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Primary teacher CPD, training and support for art and design and design technology activities.

Welcome! I’m Julie Mitchell, and my goal is to support, encourage and inspire children, students, pre-service and in-service teachers and teaching assistants in their creative, art and design, and design technology activities. I also help to transform school environments into places which calm, flow, inspire, educate, and bring the ‘wow’ factor.

The Art Tree: Training Resources for Primary Teachers

I am delighted to announce the publication of my art, craft and design training books and digital resources for primary subject leaders, senior leaders and class teachers. The Primary Subject Leaders’ Essential Guide is a high-quality, A4 full-colour 414-page ‘go-to-support’ which also details progression across all media from year 1 to 6. It is national curriculum and Ofsted ‘deep dive’ referenced. There are two slimmed-down companion books for teachers of Key stage 1 and 2, plus a whole plethora of digital support resources.

THE ART TREE IS NOT A SCHEME, but it will equip you to write your own bespoke schemes – or could even support your current scheme.

For more information click here.

I offer training for your staff in:

  • Art, Craft and Design
  • Design Technology
  • Creativity Across the Curriculum
  • Enabling Environments ~ Display for Education

I offer a non-judgemental, confidential creativity partnership service for your senior leadership team to support you with:

  • The clarification/sharpening of your education ethos and methodology (the why and how)
  • Ensuring creativity is engendered across the whole school curriculum
  • Creating a physical school environment fit for learning
  • Your curriculum planning (plus half-term planning sessions with teachers to inspire and boost ideas)

I offer workshops for your children in art, craft and design

As a qualified teacher since 1991, Julie has worked with over 250 schools and communities nationally and internationally, first as a general primary teacher and then as a professional artist and artist-teacher/CPD/ITT provider.

You can commission me to create art and design:

As a professional artist/designer, Julie offers illustration, text decoration, caricatures, paintings, digital textile design and sculptured ‘bas-relief’ wall art. She has created bespoke wedding stationery; designed and produced twinning charters for municipal authorities; made replica historical liveries and costumes; and illustrated published history books. Please contact her.

About Julie Mitchell MA, BEd, FRSA*

“What can I say about Julie? Julie is really ‘out there’ – what’s in her head is amazing!” Steve Jevons Executive Headteacher (Holy Family Catholic MAT), Ignite Institute Director and ITT Strategic Lead.

As a qualified teacher since 1991, Julie has worked with over 250 schools and communities nationally and internationally, first as a general primary teacher and then as a professional artist and artist-teacher/CPD/ITT provider.

Her work with children has been exhibited at London’s National Gallery, Salford Lowry and Chester Cathedral, and shared three times at Tate Liverpool (Exchange). The artwork exhibited at Chester Cathedral was part of a community project that won the national award The Land Trust Project of the Year 2018, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

For several years she has been the lead practitioner in art and design, and design technology, for IGNITE Teaching School Alliance (IGNITE Institute from September 2021). IGNITE, at St. Bernard’s R.C. Primary School, Ellesmere Port, is a School Direct programme leader with University of Chester (an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ university).

Julie is a member of the International Society for Education Through Art, the National Society for Education in Art and Design, the National Education Union and the Free Speech Union.

In 2016 Julie was awarded a ‘SLiCE’ research fellowship with the Arts Council’s northwest bridge organisation Curious Minds (‘SLiCE’ – ‘Specialist Leader in Cultural Education’). Working with several primary schools and Cheshire Dance, she focused on the impact of dance on creative writing for pupil premium pupils.

In 2019, Julie was honoured with a Fellowship from the Royal Society of Arts.

In 2018 and 2022 Julie was the project manager for the Chester Art Beat: a biennial artists-in-residence walking trail in the City of Chester.

In 2023, Julie published the Art Tree Book CPD series and digital resources package.

* MA in Creativity and Education for the Professions (Art, Craft and Design focus)
BEd (Hons) Professional Studies (Education and Art with Psychology)
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts