Pupils self portraits put on display during art exhibition at Sheffield school

Windmill Hill Primary School, in Chapeltown, held the exhibition on July 4 as part of the ‘activity passport’, something which was launched by Education Secretary Damian Hinds last year as part of his drive to inspire primary school children and encourage them to try new things, such as flying a kite or going on a nature trail, to learning a poem or cooking a meal.

Before the exhibition an art afternoon was held in which the children, along with their parents or carers, were invited to create their own self portrait in the style of a famous artist using an array of different medium such as paint or pen and ink.

The pupils in Foundation Stage gained inspiration from Andy Goldsworthy, a UK-based sculptor, photographer and environmentalist who produces site-specific sculptures and land art situated in natural and urban settings, creating their portraits out of natural objects such as grass or leaves.

Once finished the work was then mounted, with around 300 self portraits on display during the event.

Each piece was also sold for £1 as part of a fundraising effort for the school.

Alison Pape, Year 4 teacher and member of the wider curriculum team, said: “The exhibition was really well attended and was very busy. I had lots of lovely comments about how colourful and cheerful the art was. The feedback I got from the children was good too.

“It is nice to have an exhibition for the kids with a creative flare, when all the artwork was lined up together you could really tell there were some talented little artists. Normally there is an emphasis on subjects such as English and maths but this shows the importance of art too. ”

Windmill Hill Primary School hosted its first art exhibition a number of years ago along a different theme.

Staff now hope they can host another in a couple of years time once the current cohort of students move to secondary school.