This is an example of a complete makeover of a school’s outside space. The school was located within a lovely green area, but it was fenced off and totally inaccessible to the children for play or engaging with nature.
The aim of the project was to use art to completely transform the play spaces and environment.
A full INSET day at the school was set aside for engagement with teachers, administrators and support staff.
We explored what was good, what was poor, and ideas for how it could be changed. The cardboard model demonstrates some of the ideas developed. Beside are my own drawings inspired by these ideas.
Then workshops with the children led to a series of proposals which were carried out over a period of 18 months. The project included a tree house, a completely new play area, an amphitheatre in the sloping hillside, and a new main entrance gate based on the children’s designs.
Some of the new features created – a tree house an amphitheatre and a special “Mediation Area” marked out with ceramic features by the children. A child sitting here signals to the school Peer Mediators that they need to talk to someone.
A new ‘radio station’ was built into the playground which was cycle powered – the music played only as long as the children cycled.
The final element of the exterior makeover was a new enlarged school entrance. These drawings have been made by the children in workshops with the artist.
The new gateway to the school, incorporating artwork by the children. The top panel, in stainless steel is a combination of over 100 drawings by the children of the views from the classrooms in the school.
The panels and details in the gate are in mild steel, galvanised and powder coated. The details are from drawings of the plants and trees in the school grounds.
