Woodlands Primary Academy were initially contacted to take part in the project due to personal connections with the school both current and historic. The headmistress Miss Howse welcomed the opportunity to be involved and the themes behind the project met strongly with the values and ethos of the school;
We will provide rich opportunities for children in sport and the arts.
We are committed to equality of opportunity for everyone.
We will support our children to develop positive attitudes so that they never limit the opportunities of others through stereotyping or intolerance.
The sessions were carried out with a selection of classes across most year groups between 6th-8th March 2019, and is part of the FDA Commercial Arts Practice final piece. It was unsure how successful the sessions would be due to the lack of experience and how the children would react to the activities, therefore it was decided to have around 50% of the student body to take part in this years project. The sessions were met with enthusiasm and the initial feedback given by the teaching staff via Miss Howse was very positive.
The children were excited to take part in all the activities and were very keen to share their views on the theme of the project. One thing which has been noted within the sessions is the boys approach to careers hasn't really shifted from historic stereotypical thinking, the boys seemed to stick to what is preconceived as male roles (i.e. police, soldier, footballer), the girls however to showed an interest in all career paths. This could make interesting future research into why it's 'OK' for a girl to aspire to a male dominated role, but not for a boy to aspire to a female dominated role?
The 'Be Anything Do Anything' project is extremely grateful for being given the opportunity to come into a selection of classes to gain an overview of the views of local children, create some artworks and it is hoped that the project has helped encourage positive attitudes towards equality and raise awareness of stereotypes and how they could hinder future prospects.
Individual class blogs can be found via the following links;
All are welcome at the gallery!
Details of the exhibition dates can be found below. It is hoped the students will bring their families to view their works at Skippings Gallery on 4th May 11.00-14.00. There will be further creative activities available on the Family and Friends day and will give those who didn't get the opportunity to partake in the school sessions to create some artwork.
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