This is a text-only version of an article first published on Monday, 22 February 2016. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
THIS year Shinfield St Mary's C of E Junior School took part in the National Gallery's 'Take One Picture' initiative.
A painting is chosen (this year's was Mr and Mrs Andrews by Gainsborough) and children and teachers across the country put their imaginations to work in order to link as many curriculum areas as they can to the painting, and to produce work linked to all those themes.
A silk map of Shinfield, created by pupils.
Corinne Bullen The main theme driving the work was past and present.
Many of the children focused on farm machinery and transport, while others focused on the material of the dress and created silk maps of the village over time.
All the teachers each gave an assembly about their favourite artists, which fascinated the children and made them look at art, and what art is, differently. The children in Years Three and Four spent a day at The Chiltern Open Air Museum, where the staff put activities together that linked to the painting and the themes the school identified.
When they returned they made felt displays of transport of the past and present, as well as a chair in the style of the chair under the tree, and a life sized tree with one side looking natural and the other of metal, signifying technology and the new world. The school does this for the first three weeks of the school year so that children will be immersed in the curriculum and their own imaginations from the beginning. The headteacher, Sue Runicman said: "It has really paid off.
We have a beautiful tree in our school hall that will always remind us of this wonderful time.
Children who are new to the school have had the chance to work with a wide variety of adults and other children, and now feel like old hands; and to top it all, The National Gallery have been pleased enough with our work to ask us to send it to them, to exhibit in this year's 'Take One Picture' Exhibition. "This work was led by Corinne Bullen, the school's Art Manager, and Elaine Perrett, the English Manager.
All the staff and children are very grateful to them, and to the staff of the Chiltern Open Air Museum.