Trainee teachers flock to local primary school to support a baa-rilliant art project

Second-year students, studying our primary with QTS degree courses recently took part in a project organised by Martlets in partnership with Wild Art to help a local primary school decorate a sculpture of Shaun the Sheep.

The charity commissioned a flock of over 40 individually designed Shaun the Sheep sculptures that will be displayed around Brighton and Hove this autumn as part of an art trail. Whilst some local artists are working on larger Shauns, smaller ones have also been adopted by schools and youth groups to help bring the flock to life.

As part of their art and design specialist subjects’ students planned a series of workshops with reception and year 2 classes based around the children’s ideas.

Reception classes thought about what Shaun might need to eat. They used plants and natural forms from their school garden to print onto tissue and make flowers and grasses for Shaun. Another class worried that Shaun might get cold, so they printed up some fabric to make a pair of ‘Shuarts’ and some stripy socks to keep his legs warm

Pupils in year 2 made a jet pack for Shaun to be able to get to the beach quickly, made some felted wool flowers and a daisy chain necklace.

The sculpture will return to the school in June for the children to see their finished work, then will go on display across the city with the rest of the flock until November. It will then come back to the University of Brighton and the school to share on display permanently.

Course leader, Netty Cullen said “This project has been so valuable to both our Art & Design Subject specialists and our local Primary partner school.

“It’s an opportunity to collaborate on a sculpture and gain valuable experience in planning and delivering art workshops, whilst at the same time raising funds and awareness for the great job that Martlets do.

“I’m really hoping that this can become a permanent feature to enrich our trainees’ experience.”

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