Croydon High's Art & 3D Department get creative with partner schools

The Art and 3D Design Department at Croydon High hosted a class of local primary school children for a series of six creative workshops. This project was part of the established outreach work Croydon High has been involved in with The Rowdown Inspire to Aspire Foundation, since 2017. 

The children in Years 4-6 came from different local schools, and were chosen for their interest in or the talent they have shown, in art. The department wanted to introduce these young artists to resources and techniques that they may not have had the opportunity to try, therefore they chose to do a clay-based project taking full advantage of the expertise and facilities we have here in the Art Department at Croydon High.

Taking Lewis Carroll’s fantastical poem Jabberwocky as a starting point, staff supported the children in brainstorming the imagery this poem evokes.  Then, directly from their imaginations, the students produced some wonderful sketches of horrifying creatures from which to base the clay models that would become their own Jabberwocks.

From their drawings, the pupils all successfully crafted their models using specialist clay tools with confidence.  Once their own personal Jabberwocks were painted, glazed, and fired, the children worked in smaller groups to make a scenery setting of where their creatures might roam. The workshops concluded with the class creating further spooky and terrifying collage monsters and finalising their individual workbook with drawings and photographs of their whole creative process. This book and the model Jabberwock provided something tangible they could take home, along with, we hope, fond memories, improved skills and greater enjoyment of art.  

The Art Department at Croydon High clearly enjoyed putting together and running these inspiring sessions and it was wonderful to hear how much the staff, as well as the pupils enjoyed the experience.

One artist said " This is my favourite part of the week!"

Croydon High's Headmistress, Mrs Pattison, was delighted to meet the pupils and see first-hand the impressive artwork they had created. As she presented certificates to them all at their last session, she congratulated them and encouraged them to keep creating and enjoying their artistic endeavours.

Croydon High's Head of Art, Mrs Smith said, “ All the children worked so hard and showed such creativity; it was an absolute pleasure to work with them and to see such talent already blossoming.”

Gary Coy, founder of the Rowdown Foundation, said “ We are so grateful to Croydon High for again sharing their facilities and expertise so generously – these opportunities are really life changing for the children and we are delighted that our partnership with Croydon High continues to grow.”

Aims

The overall aims of the partnership with The Rowdown Foundation are to encourage and enable young people from more financially disadvantaged backgrounds to experience new educational opportunities and to encourage them to higher academic and performance based aspirations.

The Foundation had identified talented young artists who would benefit from increased mentoring and encouragement with a view to continuing to support them as they develop.

The pupils benefitted enormously from the time spent focusing on their creative abilities. Teaching staff also benefitted from the exercise and the very positive response from the young people.

Background

The project came about in response to a plea from Gary Coy at the Rowdown Foundation, who was looking for an opportunity to deliver bespoke support in particular subjects to gifted and talented children locally. Croydon High has a well established relationship with the Foundation and the school was very happy to help.

Resources

The project relies on the willing support and implementation delivered by the Art Department at Croydon High. Led by Director of Art, Liz Smith, the programme ran for six weeks with a different member of staff leading each week.

Resources, including sketch books and all materials as well as refreshments were all provided free of charge.

Impact

Initial feedback from the programme has been very positive.

Croydon High's Head of Art, Mrs Smith said, “ All the children worked so hard and showed such creativity; it was an absolute pleasure to work with them and to see such talent already blossoming.”

Gary Coy, founder of the Rowdown Foundation, said “ We are so grateful to Croydon High for again sharing their facilities and expertise so generously – these opportunities are really life changing for the children and we are delighted that our partnership with Croydon High continues to grow.”

Our understanding is that the Rowdown Foundation will continue to monitor the performance of the individuals involved and seek to offer further support or opportunities in the future.

Pupil Involvement

18 boys and girls from years 4-6 signed up to the programme - aged between 8 and 11.

Frequency

No firm plans have been made to continue the programme but there is a willingness to do so on an annual basis.