Memorandum submitted by Red Shoe Project, Glenbrook Primary and Foundation Stage School, Nottingham

 

What?

A project linked to Dance4's festival

 

Where?

Both in our own school, city centre and University buildings

 

Why?

To link with artists and discuss the notion of journeys and aspiration for our pupils

 

When?

2005/2006

 

 

How it all started...

As part of the Dance4 festival in Nottingham a group of artists from America were running an interactive workshop. Participants were invited to try on red shoes, tap their feet together and say "there's no place like home", whereupon they were taken to their destination of choice.

 

Glenbrook was chosen as a school to participate and so planning began for a project that was not always pupil friendly, i.e. travelling off site. The school coordinator met with the artists and discussed ways in which their practice could be used to explore feelings of belonging and personal as well as physical journeys.

 

We decided to work closely with just two classes but in order to share with the whole school the artists were invited to a whole school assembly where they introduced themselves, their work and the new project. Our pupils were totally engaged and listened much more intently than is normal for our assemblies, this was because they met artists passionate about their work and shared the possibilities of this new project and were made to feel special for being part of this. We planned other ways to share our work such as taking the 'red shoe delivery van' out onto the school field so everyone could try on the shoes and share their journeys. We witnessed Year 6 boys trying on knee high red glitter boots talking about their feelings about transition. There was a real excitement in the school and a change to the normal routine.

 

The two classes chosen to work with the artists then began a project that mixed storytelling, DT and art and also had another group of pupils working with a digital media practitioner who had responsibility of recording the process.

 

Getting bigger...

Once pupils had made large-scale models of shoes, which they used to stimulate storytelling and discussions about aspirations. We thought we would be done but the project kept developing and staff had been so responsive we all wanted more! Rather than have a display that celebrated a finished product we wanted to provide a more interactive experience for our pupils and because we were looking at journeys, which our pupils make very little of, we thought about displaying their shoes in venues in the city.

 

And bigger...

Fully inspired and having a team of staff, practitioners and the support of our Creative Advisor we decided to plan a trail which led pupils to their work which was displayed in a number of city venues; library, shoe shop, art gallery etc. On their journey they had a backpack containing a camera, words, clues and tasks etc and as well as seeing their shoes they had the opportunity to take part in planed creative activities around the city centre. The 'treasure hunt' was great fun for all involved and pupils identified how they had to work as part of a team in order to get to the next clue.

 

Pheew!

The day ended with all of the groups meeting up in the local independent cinema to watch the film created by our film crew.

 

Parents

There was a special opening event in the University gallery and parents were invited along. Pupils were so proud to work in such a nice venue and see their work on display for all to see. We do struggle to get parents involved but tend to have a better response for this type of sharing event.

 

Next steps

Feeding into the British Art Show we supported pupils to plan, develop and deliver a trail across the city for other city school pupils putting them in the role of teacher.

 

Disseminating

Pupils were invited to share their experiences at a Creative Partnerships conference held in Warwick. Not only did they lead practical workshops but also they talked about the work they had done in a mature manner. Again they enjoyed working in an inspiring venue and one that is out of their normal experience.

 

Relationships

None of this would have worked if it were not for the hard work of the people involved. Everyone went above and beyond what was expected and I really enjoyed learning from a mix of practitioners. Practitioners have links with others that schools don't necessarily have, for example making links with the cinema. Planning together gave me the chance to develop new ideas.

Conclusion

This project is an example of how Creative Partnerships encourages and supports partnerships and ideas.

Pupils benefited because:

· they got to work in different spaces

· they took a lead in planning and delivering to both pupils and adults

· they felt listened to

· they met interesting people with a passion for their line of work

· it gave them other possibilities

 

Staff benefited as above but also:

· they got to work with new professionals, developing ideas

· they had time to plan and reflect

· they saw pupils shine in different ways

· it inspired how they delivered the curriculum

 

July 2007