about a skill that it believes is as important as reading, writing and maths. The initiative is supported by artists including Bob & Roberta Smith, Cornelia Parker, Mark Wallinger and the Singh Twins, as well as organisations including the National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD).

Andy Ellis, chief executive of Art UK, said: “We believe that art can be a pathway to becoming visually literate in our digital age and Visual Literacy Week will give educators, and indeed anyone interested in art and communication, the chance to find out about this critical topic.

“Our learning programmes support children to hone essential skills so they can develop critical thinking, effective communication and cultural understanding. Our aim is to support every school child to be visually literate by 2030, creating confident, capable and empathetic young people.”

Michelle Gregson, general secretary/CEO of NSEAD, said: “Visual literacy enables us to overcome barriers to communication, to express ourselves and to understand others, in a medium that can transcend the written and spoken word.

“Visual literacy should be part of the national curriculum. It leads to greater insights and understanding, with an appreciation of different communities, cultures and history, broadening a child’s global knowledge and their ability to access the whole curriculum.”

 Alison Cole, director of the arts and creative industries policy unit at the Fabian Society and originator of The Superpower of Looking, said: “The arts are not an optional extra – they are essential.

“Visual literacy equips children to critically analyse and communicate visual information, helping them navigate an increasingly complex media landscape. Integrating it into the curriculum will not only enhance oracy but also improve life chances for young people.”

During Visual Literacy Week, teachers can undertake training sessions in how to use free resources from The Superpower of Looking. Other events include:

– Art Adventure, an online school trip in which artist Sarah Graham will unite hundreds of classrooms across the UK and take them on a virtual visit to two art galleries

– A sold-out symposium at Yorkshire Sculpture Park on 5 October

– A free online event for secondary school teachers – ‘Seeing differently: learning together through photography’ – with non-profit photographic arts agency, Autograph ABP

– An exploration of visual literacy with Susan Coles, Vice President of the International Society for Education through Art (INSEA)

– An in-person event at Drop City Books in Stoke-on-Trent on 5 October, exploring photography’s role in questioning racial and social injustice

– A series of stories hosted by Art UK exploring the subject of visual literacy

To find out more about Visual Literacy Week, click here.

Image credit: David Madden Photography