It’s a Gift: Creative Health at Hartford Junior School

Students of Hartford Junior using their Artscaping skills on school grounds

Jen Crabb, Family and Inclusion Worker at Hartford Junior School has spearheaded Artscaping as a universal creative health programme to support good mental health. After participating in training led by Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination and Cambridge Acorn Project as part of the UKRI funded research programme, Branching Out, Jen has ensured arts in nature opportunities are a regular part of the school week. Jen, together with volunteers, leads weekly arts in nature workshops for selected children as part of her pastoral work. Here Jen shares the positive impact Artscaping is having on both the children and her own wellbeing.  

Artscaping Just Continues 

Through Jen’s leadership, she has created a clear structure and wellbeing intervention allowing small groups of children to experience Artscaping throughout the academic year:  

‘March through to December I deliver Artscaping – it just continues, it’s a continual thing. I work with staff to develop a group of children that will have a positive dynamic, and who aren’t receiving additional support – often due to there not being the resource or time. Artscaping has formed part of our normal, everyday routine – every Monday children are Artscapers – it’s very much a routine now. It’s formed part of the weekly curriculum.’  

Jen feels that, as well as offering a wellbeing outlet, Artscaping offers so many skills for children:  

Jen and colleagues on their training day

‘I’ve not yet met one child who has not enjoyed Artscaping, or hasn’t benefitted in some way. It creates a space for children really to bloom. They can have their own interpretation on everything.  We set the boundaries as such, but they like that freedom. Whereas a couple of the children would struggle with a very strict objective of what is expected, especially when they have been working their brains hard all morning, that Artscaping session is – I describe it to the children whether wrong or right – as es-caping – it’s escaping from the classroom, and being able to express yourself and learn new skills. It’s not just learning new skills within art, it’s learning new skills in praising each other, growing empathy, confidence, helping each other. Under the Artscaping umbrella is a lot of stuff that benefits the children.’ 

Jen has also found Artscaping to have positive benefits for her wellbeing:  

‘From the initial training day, I walked away with such an excitement for Artscaping, that helped me to work hard to make it happen in school. It’s been helpful for my mental health – I’ve been able to take a step-back and find the positives for each child, which has been hugely beneficial. It’s enjoyable to see the changes in some of the children; their enthusiasm and eagerness to be involved. Their pride in seeing their artwork displayed is important for their mental health - to see that what they did was worthwhile and taken seriously. It’s a gift, a really good way of using therapy in a totally different way than we have in schools generally.’  

You can read more about the Branching Out research into the benefits of Artscaping here.