Secret Cities Project

Students from all 4 countries working together on ‘Secret Cities’ Art Project.

17 October 2011

Secret Cities - 21st Century Arts European Project

As a part of our new Comenius project a group of Cirencester Deer Park School students, along with students from France and Sweden, travelled to Zoetermeer, in Holland, to be part of a two year collaborative European arts project.

Ten Year 9 students from Deer Park School were involved in a variety of workshops based in Zoetermeer, Rotterdam and The Hague. The pupils were working with students from all four countries involved, learning about different techniques about the arts and putting these techniques into practice, producing their own work too. The aim is to encourage more communication between students in different countries, whilst being a part of a creative arts project utilising 21st century technology.

UK pupils at The Hague.

Joe Sleep, a student from Deer Park, said: ‘It was great meeting new people and learning to understand one another. Learning some new arts techniques was fun too!’

In addition to working with different schools across Europe, students had the opportunity to savour Dutch life for a teenager, through staying in host families for the week. All of the students really valued this experience and are already looking forward to hosting European students in Cirencester later in the project.

Lizzie Finnie, one of the students involved, said: ‘I had never been to Holland before and was really surprised at how different the school system was. I really enjoyed staying in a host family as it gave me a chance to see what life in a different European country was like.’

The work produced by students also be used by students in all four schools over the coming weeks, to develop the project further and enhance students’ arts and communication skills whilst encouraging collaboration between the young people in the different countries.

Liz Norman, who led the group of students from Deer Park School, said of the experience: ‘The work that the students were involved in was excellent and they represented the UK outstandingly well in the project work that they were involved in. The whole experience was invaluable.’

For more information about this event please contact Chiquita Henson, Headteacher, or Liz Norman, Head of Expressive Arts.

Related links:

• British Council - Comenius
• Alfrink College, Zoetermeer, Holland
• Bäckbyskolan, Västerås, Sweden
• Collège Paul D'Aubarède, St Genis-Laval, France
• Zoetermeer Wikipedia