In the Art department we have just begun running our third rotation of the Clay Creatures Project, this time with St George’s Primary.
As with the previous schools, there has been an immediate warmth and sense of excitement in the art room, which is due in part to our excellent lower sixth Art teachers but also to the energy and enthusiasm brought into Emanuel by the visiting Year 6 pupils. They have embraced the opportunity to engage with the techniques, materials and ideas being presented to them while drawing and designing ambitious, weird and wonderful clay creatures.
The less confident are encouraged to try out different approaches to drawing and making whilst those with greater confidence and wilder ideas are supported by their mentors to reach their goals. One pupil remarked, “I enjoyed every session. It was amazing!”.
For me, the best thing has been to witness the genuine bond and friendship that has occurred between the Emanuel pupils and those visiting, which is backed up by another pupil who commented the thing they enjoyed most was “spending time with the sixth form teachers”. The final sculptures brilliantly demonstrate the ingenuity and imagination of each child; I am convinced the supportive and happy environment in which they have been created is the crucial component to obtaining these outcomes.
Mr Barber (Head of Primary Partnerships)