Frank Barnes School will be re-located from their current site during 2010 and 2011 and the school is working to incorporate the needs of the pupils into every aspect of the design process. Hands play a vital role in communication at the school through British Sign Language (BSL) and so a sculpture project was devised to help pupils with the emotional aspects of the move.
Completed ‘Hands-on Sculpture’ © Alistair Lambert
The ‘Hands-on Sculpture’ project involved a series of exciting workshops exploring the idea of transformation - from the current school site, through temporary accommodation to the final site - lead by a professional sculptor, Alistair Lambert.
The entire school was involved in creating portable sculpture based on ideas generated in the workshops. Elements of design from the existing school building that the children wanted to remember and retain were incorporated into the sculpture and should influence the detailed development of the new building.
The theme of a magic vessel with a cargo of ideas and shapes evolved. A ‘three in one’ sculpture - reflecting the forms of a ship, a vehicle and a plane - was built using many materials. Three full days were devoted to the entire process from ideas and sketches, through collages and discussions, to the physical sculpture itself.
Key stage
Key stages 1 & 2
Curriculum links
- art and DT
- literacy
- PSHE and citizenship
Learning objectives
The project aimed to help pupils:
- build confidence levels by working with a new teacher (the sculptor)
- learn to communicate their creative ideas
- understand the design process through participation
- understand the relationship between creativity and technical specifications
- develop a sense of ownership of the school environment
- express their views and thoughts on the move to the new school
- express and manage their feelings about the move
Length of project
1 week in February 2010
Students creating boat mesh © Alistair Lambert
What did the learning involve?
Main teaching and learning activities
Activity 1
After taking a fresh look at their school building, pupils made models of the octagonal towers - a key architectural feature of the school.
Activity 2
Pupils were involved in sawing, drilling, sanding and hammering whilst making the main body of the sculpture – the boat / nest. They used spanners to assemble random timber lengths with steel nuts and bolts. Cable ties were used to poke through holes and tie together different elements. Flexible cane, willow, lengths of string, and rope were woven into the structure.
Activity 3
The sculpture needed wheels – these were made by attaching hoops of polythene water pipe to bamboo spokes. Tyres were made by binding coloured tape around bubble wrap.
Activity 4
Each pupil made a cane propeller and decorated it in bright colours using insulating tape. These were attached together to make a sail which was then attached to the mast. The propellers became known as butterflies, towing the boat on its journey.
Activity 5
Each pupil decorated a bamboo tube and wrote messages on scrolls to put inside:
- what they would like to take with them from the present school to the new school
- what they would like the new school to give them
These message tubes were then attached around the edge of the ‘boat’. These will be carried to the new school.
Resources / partners
- Alistair Lambert, sculptor
- timber, pipe, cane and willow
- string, rope, wire
- cable ties
- bubble wrape
- coloured electrical tape
- art materials
Funding
£1,350 was received as a Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) educational grant.
Students build base of sculpture © Alistair Lambert
How well were the aims met?
- pupils worked enthusiastically in various tasks, working individually, in pairs and in groups
- they learned to express their knowledge, ideas and views during making
- the sculpture sits proudly in the hall, a daily reminder of the hard work and thoughts everyone at school has put into making the project a success
- it was commented by most staff and pupils that the sculpture has become the flagship of the school – “for the school to sail forward” from the current school site through temporary accommodation to the final building.
Comments from students
‘I feel the project helped me to get ready to move to the new school.’ Student.
‘I am happy to move to the new school maybe there are wicked things. I wonder what the school will have there.’ Student.
‘I am really excited for the new school but I will miss the old school.’ Student.
2009/10 Education Grant case studies:
A Virtual School for Children in Care, Cornwall, builds its own straw bale shelter.
Ercall Wood Technology College, Telford, create a spiritual space at school.
Pewley Down Infant School, Guildford, create an out door ‘eco play house’.
St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School, Guildford, build an outdoor learning ‘den’.
Further information
Read about the 2008/09 grant winning projects.
