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'Drawing Together' event brings out the best in school arts

Friday 10 July 2009

Pupils from Manor Park Primary School Samba band (Newham) who opened the show

The University of East London (UEL) hosted a conference by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) bringing together young artists from Newham and a range of schools and colleges around the country. The conference, the first of its kind, was held at UEL’s School of Architecture and the Visual Arts on Wednesday 7 July.

The event draws on Ofsted’s recently-published report, 'Drawing Together: art, craft and design in schools 2005-08’, which focuses on curriculum provision, leadership and management of art.

The event highlighted students’ achievements in art, craft and design from 90 schools nationwide and was led by Ian Middleton, HMI for Art and Design.

Interactive workshops and activities co-ordinated by Newham’s Advisory Service explored digital media, adventurous drawing, printmaking and sculpture. Participants came from a number of local schools including St Edward’s Primary, Plashet School and New City Primary, along with schools and colleges recognised as good or outstanding in their provision for art and design from as far afield as the Midlands, Devon and Portsmouth.

The opening of the annual Newham School’s Annual Art Exhibition in the evening displayed the inspiring work of local students from all Newham schools.

The exhibition includes a project by seven schools working jointly in art, drama, music and dance on the theme of immigration looking at four specific groups of people arriving in the UK at different times in history.

There are also collaborative projects with Tate Britain, the ‘Story of Stratford’ which focuses on the development of the Olympic Park and prize winning drawings from the Big Draw Campaign.

Pete Cobb, Dean of the School of Architecture and the Visual Arts (AVA) said: “We are very pleased to be able to host this conference and the exhibition, and to support the important development of a positive student experience in art and design at all levels.”

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Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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