Over the Fence

This project was designed to bring three schools together - Stoneyholme Community Primary School, Stoneyholme Community Nursery School and Ridgewood Special Community Secondary School - to work, create, imagine and share, and build stronger relationships and understanding between the diverse communities of the schools. The schools are on a shared campus in the Stoneyholme area of Burnley.

The schools worked with Jacqui Smith, textile artist, to create a series of banners which explore and celebrate the diversity of the school campus. The secondary school led on the project and pupils from each participating class visited and joined in with other sessions at the other schools, giving them opportunity to work alongside other pupils working on the same project.

Children from the special secondary school visited and photographed the other schools, making visible their capabilities and not their disabilities as had previously been the case. Pupils from the secondary and primary visited the nursery, working alongside and supporting nursery school pupils and all the children experienced new activities and challenges alongside each other.

The finished banners are on the theme of ‘identity' - individual, school and community identity and are a celebration of the diversity and creativity of the campus and wider community.

The resulting banners are beautiful and joyful celebrations of children's creativity and their perceptions of their lives, families and community and each school has displayed their banner in a prominent position in the school alongside photographs of sessions.