The children and staff at Hotwells Primary School have been enjoying a new mural that was designed and painted by Bristol-artist, Nicola Scott of Nancy & Belle.
“We’ve worked with Nicola before when she painted a mural in our foyer based around our school’s overarching aims and values,” explained Assistant Headteacher Matt Edwards. “We’ve had some quite extensive building works taking place recently which has meant that we’ve had to repurpose other parts of our school, including the refurbishment of our old dining room to make a new hall.
“This provided us with a freshly plastered and painted wall, crying out for a splash of colour! This is where we had the mural painted so that the children could see it every day during assemblies, when eating their lunch and during PE lessons.”
Matt explained that Nicola painted the mural over the Summer holidays so it was ready for the children when they started back at school for the new term. “However, we had told the children that it was happening and both Nicola and the team here were keen to get their ideas for what they wanted it to include,” added Matt. “It encouraged some children to create their own mural designs which was great to see.”
“We wanted to tie in the values and design of the hall mural and pull it through to the hall, whilst creating something a little different and involving the children in the process,” explained artist Nicola Scott. “They were asked to share their thoughts and ideas on a quote to use, then they had a say in voting for the the one they liked best. ‘Small but mighty’ was a clear winner and I think the perfect motto to illustrate this quirky school.
“It was a joy to be back painting in this lovely school and I’m chuffed the children love their new centre piece! I hope it helps to encourage the importance of creative subjects and gives some little people some big ideas about their futures.”