Since 2022, we’ve been proud to partner with Kingsbridge Community Primary School, delivering after-school art and movement clubs, creative workshops, exhibitions, and special events where students can share their work with family and friends.

These projects are designed not only to nurture creativity but also to help young people build confidence, explore new skills, and find joy in the arts. Here’s a look back at what we’ve achieved together — and an exciting glimpse of what’s coming next!

Afterschool Art & Movement Clubs

Summer Term 2023 – Storytelling & Animation with Sam Machell

For our first term running the After School Art Club, we worked with artist Sam Machell, whose multidisciplinary practice includes comics, creative writing, video games, and moving image. Across 12 sessions, Year 5 and 6 students explored:

• Storytelling techniques such as character development, storyboarding, and dialogue writing
• Collaborative creativity through puppet animation

The term concluded with a celebratory film premiere at Harbour House, where students proudly shared their work with families. Sixteen children took part, showing remarkable enthusiasm and creativity throughout.

Spring Term 2024 – Movement with Natalie Raven

The spring term was movement-focused, led by artist Natalie Raven, whose practice spans drama, performance, and site-responsive theatre. Over 11 weeks, students explored:

• Natural environments and their influence on performance
• Animal-inspired movement and actor training
• Yoga to support wellbeing
• Building a performance company together

The project culminated in a collaborative performance shared informally at Harbour House gallery. Along the way, the group developed not only performance skills but also trust, teamwork, and confidence.

Summer Term 2024 – Art & Nature with Erika Cann (supported by Gibbons Family Trust)

Later in the summer, artist Erika Cann, whose sculptural practice playfully explores the relationship between bodies and geologies, introduced students to creative processes rooted in nature and environment. These included:

• Cyanotype printing
• Clay sculpture
• Assemblage with natural and man-made materials

Over six weeks, the group developed a final installation, displayed in the school’s sports hall for family and friends. Erika reflected on their growth:

“It’s been amazing to see them all get stuck into the different approaches and techniques I’ve introduced to them, and carry that forward with confidence into their final works.”

Impact & Reflections

The After-School Art Club has had a significant positive impact on participating young people. It fostered creativity, introduced new artistic skills, and provided a joyful, engaging space for self-expression.

We use a range of methods to evaluate the sessions, including an emoji feedback exercise at the start and end of each workshop. This simple tool proved very revealing: many of the children reported feeling “tired” at the beginning, but the vast majority shifted to more positive emojis by the end. One child summed it up perfectly:

“Which emoji is the most happy of all? Because that’s how I feel!”

In written feedback, the most common words used to describe the sessions were “fun, creative, amazing.”

What’s Next

We’re excited to continue our partnership with Kingsbridge Community Primary School into 2025:

• Spring Term 2025 – Movement with Crumbling Rocks Theatre
  This project will explore performance, stagecraft, and stage combat, while opening conversations about wellbeing and unhealthy masculinities. It will use drama as a powerful tool to support mental health and resilience.
• Summer Term 2025 – Mural Project with Will Luz
  Together with artist Will Luz, students will design and create a mural for the school, leaving behind a vibrant, collaborative artwork for the whole community to enjoy.

✨ We’re so proud of the creativity, courage, and growth shown by the students at Kingsbridge Community Primary School — and we can’t wait to see what they achieve in the year ahead!