Pablo Picasso once wrote that “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Our message is simple, don’t ever stop! Keep drawing, painting, sculpting and creating for the rest of your lives.
If ever a subject embodied our school motto of “Free to be me”, art does so brilliantly – it allows each child to express themselves and create something personal, different and wonderful just the way it is! There is no right or wrong in art, and there is magic in the uniqueness of every creation just as there is in every child. Our approach to art, as with many of our subject areas, is one that encourages participation and experience for the simple purpose of enjoyment and broader educational benefit rather than outcome. This approach frees children to experiment and succeed at their own level and it is no coincidence that the results very often exceed initial expectation. Give it a go, because you never know!
The quality of art on display this week is superb and testament to an approach that encourages and nurtures with inspirational leadership at the heart of it all. Mr Ayling is no doubt feeling particularly proud of the quality of the art the children across our school have produced for the exhibition yesterday – he had this to say on this year’s work:
“What talented and inspiring artists we have at Banstead Prep! The children worked hard to create an incredible exhibition and should all be very proud of themselves! For me, the highlight of every exhibition is seeing the excitement and joy on the children’s faces as they spot their brilliant work sitting proudly amongst their peers.”
Discoverers and Explorers were set the challenge to create Animal Art, Adventurers painted self-portraits and Reception created abstract art using bright colours.
Year 1 were inspired by Eric Carle’s beautiful cut out birds.
Year 2 reimagined Peter Doig’s painting, Milky Way, using soft pastels.
Year 3 used watercolour to paint Macaws, inspired by the colour and birds by Quentin Blake.
Year 4 studied Van Gogh and learnt how to mix acrylic paints to create their own still life of a plant.
Year 5 learnt about Frida Kahlo, Peter Doig and Edvard Munch, creating their own self-portrait inspired by their chosen artists. They also had the choice of submitting their silhouette artwork which was created using their researched image with an imagined background.
Year 6 showed off their soft pastel skills, creating art of their chosen animal.
When you consider the depth of learning behind these creations it is obvious that the value of art as an integral part of our curriculum is clear to see and we are lucky to have Mr Ayling, who really brings out the best in the children, instilling a love of art from day one!
We have also celebrated creativity of a different kind in the amazing achievements of Ibrahim in year 6. He has created an incredible stop-go animation for a competition with Into Films on littering and sustainability.
ABOUT INTO FILM
Into Film is the UK’s leading charity for film in education and the community. We provide screen industry career information and advice, support young filmmakers, and bring the power of moving image storytelling into classroom teaching. They also run the annual Into Film Festival which enables more than 400,000 pupils to visit the cinema for free, and the Into Film Awards – the UK’s leading showcase for young filmmaking talent.
Ibrahim has been invited as a nominee for an award at the finals event in Leicester Square on Tuesday 25th June. We are encouraging everyone to watch his brilliant video and most importantly get voting for him – please like and save the post to ensure your vote is counted!
Good luck Ibrahim, we are very proud of you.
In some staffing news, I am very pleased to share with you that from September 2024 Hannah Law will be taking on the role of Head of Pre- Prep, in addition to her role as a Year 1 teacher. Hannah will help coordinate the children’s journey through Nursery into KS1, ensuring continuity, creating even stronger links with all subject areas across the school and providing a valuable leadership presence to this busy part of our school. Hayley Compton will continue to lead our brilliant Nursery and Early Years setting, and we look forward to sharing the exciting news of a major development of our outside spaces this summer to further enhance the experience for our youngest children and areas that will be used by many of our year groups. Some introductory information can be found here: Exciting Changes to Nursery, Pre-school and Reception
I am delighted to pass on the exciting news that Alice Perry, Jack and Hattie will be welcoming the newest member of their family in November this year. We are thrilled for them and wish Alice all the best for this wonderful next step for her family.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Rebecca Harris for all her hard work and support over the years and wish her and her family the very best of luck for the future. Rebecca is currently on maternity leave and plans to spend more time with her family so will not be returning to BPS. We thank her for the amazing contribution she has made to the school during her time with us.
A final, timely, thought on our week celebrating creativity with the very exciting news that our new library is ready! We are thrilled with the final outcome, with thanks to Mr Cody for leading this project, all the staff who have contributed ideas, the site team for their hard work and of course everyone in our community who has helped fund this through our BPSA events. What a wonderful thing for all the children to enjoy for years to come! They will get to see it next week and we will share pictures of an official launch very soon.
Have a lovely weekend!
