PGCE Art & Design exhibition opening night speech

PGCE Georgie Earnshaw final piece

Friday was the PV night for the PGCE Art & Design Secondary final exhibition at the IOE UCL ADM.

I gave a welcome/celebratory opening night speech to the students and visitors in an attempt to rally the recently graduated art & design teachers for the future challenge they face .I have shared below:

Good evening everyone, and welcome to the ADM at IOE UCL. It is a real pleasure to welcome you all here tonight to celebrate this fantastic exhibition and the remarkable work of our PGCE students. To our families, friends, colleagues, mentors, partnership schools, and of course our students — thank you for being here and for supporting what is such an important moment in their journey.

Tonight is about much more than simply exhibiting work. It represents an opportunity for our students to reconnect with their own creative practice — something that can sometimes be difficult during the intensity of teacher training. It is a reminder that before becoming teachers, you are artists, designers, crafts people, makers, thinkers, and creative practitioners, and that identity should remain central to the kind of educators you become.

As you prepare to enter the profession, I hope you take with you an understanding that teaching is never simply about delivering content, never simply about being compliant. It is about shaping futures, creating possibility, and becoming agents of change. You are graduating from one of the finest institutions in the world, joining a profession with a long and proud history of making a difference through art and design education. Now it is your turn to help shape what comes next.

I often say: “Be more like an artist and less like a bureaucrat.” In a world where education can sometimes feel constrained by systems and structures, we need teachers who think creatively, challenge convention, advocate for the value of our subject, and imagine better futures for young people and the communities they serve. Be the change you want to see in the art and design education community.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who has made this evening possible — our incredible students for their dedication and hard work, the staff team for their commitment and guidance, our technicians who help bring these spaces to life, and our partnership schools and mentors whose generosity and expertise continue to support the next generation of educators.

Congratulations to all of you on creating such a magnificent, eclectic exhibition. Enjoy tonight, celebrate what you have achieved, and step confidently into the profession knowing that the future of art and design education is now in your hands.