Artist Educator
About Kate Hodgson
Kate Hodgson is a multidisciplinary artist-educator, researcher, and practicing jeweller with over 30 years of material-led experience. As the founder of the Hackney Children’s Art School, she has spent over 15 years reclaiming the primary art room as a high-status "space of practice" that fosters student agency through Imagination, Creativity, Materials, and Making.
Academic Research & Curriculum Design
Kate holds an MA in Arts and Learning from Goldsmiths, University of London. Her pedagogical approach is rooted in the concept of the "environment as the third teacher," where the physical studio acts as a responsive participant in the learning process.
Her MA thesis directly engaged with the Ofsted Art and Design Research Review (2023), specifically addressing the decline in primary art provision and teacher competency. In response to Ofsted’s calls for a "rigorous and sequenced" curriculum, Kate designed and implemented the Art Skills Booklet method at Halley House School. This research-led framework replaces static progression with a "live" community of practice, ensuring that children develop the "disciplinary knowledge" and "foundational motor skills" (such as the technically correct use of tools) emphasized by national standards.
Strategic Leadership & Artsmark Success
A passionate advocate for cultural capital, Kate’s strategic leadership led Halley House School to achieve the prestigious Artsmark Silver Award from Arts Council England. This achievement recognizes her success in embedding an inclusive, decolonized arts curriculum—linking complex historical topics like the Benin Kingdom and Roman Britain to contempory practice and artist linked to the heart of the school's community identity.
Her commitment to environmental design as a pedagogical tool was further solidified by a £10,000 grant from The Goldsmiths’ Centre, which she secured to design and implement research-led furniture for the Children’s Art Studio at Halley House School. This project directly improved the ergonomic and creative flow of the learning environment and materails storage and access, facilitating a more profound "sensory and embodied" engagement with materials.
Professional Qualifications & Practice
MA Arts & Learning, Goldsmiths, University of London.
PGC in the Use of Art and Therapy in Education, Institute of Art and Therapy in Education.
Arts Award Advisor, Arts Council England (Discover & Explore).
Founder, Hackney Children’s Art School (Est. 2011).
Kate continues to explore the intersection of material sensation and "embodied thinking" through her personal jewellery practice and her ongoing work with over 150 children 3 days a week at Halley House School.
Explore Kate’s research and portfolio:
Education & Pedagogy: @artist_educator_
Design Practice: katehodgson.co.uk
Read a recent interview with Kate by the Big Draw : https://www.thebigdraw.org/blog/more-art-for-more-children
#artist educator
kate@katehodgson.co.uk or khodgson@halleyhouseschool.org.uk
07812 017627