Ilsham Church of England Academy, which is part of the Learning Academy Partnership, has teamed up with local artist, Becky Bettesworth, to deliver a unique Art project titled ‘Love where you Live’. This was a whole school project for every single child to participate and enjoy as part of the curriculum offer.
At the start of the project, Becky came in to the school to talk to the children about her artwork and what inspired her as an artist. The children explored her artwork and the techniques that she uses to create their own masterpieces.
Community is at the heart of the school and each class selected a local landmark to represent: St Matthias Church, Meadfoot Beach and Anstey’s Cove, to name a few.
The entire school community came together to celebrate the finished artwork, with parents invited into the classrooms and Becky Bettesworth returning to view the work herself. With great difficulty, one picture was chosen from each year group to be framed and displayed in the school reception.
Jake Grinsill, Head Teacher at Ilsham, said: “Our school vision is ‘To grow and flourish wherever you are planted’. This means that we create an ethos in our school where children have the opportunity to flourish in all areas of the curriculum and are inspired. You cannot be what you cannot see and through this project, our children were able to work with a real artist – they were passionate and excited. Maybe one day one of our pupils will return as a successful artist to inspire the next generation.”
