The School Looks Around Toolkit www.daisi.org.uk Introduction to Daisi’s School The School Looks Around Toolkit Looks Around project Project Design Overview of project design The School Project plan diagram
Artists Daisi’s School Looks Around project Introduction to the artists is part of a wider youth programme Joe’s profile of the same name run by Publica. Looks Around Moose’s profile The programme investigates new interpretations of an inspirational Schools book written by Elizabeth Layton Examples of artist/school planning – Ottery St Mary and Justin Blanco White and Examples of artist/school planning – Ashburton published in 1948 by the Association Toolkit for Education in Citizenship, whose Cultural organisations, partners and board included Anthony Eden community involvement and then Prime Minister Clement The role of partners Attlee. The new projects build Directory of heritage sites and cultural partners on the premise of the local survey as an open-ended process and Volunteers tool or understanding and The School Looks Around project aims to use Involving volunteers analysing neighbourhoods. creativity to make the local area and issues ‘The Big Survey’ invitation A report and series of ‘Contemporary of society and citizenship come alive for young Evaluation Urban Character Assessment’ people, and to establish new and lasting Project evaluation strategy workshops was originally initiated Evaluation summary in 2005 by General Public Agency, connections between pupils, schools and Recommendations for future work a cultural and spatial planning their communities. consultancy. The schools The Project Archive project was set up in 2009 and Archive contents and how to access a programme similar to Daisi’s This toolkit outlines the process of The School was run in partnership with the Daisi’s role Whitechapel Gallery in 2009/10. Looks Around project, and provides a starting Outline of Daisi’s role in the project The School Looks Around research point for similar work. It gathers together the and youth programme is now run by members of the same team learning from the project in order to assist other but at Publica, a new consultancy schools and organisations who wish to carry and community interest company specialising in research and out similar work with young people in the future. practice in the public realm.
To find out more and get involved visit www.publica.co.uk
The School Looks Around www.daisi.org.uk 3 through the Art department, it has the potential Introduction to support learning across the curriculum – for example in English, Maths and Science, The School Looks Around as well as Geography, History and Citizenship. The project aimed to engage with volunteers project from local heritage societies, with different generations within the local community through an oral history element and to incorporate consultation methods through which the young people can influence and shape the project design and processes.
Creative practitioners lead the learning At the heart of The School Looks Around lies its advocacy of exploratory learning. It differs from conventional approaches to studies of the local area in the central role it gives to practitioners and experts, in the belief that The heritage starting point surroundings, not passively, but as an active creative collaborations can inspire children with General Public Agency. These schools The idea for The School Looks Around unit”. Creative survey methods were intended to develop ideas in unexpected directions, were The Urswick School (formerly Hackney originated from the rediscovery of a to give young people the tools to negotiate encourage critical thinking, and raise the Free & Parochial Secondary School), and publication of the same name written in 1948, their environments, to understand and engage quality and professionalism of the results. Bishop Challoner Catholic Collegiate Girls’ which promoted the idea of the local survey positively in the social, economic and cultural School in Tower Hamlets. The two East as an adventurous and open-ended process, relations within their neighbourhoods. Project partners London school projects formed the basis a “voyage of discovery into the life, history and The School Looks Around was conceived of an exhibition entitled The School Looks organisation of the locality”. The project aimed The project idea reflected current priorities and designed by Lucy Musgrave and Around which was shown at Whitechapel to encourage young people to uncover of policy-makers in addressing the complex Clare Cumberlidge of General Public Gallery between June and August 2010. clues about the history and development of issues of sustainable neighbourhoods and Agency, now Publica (www.publica.co.uk), their area, to question local people about community cohesion through notions of ‘the and Clare Cumberlidge & Co (www. their lives and experiences, and interpret and local’, the requirements of social infrastructure clarecumberlidgeandco.com). The project document their findings in imaginative and and the symbolic and functional importance was developed during delivery by Daisi, personal ways. The outcomes were to form of the public realm. in partnership with Devon County Council a usable archive for wider external use Libraries, Devon Record Office, The and consideration, housed at the Devon A cross-disciplinary approach King’s School, Ottery St Mary and South Record Office. This project aimed to encourage opportunities Dartmoor Community College, Ashburton. for linking practitioners across disciplines – Active citizenship an ambition which mirrors not only aspects The School Looks Around is funded The School Looks Around as a whole aims to of contemporary art practice, but also current by Heritage Lottery Fund and Devon help young people process and understand developments in the National Curriculum, County Council. the public realm and the built environment, particularly at Key Stage 3, encouraging and become active citizens within their teachers to find links between subjects and National partners communities. As stated in the 1948 publication: teaching thematically across departments. Two projects also took place in London “The local survey can help to bring the The School Looks Around builds on these secondary schools, in a parallel project individual into sympathy with his/her investigations, and while it could be ‘timetabled’ run by Whitechapel Gallery in partnership
4 The School Looks Around www.daisi.org.uk 5 Project Design Our project design can be summarised in the following steps:
1 exploring, and 8 11 The School Looks Around • To broker and stimulate schools’ access Call for expression survey methodologies Hold project planning Commission an to heritage resources and incorporation of of interest from of interest, as well meetings with archive of the project project aims stated heritage learning in programmes of study creative practitioners as young people’s teachers, creative for each location for the Heritage Lottery both within the curriculum and beyond, current levels of practitioners and from the creative in support of whole school initiatives. engagement with young people to practitioners Fund were: 2 • To create a legacy for the project beyond Hold project heritage plan the creative • To engage young people in Ottery St Mary the direct participants by establishing and awareness session activity 12 and Ashburton in learning about their promoting appropriate documentation (e.g. to introduce project Hold celebrations 5 local heritage and it’s relationship to the an archive and a tool kit) enabling future to potential creative Create links with in schools 9 contemporary life of their local community. generations to learn more about heritage practitioners, local community Lead practitioners or to develop a similar project for themselves. cultural and heritage and heritage groups, work with young 13 • To forge new and intergenerational organisations, and local volunteers people and lead Accession of relationships between young people, their • To use a heritage resource (the 1948 and school workshops, archive to Devon schools, the local communities and the local The School Looks Around publication) representatives 6 surveys and visits Record Office, public heritage resources in Ottery St Mary and as the starting point for a project. Draw up an celebration and Ashburton which will support and enrich • To create an exemplar project for evaluation strategy dissemination event their current and future understanding of 3 10 demonstrating the contemporary relevance Recruit lead for the project Hold regular and interest in heritage. of local heritage in fostering a new practitioners evaluation forums 14 • For young people and their teachers in civic awareness. to discuss the Create toolkit for 7 Ottery St Mary and Ashburton to explore, Commission oral progress of the work future work 4 learn about and interpret their local heritage Consult with young history training with young people, through a range of creative disciplines people and identify for young people project artists which encourage engagement through heritage they and schools and teachers a variety of preferred learning styles and are interested in lines of enquiry.
6 The School Looks Around www.daisi.org.uk 7 9
The archive development and build was beto a separate commission whichwas introduced once the project was underway. Daisi had a strong response, and after interview and consultation with our partners in the secondary schools, Joe Stevens was engaged work to with South Dartmoor Community College and Moose Allain workto with The King’s School. Their artist statements are overleaf:
org.uk si. to collaborating.to might inform your own practice Experience of and openness An interest in how the context of the school or encounter with young people with the public realm, for example exploring to related issues community and social geography, history and heritage An interest in wider debate around community engagement in the public realm Experience of working with young people between the ages and 19 of 11 Strong artistic practice showing experience and / or awareness of projects engaging Excellent communication skills and ability engage to positively with a wide range of people www.dai • • • • • We wereWe looking for artists who showed: • Introduction to from interest of expressions for asked Daisi particularly were practitioners. We creative artists increasingly visual are who for looking of the in the field working in interested and environment social and built, natural creative lead could who and relations social documentary, mapping and archiving processes. the Artists the Libraries Daisi Publica x workshops x workshops x venue visits x venue visits The School Looks Around Twilight Inset Twilight Twilight Inset Twilight 5 5 2 2 Planning Meeting Planning Planning Meeting Planning Oral History Taking Oral History Training Consultation with young people Kings’ School Kings’ DartmoorSouth Devon Record Office
/ Strategy Volunteers Seek Experts Develop Evaluation Evaluation Develop Recruit Creative Practitioners Introductory Awareness Meeting Evaluation Forum (schools combined or separately) Evaluation Forum (schools combined or separately) Celebrations Build Archive Develop Toolkit Develop x workshops x workshops x venue visits x venue visits Twilight Inset Twilight Twilight Inset Twilight 5 5 2 2 Planning Meeting Planning Planning Meeting Planning
Oral History Taking Oral History Training
Consultation with young people
8 Project Plan
Spring Term 2010 Summer Term 2010 Autumn Term 2010 Joe Stevens Print | Web | Video | Photography
e: [email protected] w: www.51degreesnorth.net/joe
10 February 2010
RE: The School Looks Around Expression of Interest
I am extremely interested in this project and the possibility of being lead artist. I’m an artist who enjoys creative collaborations and working with the public. I have over twenty years experience working with community groups, using a variety of creative media including video, animation, music, oral history, print and web design. I work with schools, charities and local government departments to design and deliver projects that address issues important to particular communities and organisations.
One example I have was making an award winning film with a special needs school. This was a project I helped devise, working very closely with the school and the teachers. I believe this close group effort led to it being a hugely successful project that was enjoyed by all. Together we formed a production company and made a documentary on Weymouth Pavilion (www.pavilionpast.org.uk). The children learnt how to use a video camera, interview techniques, public speaking, exhibition display, blogging, researching local history, along with a wide range of communication skills.
Last summer I was the lead artist on a Cultural Olympiad project working with disadvantaged young people. Maps were compared to contemporary artists interpretation of the landscape. We worked cooperatively, sharing experience, while investigating paths around town, recording our experiences using drawing, photography, sound recording, writing and GPS (Global Positioning System). This led to an exhibition at Sherborne House, along with work being posted to Google Earth (www.51degreesnorth.net/joe/archives/317).
Previous to this I completed an AV work for a planning dept, where I consulted with young people on their views of their towns. This was very interesting but frustrating work, as I felt we did not have enough time to really work with the young people. Still, it was a good experience to walk around their spaces and discuss what was there and what could be changed.
I’m currently working with a group of senior citizens on an oral history project ‘Our Working Lives’. Together we’ve been investigating local history archives and recording peoples memories of employment. This year should prove interesting when we start interviewing young people and finding out about their experiences of finding work. See the website I created at www.ourworkinglives.org for more about this project. I’m collaborating with Poole museum on this project, who will host an exhibition of this in 2011.
As an artist I have a keen interest in the traces we leave behind, in how our environment comes into existence and the marks we leave behind. I feel that we create the world around us and that we are, in turn, created by the world around us. In other words, the human condition is characterised by a feedback loop between human activity and our material surroundings. In this view, space is not a container for human activities to take place within, but is actively “produced” through human activity. The spaces we produce, in turn, set powerful constraints upon subsequent activity.
I’m interested in creating projects that can endure. So while technology facilitates my work, public interaction is at its heart. To that end, and despite the migration of many of our experiences to an online space, I’m interested in how media plays a role in a real physical space. In physical environments of all sizes, I seek to facilitate connections between strangers.
Most like to collaborate I would be particularly interested in working with cartographers, or the councils Geographic Information System (GIS) officer. As I have been developing the Sherborne project into a larger scale one and I’ve been having some interesting discussions with the councils GIS officer.
I hope you find this interesting and I look forward to hearing from you. I can provide a range of references from schools, local councils, voluntary organisations and charities if required.
Regards, Joe Stevens
10 The School Looks Around www.daisi.org.uk 11 My Story – Living History The Project within Where do you live? Treasured Possession Earliest memory, Favourite memory Students should document (photos, drawings, text, etc.) What are you most proud of about yourself? the personal possessions they told us about at the What would you like to be able to do better? beginning of the project. What do you always carry with you? Schools Cars, vehicles. Tell us about one object that has some significance for you – it can be serious or trivial but should tell us Your family words (special words your family uses, etc.) something about your lives. Nicknames, pet names, etc. Is there a time you would like to go back to? The School Looks Around Surveys What would improve life today? The “My Story” book is an important part of the individual surveys the students are carrying out, describing their lives Your family today. In addition the students have identified particular studies Family Tree (Briefly!) & where they live they are going to carry out into a subject that interests them Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles & Cousins outside the school, relating to Ottery St Mary or the surrounding Pets, Socialising, Hobbies, Pastimes, Fun areas. The students can draw on the experience and knowledge of family and friends to make their investigations – the School Choose a friend to describe. Looks around team of Moose Allain, Mrs James and Daisi will be Daisi asked schools for an expression The schools approached the project in very setting up a “Big Survey Day” for next term and arranging Where do you socialise? appropriate interviewees. of interest before the bid was submitted different ways. A small number of students What do you do for fun? Who is your hero? Personal Project to the Heritage Lottery Fund, as their from The King’s School worked individually Students should clearly document the pieces they create in Favourites response to the project using photographs, drawings, maps, support as partners was crucial to the on the project with the artist Moose Allain, Place, Smell, Colour, Sound, TV programme film, sound and explanatory texts. Song / musician / band / composer, Artist project development. whereas whole year groups of year 7 and 8 Any other artist/performer/inspiration? Stories Telling and gathering stories about themselves and their lives, or students from South Dartmoor Community Places about their research is at the heart of this project. Here are some Favourite building stories we would like everybody involved in the story to make: South Dartmoor Community College and College participated in the project. Place you have visited, Place you’d like to visit Tell a story about yourself. The King’s School wrote expressions of Favourite places to visit locally How far can you step back in time – i.e. who is the oldest person What do you like about them… you know? Can you get a story from them, their earliest memory… interest which showed they were committed For South Dartmoor Community College, Posterity Tell a story about a member of your family. to undertaking the project and able to forsee therefore, as the project replaced sections What object do you think says most about life today? Collect a story from a member of your family. What has changed most in your lifetime? Collect a story from a friend. how the project would fit into their school’s of the art, history and geography curriculum What are the good things about life today? Tell us a story about your friend. Collect a story about OSM or the surrounding areas from current thinking and how the school would programmes, it was necessary for the work somebody who lives there be able to accommodate the project activity to fulfill curriculum requirements as well The King’s School Looks Around From Moose’s workshop notes across the relevant timescale. as leave room for the students to follow Students at The King’s School were able to develop their own their own enquiries. independent work within the Moose’s ‘My Story’ guidelines. Moose Allain Both schools gave considerable time to July 2010 planning and working out the details of The next few pages show a small individual sessions and programmes selection from the artists’ and schools’ What are you most proud of about yourself? ? What would improve life today? Is there a time you would like to go back to? of study with the lead practitioners. planning documents. What would you like to be able to do better? activities ? socialising What has changed most in your lifetime? hobbies ? future inspirations past ? favourite routines What are the things you do every day? Fun What do you always carry with you? earliest Living Describe your home. Memories History where rules What is your neighbourhood like? ? What are the things that make you sing? birthdate pets ? Who lives in your house? Me Home what people name Who? Your home nickname where What makes you grumpy? artist hero Family Who is your oldest friend? ? colour & People My Story Relatives who smell Friends ? What are your special family words ? Senses Favourites Living History music sound Friends
holidays Places TV Tell us a story Collect a story about a friend. buildings Personal Stories from a friend. Projects 2d Create What medium will you use? Tell a story about a member of your family. Collect a story from 3d a member of your ? 4d Investigate family. Treasured Tell a story Tell a story How will you tell your stories? Possession about about where Collect a story about social groups yourself. you live. Ottery St Mary or the customs truth village, town or area What are the good things about life today? where you live from life in the past changes Tell us about an Collect a story somebody who lives there rumours object that has about yourself. photographs some significance memories for you. ? emotions What object do you think says most about life today? the future? everyday lives
activity What do you want to find out about? Tell us a lie! Why? How would you describe Ottery St Mary?
12 www.daisi.org.uk 13 Outline project proposal, Joe Stevens, December 2010 Each group comes up with 5 questions, with their answers and research material.
See the familiar with new eyes Art class This project is interested in understanding the nature and extent of human interaction with Dartmoor. In the art classes, the students construct their biodegradable letterboxes. We tend to think of landscapes as natural phenomenon, with some inherent quality that exists outside our understanding and ownership of them, even though humans have altered almost all of the British Visit to Dartmoor landscape in some way. During their visit each small group will be tasked with keeping a diary of the route and impressions of the place. They will record thoughts and experiences of Dartmoor. Students will be undertaking fieldwork, recording their findings on site and then compiling these impressions This fieldwork of recording and documenting will be important to them on their back at school. Together we would prepare the ground for an investigative art practice involving extensive return to school and the following exercises. fieldwork, cooperation with local organisations, assembly of library and archive-based information. On return to school after Dartmoor visit The whole year group will research Dartmoor to come up with questions around the future; present and On return to school students individually undertake a number of tasks to summarise past of Dartmoor from the point of view of Dartmoor users, i.e. a farmer, a walker, a tourist, a local (who are their experience of the place visited; the groups that use Dartmoor?). We will put together a series of questions for the year group to research 1 Each student to write a short, approx twelve words, descriptive text on the place visited. during the deep learning days (an i-spy). 2 Draw a map of the walk. For example they could highlight points of interest, parts This project aims to: that are difficult to travel across, is it suitable for pushchairs, or for mountain bikes? • Stimulate discussion, thought, and general interest in the everyday landscape And then collectively in their groups that surrounds us. 3 Students download their photos and select twelve, which they feel sum up their experience • Understand how we communicate with one another in order to understand of the place. They then proceed to title these twelve photos and give them captions. the world around us. Lastly using the internet these photos will be placed in their geographic location (probably • Pursue questions around the changing quality of locations. not enough time to undertake this geographic placement of the photos).
What does this mean during lessons? Following sessions 1 We will undertake an archival approach. Afterwards we use art as a medium to communicate what we now know of the places visited – not in the sense of discovering the unknown but rather with a view to organising a wealth of existing 2 It will be about collecting people’s stories and impressions. knowledge into a complex aesthetic product from which new meaning could emerge. 3 Students will be encouraged to look at our own time through the eyes of the future. We condense the complexity of our source material into conceptual art works involving photography, Geography class sound, text and wall graphics. This material would be re-imagined for different spaces; a radio program; In the geography classes the whole year group has to research the area they are visiting an online Google Earth download document; and the biodegradable letterboxes, which will be and come up with a series of questions. The questions should be related to the place. installed in-situ on Dartmoor.
In each session the students, working in small groups, research and answer Notes the following (one question per group); Recording devices • Is Dartmoor a natural, or man-made environment; Trying to tap into young peoples use of mobile phones (while staying within safeguarding • Who set the boundary line for this national park? (Who decided, what, when?) children guidelines) – Make use of the cameras and sound recorders they have in their pocket. Have their phones a memo function so they can talk into and record their impressions, or • Describe the landscape 200 yrs ago; the sound of the place? • What future improvements would you put in place on Dartmoor? (Answer this question from different viewpoints, i.e. a farmer; a tourist; a teenager; Or could we ask students to bring with them any cameras or sound recording devices they might have? and a local who lives on Dartmoor but travels to work elsewhere. If we DO use their mobile phones then it is imperative that this audio & photographic material • What will Dartmoor look like in 10, 20 years time? is downloaded and archived on the schools intranet.
14 The School Looks Around www.daisi.org.uk 15 Joe Stevens, February 2011
Dartmoor deep learning day activities Cultural and You have already done some research in your geography classes and have some understanding of the landscape that makes up Dartmoor. Today on this outing you Heritage Organisations will be undertaking some field research, which you will be taking back to school to compile and place in your specially-created letterbox. The crucial question to bear in mind is: are we looking at a man-made or a natural landscape; ie. Would you Daisi sought cultural and heritage organisation classify Dartmoor as a theme part, or is it a wilderness? partners through contacts with Devon Libraries, On your walk around the tor you will have to undertake some tasks. You will find people Devon Record Office and knowledge of existing situated at various waypoints who can offer you help and guidance to undertake these tasks. Use their expert knowledge to help you comprehend this place we are visiting, as they networks in the project locations. might point out things not obvious to the naked eye.
Throughout the walk can you; Cultural and heritage organisations were • Take a series of photos of scenes or objects that catch your eye. In particular can you photograph invited to the initial project awareness session, five different textures; Photograph five manmade objects and five natural objects. so that they could be involved from the start • List the number of different animals you see. and form good links with project practitioners walking back forth and schools. Strengthening the links between The top 6 tasks were: greener greenest schools and such organisations was a 1 Describe the landscape in front of you as if to a blind person. weed grass walking project aim. This activity to be recorded by the artists at a marker. back forth greener Participating heritage and a What do you see? greenest weed grass cultural organisations: b What can you hear? c What can you smell? Devon Record Office www.devon.gov.uk 2 Look around you, a what will this place look like in fifty years time? West County Studies Library b what did this place look like one thousand years ago? www.devon.gov.uk/localstudies 3 What can you see from the top of the tor? Devon Libraries www.devon.gov.uk/libraries 4 Record what you can hear by sketching with your eyes closed. locks grass moss hard Ottery St Mary Heritage Society 5 Look around and using your sense of smell, vision and hearing sharp soft wool www.otteryheritage.org.uk record ‘What colour does the place remind you of?’ steel needles Guild of St Lawrence, Heritage Centre 6 With the square, throw it in the air and then draw whatever it lands on. majestic angry violent creamy and Old Grammar School Backup tasks if we need some extras. www.stlawrencechapel.org.uk 7 Have some objects in a black bag. Everyone has to then put their hands Ashburton Museum in the bag and draw what they feel without seeing the object. [email protected] Dartmoor National Park Authority’s Education Service www.dartmoor–npa.gov.uk/learningabout
16 The School Looks Around www.daisi.org.uk 17 Volunteers Evaluation Daisi also made contact with project The evaluation strategy has been volunteers, through contacts with local developed and carried out by Daisi organisations and the schools. and Publica.
A number of volunteers played a pivotal role Publica planned to collect evaluation Daisi also carried out the following in the project. Local historian, Sue Dymond, materials by the following methods: documentation and evaluation: delivered oral history training to both schools. Retired teacher, Heather Stimson, volunteered Questions for all participants: Documentary film to let Ashburton students interview her • What do you think an artist does? A filmmaker, Stuart Dawson, was commissioned about her working life at the school and her • How do you feel about your local area? to produce a documentary film for the archive knowledge of the area, for them to practise Publica will collate, analyse and edit on the Ottery location. He interviewed all the taking an oral history. these to evaluate perceptual shifts. participating young people about their work on the project. The Ashburton Mayor, Councillor Peter Brewer, Artists forms – these form the basis of the and several other town councillors agreed survey case studies, and hopefully help the Student survey to be interviewed by project participants. artists think about their projects as surveys. South Dartmoor Community College asked These will be used to identify issues arising all 280 year 8 students who participated in Sue Dymond helped to organise a ‘Big Survey in conducting surveys. They will connect the second part of the project to complete an Coffee Morning’ in Ottery St Mary to which to the visual documentation. online (moodle) survey about their experience. older members of the community came to be interviewed by the students about their lives Evaluation forums – These will be an and memories of the Ottery. Carol Pentecost, opportunity to share learning outcomes Ottery St Mary Library and Robert Neal of to date, monitor whether the project is Ottery St Mary Heritage Society contributed achieving its aims, address any challenges, to the coffee morning by providing local history share unforeseen impact, set the scene material to help the students in their research for next term’s planning meetings. into the history of the locality. Twelve Publica will document these sessions. community members attended the event. Interviews of focus groups – Publica will visit the schools and interview small groups of pupils and the teachers.
Documentation – both material that has been generated during the workshops (drawings, photographs, audio and video material etc) and documentation of the artists and young people doing the surveys. This will illustrate the toolkit, funding report, evaluation and dissemination material. The community invitation to the Big Coffee Morning
18 The School Looks Around www.daisi.org.uk 19 Final interviews with lead teachers and artists • Did teachers find any new partners, or Daisi wished to obtain feedback on the project new ways of working with the heritage Evaluation Findings process as a whole from the schools and lead sector or creative practitioners through artists. The following questions were asked: the project? Daisi collected evaluation responses from • What do you feel that your school and/or • What outcomes was your school pupils have gained from this project? the creative practitioners, participating hoping to achieve through participation in The School Looks Around project? • Does your school have plans for any teachers and young people. The findings further, similar work? • How far do you feel these outcomes have been summarised and grouped below: have been achieved? • Any other comments you wish to make, anything you would like to be noted • Do you feel that the project has engaged about the project. young people in learning about their What outcomes was your school hoping to For South Dartmoor Community Collge the local heritage and its relationship to the achieve through participation in the School opportunity to undertake ‘new initiatives to contemporary life of the local community? Looks Around Project? How far were these work collaboratively across subject areas’ If so, how? outcomes achieved? (John Whitehead, South Dartmoor Community • Do you feel the project has helped College) was a driving factor. As a result young people to explore, learn about and The two schools involved hoped to achieve of the project the school stated: interpret their local heritage through a different things through the project. The range of creative disciplines? If so, how? King’s School was particularly attracted “We are more confident about by the chance for young people to explore initiating cross curricular projects the richness of their area, and to produce of this complexity. In the heart of their own creative response to it. They our curriculum aims in all subjects were keen also to make contacts with there is a drive for creative practice cultural organisations and experts. which is not just focused on Art & Design and can be felt right across “I would like to create an archive the college making connections that records the community not just between subjects far deeper from an adult perspective but also than before.” from the perspective of students at the school. Such an archive would John Bradford, South Dartmoor Community College be a very powerful tool towards community cohesion.” Do you feel that the project has engaged Debbie James, The King’s School young people in learning about their local heritage and its relationship to the contemporary life of the local community?
The project successfully initiated young peoples’ engagement with their local heritage. Students from both schools visited Devon Record Office and looked at maps of their local area. In Ottery St Mary students looked at local history material from the library and the Ottery St Mary Heritage Society and used their research in their creative work.
20 The School Looks Around www.daisi.org.uk 21 It was more difficult to arrange for Asburton The students enjoyed obtaining these living “The art department really got students to engage with their local heritage. histories and used them in their creative work. behind the project and with their It was not possible for all participating students input the young people really to work with the local library and museum “The students gained so much produced some remarkable in the first phase of the project, due to the from talking to older people in the creative interpretation work.” school’s tight timetabling requirements and community, visiting the Record Joe Stevens, Lead artist cultural organisations’ tight staff time. Office, and talking to each other “The Art and Geography However in the second phase of the project, about their town... It has made them Did teachers find any new partners, or new scheme of work will be repeated all 280 participating students engaged directly consider everyday things they ways of working with the heritage sector or this year as we see it as with the landscape and heritage of Dartmoor take for granted in a different way, creative practitioners through the project? having embedded into our through visiting and questioning Dartmoor almost through another’s eyes. This school curriculum.” Education Rangers. The students enjoyed their I feel has led them to be far more South Dartmoor Community College used visit to Dartmoor, but felt they would have liked interested in the older members John Bradford this project as a test bed for cross-curricular to spend more time exploring independently. of the town, and value their South Dartmoor Community College collaboration, and also for greater student experiences and opinions.” involvement in the design of work. They The oral history element of the project was Debbie James, The King’s School found both aspects very successful and are strong, particularly at The King’s School, planning to continue this work in the future. where students interviewed older residents Do you feel the project has helped young about their lives and memories of the area people to explore, learn about and interpret “We felt valued by the teachers… at the ‘Big Survey Coffee Morning’. their local heritage through a range of the Gifted and Talented group took creative disciplines? the lead in designing a project for our friends.” This aspect of the project was very successful, South Dartmoor Community College Student. with the students, teachers and artists really flourishing in the opportunity to respond creatively to their local heritage.
“Students were encouraged to respond “They were surprised that their special in a personal way and were given places had been special to previous autonomy to develop their own artefact generations, and each learned new boxes. This allowed for lots of individual things from each other. They have tried interpretations and lots of different ways to show in their artwork what they of working. We felt that this was a very have discovered.” successful part of the project.” Debbie James John Bradford The King’s School South Dartmoor Community College
22 The School Looks Around www.daisi.org.uk 23 and the lead artist Moose Allain. Daisi also Cross curricular project involvement Recommendations worked with the school and local volunteer The project in South Dartmoor Community Sue Dymond, to set up a coffee morning College was really strengthened by being for Future Work in a village hall, to which the public were undertaken by both the art and geography invited. So the students had the opportunity departments as a cross-curricular project. to take oral histories from members of Staff were stimulated and inspired by the Daisi has gathered feedback from project the local community, and ask their own greater possibilities this afforded, and the partners, and would recommend that for similar questions, while in a supervised environment. joint planning and organisation benefited the students’ experience. This cross-curricular work in the future, the following issues are At South Dartmoor Community College the and multi-department way of running the considered carefully at the start of the project: lead artist Joe Stevens was asked to work project in the school is in line with the vision with a group of gifted and talented students for The School Looks Around and brings to devise the survey methods and activities the opportunities that the project needs that the whole year group would do during to fulfil its ambition. their research trip to Dartmoor – so although ‘Local’ communities and how a broader definition of ‘local’ the students did not all individually choose The project concept was based upon the heritage and community can be established. what to survey, their researches were led by idea of young people exploring their ‘local’ their peers rather than the artist or teachers. community and their ‘local’ heritage, but Individual surveys, taking students out This was also a way to enable a whole anticipated that the concept and scale of the of school and safeguarding year group – 280 students – to participate local would vary. The students in the Devon In an ideal version of The School Looks in the project. secondary schools travel to school from Around Project, the young participants would across a very wide area, which means that as individually and directly survey their own local “During each Deep Learning Day a group they have a range of intersecting and area and its heritage. This would allow each over 200 students were bussed overlapping ‘local communities’. For future work student to follow their own individual interests up onto Dartmoor and back. it would be valuable to explore this concept and methods throughout the project. A massive undertaking in itself.” further, and consider how a school community connects through its students to a wide area, It is clearly not possible for schools at this Teacher time to sanction young people working South Dartmoor Community College independently off the premises with unknown individuals, while remaining within their Working with oral history and safeguarding requirements. Both schools community volunteers “We are more confident about initiating were really keen to embrace the idea of We would recommend that an oral history cross curricular projects of this complexity. students taking individual responsibility component is included prominently in In the heart of our curriculum aims in and leading their own enquiries, so found future work. Asking residents to contribute all subjects there is a drive for creative ways of working that gave students as oral history, and come and talk to students practice which is not just focused on Art “The young people would not much individual leeway as possible without and tell their stories, was a concrete & Design and can be felt right across see each other outside school. contravening safeguarding requirements. and useful way of forming a link to the the college making connections between That the only sharing they did local community, and both students and subjects far deeper than before.” was within the school grounds.” At The King’s School, a small group of residents found the process enjoyable John Bradford Joe Stevens students were selected to take part in and stimulating. Nearly all the students the project, and encouraged to choose from The King’s School used some part South Dartmoor Community College their own topics to investigate. Their research, of the stories or information they got much of which took place in their own time, from the oral history in their creative work, outside school, was supported through showing its power and relevance as mentoring by Debbie James, Head of Art, a source of inspiration.
24 The School Looks Around www.daisi.org.uk 25 The project has involved working Daisi’s Role The Project with many organisations and individuals, and an exhaustive list is not possible, but Daisi would Archive like to thank the following people in particular who contributed so much to the project: Daisi is the arts education partnership The project archive is Artists organisation for Devon and Torbay and brings held in Devon Record Joe Stevens professional artists and creative practitioners Office, and is available Moose Allain Teachers to work alongside young people. for public access. Debbie James The King’s School, Ottery St Mary
Please see www.devon.gov.uk/index/ John Bradford, John Whitehead, councildemocracy/record_office Caroline Morgan and Bea Tyndale Daisi’s vision is for artistic and cultural Project design and management for information on opening times South Dartmoor Community College, Ashburton experience to be at the heart of young Daisi worked closely with both the creative and access arrangements. people’s lives and learning. practitioners and the teachers to translate the Oral history training project from concept to workable plan, taking The School Looks Around project Sue Dymond We develop and participate in partnerships to into account the practitioners’ interests, ways of archive consists of: create innovative arts education opportunities working and the different needs of the schools. Cultural and heritage staff • Printed publication by Moose Allain John Draisey for young people, and design and manage This project was innovative and required an Devon Record Office creative projects. Daisi carried out the following intense and long-term interaction between the • Documentary film on DVD by roles during The School Looks Around project: practitioners and the schools. It was helpful Stuart Dawson Anne Howard West Country Studies Library to have an external organisation such as Daisi • Printed publication by Joe Stevens, Raising funds to maintain the direction of the project, and to Ciara Eastell including a radio programme Devon Libraries was approached by Publica, carefully negotiate issues that arose through Devon Libraries on CD London, to be the rurally based partner for the course of the project activity. Robert Neal and Chris Saunders The School Looks Around. Devon Libraries • Toolkit (this document). Ottery St Mary Heritage Society then sought local partners with whom to Daisi brokered relationships between Project Concept develop the project and raise the necessary schools and their local heritage and cultural Lucy Musgrave funds. Daisi was invited to join the Libraries organisations, with the aim of enabling Publica and Devon Record Office to form the project closer working relationships in the future. Clare Cumberlidge team. Daisi then led on a collaborative bid Clare Cumberlidge & Co to the Heritage Lottery Fund which was Evaluation And of course, the students of The successful, allowing the project to begin in Daisi worked with Publica to draw up an King’s School and South Dartmoor February 2010. evaluation strategy and carry out project Community College who took part evaluation and documentation. and who produced such interesting Recruiting creative practitioners and inspired work. Daisi advertised for creative practitioners, Archive commission using our networks across the south-west Daisi developed the brief for the archive region. Practitioners were interviewed and commission in consultation with Devon selected against the project requirements. Record Office, and partner schools.
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26 The School Looks Around www.daisi.org.uk 27 Daisi ™ Great Moor House, T: 01392 385214 Bittern Road, Sowton, E: [email protected] Exeter EX2 7NL www.daisi.org.uk