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What was planned?

The aim of the project was to use the rich resources of the National Gallery, the expertise of Gallery staff and internationally recognised professional artists to motivate young people and to develop their visual literacy, communication and problem-solving skills and possibly impact on their option choices for GCSE. The project aimed to enhance the arts curriculum in the partner schools and to offer new approaches to classroom practice to the teachers. Working with professional artists was also seen as an opportunity to stimulate interest in the possibilities of arts related employment.  The project sought to promote the Gallery in areas of East London, where historically there has been limited public interest.

What was done and when?

The schools involved were Lister Community School (11-16 mixed comprehensive Newham) and St Paul’s Way Community School (11-16 Mixed Comprehensive with specialist Arts College status, Tower Hamlets). Both schools serve communities of significant social and economic disadvantage with a much higher than average proportion of students entitled to free school meals and with a high percentage of students from families who speak English as a second language. Ninety pupils from years 8 and 9 took part in the project. They were of a mixed range of levels of attainment and were selected for their interest in art. No students dropped out of the programme.

The project was co-ordinated by the Education Officer for out-of-school activities at the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London in partnership with the schools. Conscious of the pressure on teachers’ time, the Education Officer of the National Gallery took the major initiative in delivery of the project. The marketing of the project was thorough. The Education Officer personally made presentations at school assemblies and made contacts with parents. Attention to detail was meticulous; for example religious festivals were taken into account when planning dates and the diverse dietary requirements of multi-ethnic groups were catered for in refreshments provided.

Phase One, in August 2000, consisted of four days in the National Gallery. Inspired by a professional artist of international standing, with particular expertise in painting on copper materials, students explored the idea of painting directly on to unusual surfaces. After being led through an expert analysis of a painting in the Gallery collection, they returned to the studios to work with the artist and the education officer. A second project in Phase One followed a similar pattern focused on a specific aspect - this time the contrasting use of light and shade - in a Gallery painting, then back to the studios to produce their own work again using materials new to them. In Phase Two during the Christmas holidays of 2000/1 there was a similar pattern of activities, stimulated by a different professional artist.

Given the relatively short activity time the achievements of the students were remarkable. The work produced was visually attractive and of high quality. The result of the project was the production of an impressive poster set in the East End of London. Each participant was given a copy of his or her collaborative piece. The National Gallery Newsletter (March 2001) announced "Visitors to the National Gallery Café will be able to see an angelic display of 'Mystery Messengers' produced by 13 and 14 year old students from two East London Schools" - publicity which was a source of great pride for the students.

What has the impact been?

• Participants enhanced their communication skills by working together in groups and sharing and discussing their experiences with others. "Participants were keen to tell their story and reveal aspects of their life never before discussed "(Education Officer National Gallery). Throughout the project the teaching process contained much analysis through talking and questioning and this attention to detail enhanced their listening skills.
• The young people found working in a different environment motivating. As one said: "I don’t like artat school much but I like it here, it’s different."  Staff at the Gallery and teachers from the schools agreed that the project had had a significant effect on the motivation and attitudes to study of the students involved. As one member of staff escorting the students commented "I wish they were as keen to get into school as they are to come here during their holidays." The project also had an effect on the pupils’ confidence.  "They gained an awful lot of confidence having their work displayed in the gallery". (School Teacher)
• The vocational commitment to their careers of the artists and Gallery staff and their obvious enthusiasm for their work provided strong role models for the students in terms of careers education. The Education Officer noted: "The project seemed to have had a significant effect on student’s aspirations and possible career routes. Working with artists/education staff gave students the confidence to ask questions about careers and articulate careers ideas." One of the teachers commented: "the project gave them the idea that a career in art isn’t just about painting pictures." As one student said: "I’d like a job in a place like this when I leave school."

What was learnt and what were the next steps?

Involvement with the project helped Lister Community School's application to be a Performing Arts College.  This has since been granted and an additional outcome of their involvement was that it also helped them to achieve an 'Arts Mark' which was accompanied by extra funding for the school.

One teacher commented: "I saw techniques I had not used before and used them back at school to find new ways of introducing students’ work".

Valuable lessons were also learnt by the Gallery staff for the future development of partnerships with schools.