Curious Minds

Curious Minds Kirkby Cluster Project

Six Kirkby schools came together as an Enquiry School cluster to look for answers to a common question.   

'How can a range of creative opportunities explore and expand our understanding of community identity ?'

The schools wanted to build a family between themselves, bound together by a sense of shared identity and community cohesion. They developed this through a creative exploration of the diverse cultural and historical links, and family folklore, within their local area, including the town of Kirkby, the city of Liverpool and nationally.    

" We wanted to look at developing an understanding of being a part of a community in the town of Kirkby, the city of Liverpool and in the country. How much do children feel a part of the Kirkby community? What Kirkby means to us?  How much we feel a part of the Liverpool community? What we understand about the community that lives in Liverpool and on Merseyside."

Cluster Co-ordinator Steve Dixon     

Millbrook Primary School: A sense of place and identity within the wider community

The enquiry began with the Viking settlements in this area – the need to move in order to live. The pupils, with the invaluable help of Chris Ball, the Creative Partner and the staff in school, developed the idea of a Museum called “People on the Move”.

Through class based activities; the use of a wide variety of research methods and critical thinking skills the pupils reflected upon what life might have been like all those years ago. The pupils created artefacts in the style of real Viking finds, poetry, recount, instructions, imaginative sagas, dioramas….

Eastcroft Park Primary School: Our rights, our lives, our Liverpool

Explored the question by looking at children’s rights using a range of creative techniques including drama and poetry. Creative Partners were Akil Morgan and Miriam Mussa.  The children made strong links with Sacred Heart Primary School in Kensington. They visited each other’s schools and worked together on several activities.

Northwood Primary School: Identity Collaboration Project

Music was used to look at cultural diversity and to help build a sense of community.  Working with Multi Vox and All Things Latin.

The children really loved coming together before they started their new school. They made lots of friends in preparation. Staff enjoyed joining in with the activities and the practitioners were fantastic, very highly skilled at what they do.
The children had the chance to really think about who they are and what makes them unique in this world, they looked at other cultures and started to have a little bit more belief and confidence within themselves.

Westvale Primary School: Mapping the world around us

Westvale School worked with ‘as creatives’ looking at Kirkby in three phases of time.

The past  the Viking invasion and the origins of the Kirkby name.

The present day focussing on the children's talents.

The future looking at how they could use their talents to influence the future of their town.

Kirkby CE Primary School: Changing Places. Different Races. Same Faces?

Wanted to see how children from two very different cultural backgrounds related to each other whilst undertaking a shared local environment and art study?  Exchange visits were arranged with Kingsley School in Toxteth.

The children exchanged common viewpoints, identify similarities and differences and celebrated what was special about the places where they lived. During the visits Paul Gent, a multi media artist, helped the children to develop "tourist" posters showing the areas that the children thought best represented both towns.  These images were then used to create a mural that the children from both schools painted.  The finished results are a colourful representation of modern 21st century Kirkby and Liverpool.

Ravenscroft Community Primary School: Kirkby past, present and future

Worked with the children’s author David Webb working on Kirkby's past, present and future. They have produced an amazing amount of work and have thoroughly enjoyed their time with David. We now have several aspiring authors.

To celebrate and share the learning from these diverse explorations the schools held a very enjoyable event at Kirkby Sports College where pupils and staff shared with each other what they had learnt. Helping to build understanding and collaboration between schools. First Take productions made a film about this project called Kirkby Community Cohesion which will be available on Curious Minds website.

"All our schools have demonstrated through their rich and varied projects a celebration of identity and appreciation and understanding of cultures. 

Schools took the chance for children from different schools to work together in Kirkby and with other schools on Merseyside.

Our town of Kirkby does not reflect the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of Merseyside. The project gave children an opportunity to investigate and appreciate the cultural differences.  A chance for children to work with others.  The children  have  developed  a  greater appreciation of the culture of the city of Liverpool, and  a greater acceptance and understanding of different cultures and communities within their school,  town and city, and in a much wider global sense."

Steve Dixon Cluster Coordinator

Written by Linda Meagor