Birmingham Through The Eyes Of Children
Competition asked local school children to show what
Birmingham means to them.
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham presented awards this week for
a Birmingham wide schools' competition, where local pupils from
the area's 872 schools were asked to show 'what Birmingham
means to them'.
The competition, run by specialist education recruitment
consultancy, Randstad Education, was a unique chance to gain a
child's eye view of Birmingham, from children of all
backgrounds and walks of life.
Whether it was the bustling atmosphere of the Bullring or
the tranquillity of one of Birmingham's many parks, competition
entrants were asked to depict their own interpretation of their
city through the mediums of literature, art, photography or
media.
Held in the heart of the city in the prestigious Birmingham
Museum and Art Gallery, winners and runners up in each category
were invited to the awards ceremony last week, along with
teachers and parents, where they could see their work displayed
in a special exhibition for the evening.
Winner of the secondary art category, Gayathr Anand of
Sutton Coldfield Girls School, received extra recognition for
an outstanding entry which drew on elements of the city's
diversity, multiculturalism and varied landscape, which led to
Gayathr's entry being selected as the overall winner by the
judges Richard Statham, head of learning and outreach,
BM&AG and Tony Howell, Birmingham's strategic director of
children, young and people and families.
'My picture is of the Selfridges building and the bull. I
really like the Selfridges building. I know lots of people like
going there to shop, but I like it because it isn't boring and
it's new. Everybody knows them, so I painted them in my
picture', said winner of the primary school art category, Trene
Watkins of St Thomas CofE Junior and Infant School.
Peter Flannery, MD, Randstad Education comments on the
competition: 'It is great to be able to offer the children of
Birmingham the chance to show what their home town means to
them. We received a vast range of entries as the topic is so
personal and can be interpreted in a number of ways. It also
allowed the children to take a closer look at their
surroundings and instil a greater sense of pride'.
The competition was also designed to support curriculum
subjects including History, Geography, Citizenship, Art,
English and ICT.
The winners, who all received 50 book vouchers, a trophy and
a certificate, included:
- Primary Art: Treneé Watkins of St Thomas CofE
Junior and Infant School
- Secondary Art: Gayathr Anand, Sutton Coldfield Girls
School
- SEN Art: Julio Hui, Fox Hollies School
- SEN Literature: Steven Guiry, Calthorpe Special Education
School