Synopsis

Over the last two years Our Lady’s and St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School has been working with Lead creative practitioner Ian Douglas from Theatre by the Lake exploring creative ways of developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills. The project has brought creative INSET sessions for school staff, workshops with a word wizard and more recently a ceremonial boat launch…..

Over the last term, year six pupils at Our Lady and St Patrick's, Catholic Primary, have been working with theatre professionals, artists and teachers building their own boats from reclaimed and found materials connected with the town.

Driftwood, plastic and netting found on the beach are just some of the things that the children have used to create individual boats, which have been decorated with words, memories and poetry.

On Monday 16 July, the final-year pupils walked two miles from their school to Maryport harbour to meet the harbour master who helped the children launch their boats in a symbolic gesture marking the end of their time at the school.

Before the ships are launched into the swell the children school will read poetry that they have written to mark the occasion.

As part of the project, artist Julian Longcake has created a permanent sculpture for the school grounds, which was unveiled on July 16.

Ian Douglas of Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, has been working with pupils at the school on the project.

He said: 'These boats are magical. The children have made them with Julian Longcake from materials connected with their town. They have decorated them with words, which they have chosen themselves - some have written about their hopes and dreads, others have written about memories and some have just chosen special names for their boats.

'All the kids have spent time talking, thinking and writing about their time at school and thinking about the school as their harbour and themselves as vessels taking a journey out towards the horizon.

'It is a really special way to reflect on their time in the safety of the school before they embark on their journey into the wider world. It is a rite of passage.'

Our Lady and St Patrick's teacher Andrea Worthington said:

'This has been a fantastic project for the year 6 children in their final term at primary school. Through poetry, drama, design technology and ICT, they have been able to explore their memories of their time in school, and begin to think about their journey into the future.

'The children have really enjoyed all the processes involved in developing their final performance - beach combing, making the boats, writing poetry, taking photos and planning their final performance.

'They have begun to reflect on the idea that they are in fact the boats, setting sail into an unknown but exciting future.'