A Curious Visitor came to Cragside. He is called Alex. He visited the school at different times for a whole year.

As the seasons changed, The Curious Visitor noticed lots of sights and sounds. He noticed the rhythms of the school. Sometimes it was full of noise and energy. Other times it was quiet. He noticed nature, music, children, grown-ups, even pigeons. All part of the life of Cragside Primary.

The Curious Visitor asked children, teachers and staff what they noticed too. Here is what The Curious Visitor noticed in Winter.

Winter: Breath (Part 1)

We don’t have winters now. That’s what I say to Mick Briganti, Cragside’s Facilities Manager. Lots of rain, weeks of grey skies and poor light, and not even a hint of blue sky. It gets me down. I don’t like these new seasons that merge into one another and leave you feeling confused.

Mick points out that there are always cycles in nature and that some things will return to old familiar ways eventually. But I can’t help feeling that we are witnessing shifts. Shifts that make it clear that we are not in charge and never will be.

I look at silver roots covered in frost in the school’s grounds. I think about how plants and animals are aware of shifts in temperature and climate. How some are disappearing, others are adapting and some are finding ways to thrive. Silver Roots is a response to this imbalance.

Winter: Breath (Part 2)

There are days of intense cold. People worry about their household bills.

Cragside recently undertook a Poverty Audit. It made it clear that many families in the school’s community are finding life challenging. Cragside keeps looking at ways it can help reduce the pressure on families, especially when it comes to extracurricular events.

I talk to the Head about the challenges beyond the school’s doors. She gets me thinking about this quote. About how schools should try to be better than the world outside. To be more like the world we want to see. Equal, kind, welcoming, fair.

‘Schools, in their structure and organisation can do more than simply reflect the society we have. They can be the precursor of the kind of society that we wish to have.” S. Gorard

On my way home from Cragside, I am still thinking about this. A random encounter with a taxi driver makes me think about belonging too. For all of us home is important, but where is our home?

Small Boats was inspired by a brief ride in the back of a cab on a wintry night.

Look

The children at Cragside showed The Curious Visitor lots of things around the school. Things that caught their eye. Things that they wanted other people to notice too.

Creative Team

Alex Elliott
Garry Lydon

With particular thanks to the Senior Leadership Team of Cragside Primary School.

Made possible with funding from Arts Council England.