Cranfold Confederation
ARTS WEEK 2009: 13TH - 17TH JULY
Pupils from across the Cranfold Confederation schools took part in a week of Arts-based activities last week centred around the annual week-long visit to Gosden House by practitioners from the Globe Theatre. The practitioners worked with the Gosden House pupils across the week to produce and perform an edited version of Shakespeare’s Othello to parents and friends in the walled garden at Gosden House and the participating schools’ Arts activities were based on the themes from the play. Each pupil at Gosden House, Tillingbourne and Park Mead Primary Schools had decorated a handkerchief that were displayed at Gosden House for the Othello performance. The 1000 hankerchiefs had been made into 15 large banners from Park Mead Primary School, a giant windbreak from Gosden House School and 400 individual handkerchiefs hung on a huge row of washing lines around the Gosden House walled garden by Tillingbourne School.
The joint activities of the week were as follows:
Monday 13th - pm - Art Workshop at Tillingbourne for pupils from Park Mead, St Cuthbert Mayne and Gosden House
Wednesday 15th - all day - Brazilian Samba Workshops for 195 pupils across Tillingbourne, St Cuthbert Mayne, Ewhurst Infant, Park Mead Primary and Cranleigh C of E Primary Schools
Thursday 16th pm - Globe/Gosden House production of Othello at Gosden House
Friday 17th am - Grand Finale Concert at Gosden House with pupils from Park Mead Primary, St Cuthbert Mayne and Gosden House performing music, dance and songs on the theme of Friendship
One of the Confederation's key aims is to work in partnership within our local area to provide opportunities for the children and young people across the schools to take part in a wide variety of activities that extend beyond the school curriculum. The unique Gosden House/Globe Theatre partnership provided the focal point around which to plan our Arts Week and it was fantastic that a number of pupils have been able to take part in activities together based at four of the Confederation Schools. In addition to the open air performance at Gosden House, pupils from Tillingbourne, Park Mead Primary, St Cuthbert Mayne, Cranleigh C of E Primary and Ewhurst Infant Schools have taken part in activities together which included an Art Workshop creating giant sea pictures at Tillingbourne, a Brazilian Samba workshop for 200 pupils from years 2 and 6 at Cranleigh C of E Primary School and a Finale Concert at Park Mead Primary School for parents and guests with performances from a joint choir of Park Mead and St Cuthbert Mayne pupils and the Park Mead dance group and orchestra. The orchestra also performed one of the pieces rehearsed by some of the musicians who had taken part in a Wind Band Day hosted for the local schools by Cranleigh School earlier in the term.
Arts Week provided a wonderful opportunity for the schools to get together and to build on the partnership working already in place across the schools. Feedback from the pupils and parents about the activities had been very positive. The concert was also an opportunity to say farewell to Wonersh & Shamley Green Infant School headteacher, Heather Lee, who would be leaving at the end of term.
Image used on the Confederation Arts Week T-shirts designed by one of the pupils 