The prestigious competition, open to primary schools nationally, showcases responses to a chosen painting from the National Gallery’s collection.  Clavering’s two winning submissions will be displayed in the Gallery from TODAY to 8^th October this summer.

This year’s painting, A Shipwreck on Stormy Seas by Claude-Joseph Vernet, inspired the children at Clavering School to explore the experience of sailors on board a shipwrecked ship through writing, drama, collaborative paintings, wire sculpture and digital recreations of the painting featuring the children themselves.  They also made links to their science, looking at the refraction of light in water, and to their history learning about trade, in particular the spice trade with reference to Saffron Walden’s spice heritage, and to consider the possible cargo on board such a sailing ship.  The children’s research led them to experiment with tie dye, using dyes made from spices from the spice trade and other natural pigments.  Their tie-dyed squares were used to make sails for sailing ships in a large-scale collaborative work.  This project, as well as a dance and drama project by Year 3, will feature in the National Gallery’s exhibition in the Sunley Room this summer.

We hope you can all get to see it.  This is an amazing achievement.