Sidcot School & ELAN: Annual Arts Project - HMC (The Heads' Conference)

Since 2014, Sidcot School has been a Trust partner with the Extend Learning Academies Network (ELAN), and each year Sidcot partners with ELAN for a range of sporting, dramatic and artistic activities held both at Sidcot and in their own schools. The well-established annual arts project sees the schools exploring a new art technique or process each year, with this year’s project focussing on cyanotype and text.

The aim of this year’s project was for students to explore ideas around identity, creativity and community through the medium of cyanotype and text. The project began with ELAN teachers attending a one day practical art workshop in the Sidcot Studios, where the project theme was explored and the cyanotype photographic technique was practised. Here, colleagues had the opportunity to develop their skills, as well as a visual language to aid them throughout the project. Each School was then provided with a practical teaching resource pack to enable the delivery of the project.

Students across the partnership used a range of sources including photos, scans, natural objects, cuttings, text and toys in the creation of their compositions. Then, they all awaited a sunny day to give the light needed to expose their prints – the magical moment of the project!

The students also wrote a class poem, collaboratively, to enrich the visual element of the work. The students’ artwork was then put on display in the Sidcot Art Gallery for six weeks, accompanied by the class poem.

Over 200 children from across Sidcot’s ELAN partner schools were welcomed in to see and celebrate their work. Whilst they were visiting, they were also able to make use of the Sidcot Art Rooms for an additional artistic project exploring the use of pattern, that was led by the Sidcot student Art Scholars.

ELAN became a Multi-Academy Trust in 2017. The trust is formed of the following eight schools who, between them, serve around 3,500 pupils in the local area:

1. Banwell Primary School

2. Bournville Primary School

3. Locking Primary School and ELAN central team

4. Mead Vale Primary School

5. Mendip Green Primary School

6. Milton Park Primary School

7. Oldmixon Primary School

8. Walliscote Primary School

9. Windwhistle Primary School

To find out more about Sidcot School’s partnership with ELAN, please visit Schools Together, here.

Sidcot & ELAN Arts Partnership Projects

More information about the partnership, including last year’s ‘Ancient Vessels’ ceramics masterclass project, can be found on Schools Together, here.

Back to News & Views