BOUNDARY is based around Dartmoor National Park in Devon, and involves two primary schools, and takes place in Spring 2009. The primary objective is to encourage children to learn more about the environment around them, and in particular to investigate creatively and imaginatively the idea of BOUNDARY – route markers, rights of way, land boundaries, hedges, and non-physical boundaries such as political and social boundaries, particularly as they apply in the countryside.  They will learn about the concept of “access land” as created by the CROW Act within the past few years, and at how this is shown on maps and in the countryside itself.  As part of the project, the children will design and create a boundary marker for their own school, with the help of a professional artist.

The project will employ a visual artist, an environmentalist/naturalist and a filmmaker/digital artist to work with the pupils of the two rural primary schools. Princetown PS is in the small high moorland town in one of the most economically deprived areas in the region; Shaugh Prior Village School is a rural village school also within the National Park.  Both schools have a high percentage of pupils with special needs, and despite their rural location, teachers tell us that many pupils spend little time outdoors exploring the countryside despite the relatively easy access.  Each school group will spend time on Dartmoor, exploring physical and metaphorical boundaries, and will explore concepts around land ownership and protection, learn about routes and way markers and how these have changed over the centuries of human occupation on Dartmoor.  Each school will work with the visual artist to create their own boundary marker(s) for the school property, and they will explore routes between the two schools, measuring routes on the map and learning about distance and scale.  The digital artist will work with the pupils to create an online exchange board (blogspace) which they can use to share and exchange ideas, thus minimising the physical boundary between the two schools.  The filmmaker will work with the project to create a short film suitable for showing in cinemas as well as in village halls and other local venues.

At the start of the project both schools will come together for a day-trip onto the moor led by an environmental artist/DNPA Education Officer.  Prior to the project beginning, teachers will have explored ideas of boundary, and will read stories that work with ideas of boundary or more difficult concepts such as land ownership.  Where age-appropriate, the children will also learn about area, and about measuring enclosed spaces such as fields and pounds.  When out on the moor, the children will work together to measure and calculate the area of some enclosed spaces.

We will set up a web-cam link between the two schools and create an online blogspace where they can share information and keep in touch throughout the year. A digital artist will work with the staff and pupils to help them understand how it works and how to use it confidently, the artist will then help the pupils use it during the project to show the other school their work in progress and start to build a dialogue that can continue after the project.

When the work has been created in both schools an exchange visit will take place so each school can have a look at what the other school has made, make drawings and take pictures to put on the blogspace.

There will be a more public element to the project.  A digital film created for the project by a video artist will be screened in communities in the area, and possibly beyond, and will be available as a webcast on our website.  There will also be a webspace to encourage those who have seen the film to go out to Dartmoor, and where people can learn about public rights of way and how public access has changed since the CROW act.

Timetable (NOTE we are currently revising the timetable due to staffing issues at one of the partner schools. This information will be available soon.

Many thanks to our project funders: