Broomhouse School is located in an area that is designated at 3 on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, with 43% of children qualifying for free school meals – Edinburgh average is 20%. Pupil attendance is well below national average and annual pupil turnover is 33% of the school role. The school is working hard to involved the community and develop investment from the families into the school in terms for its ambitions for the pupils and their education.

The Project

Broomhouse Primary is based on the west side of Edinburgh with easy access to Jupiter via public transport. As a school they were one of the first to engage with Jupiter’s free learning programme in 2009 and a good relationship was established. When they got the chance of some funding in 2011 through a Community Arts Initiative – a Growing Confidence Community Project they approached Jupiter to develop their ideas.

The project aimed to create an outdoor sculpture in the garden that involved not only the school but also their families and the wider community working together to improve their environment.

Development

Formulation of a project led by artist Shane Waltener, who created Over Here at Jupiter Artland, is a skilled practitioner in community arts projects.
Pupil involvement was structured to create a sense of ownership through a series of workshops introducing the students to special willow techniques: visits to a willow farm and seeing willow cutting techniques, visits to Jupiter and workshops onsite Jupiter staff and Shane Waltener visited Broomhouse Primary to run workshops at the school and to create the artwork with pupils and the wider community.

“This has helped the curriculum come alive and has shown the ‘active’ learning part of the ‘curriculum for excellence’ to be very effective and meaningful.”

Yvonne Barrie, Headteacher, Broomhouse Primary

Outcome

An ongoing relationship with Broomhouse school and its pupils
An addition to the green environment outside the school leading to an investment of time and energy from the pupils
A deeper knowledge of techniques and the beauty and inspiration they can create

“He was a kind man. He showed us a lot of sculptures. I remember weaving sticks together to make a dream catcher.”
Joseph, pupil at Broomhouse Primary