Primary Schools
All ABoard!Thank you for getting involved in this extraordinary community art event.
What is Octopus Ahoy! And Mayflower 400™️?
Octopus Ahoy! in celebration of Mayflower 400™️ was a mass-appeal, large-scale public art and charity event to celebrate the 400 years since the birth of the Mayflower in Harwich, Essex. 2021 also marked 150 Years of Clacton, which the project also celebrated.
All local primary schools were invited to take part in this festive celebration of art, culture and history. In the summer of 2021, an array of large and small octopus sculptures propelled their way across and throughout Essex, out and about on display, forming a summer trail across high-profile locations for local residents to follow and become a ‘tourist in their town’.
Get involved!
Our schools programme was an integral part of the Octopus Ahoy! project and we wanted to ensure that the area’s youngest citizens enjoy a deep sense of engagement with the event. Each participating school had the opportunity to design their own octopus sculpture and use the education pack as a cross-curricular resource to bring the octopus, the Mayflower 400™️ history and 150 Years of Clacton into all primary topics and thematic weeks. At the end of the project, each octopus sculpture returned to its school as a permanent memento of their involvement in the event. The larger octopus sculptures were auctioned on 23rd September to raise funds for Tendring charities.
What do Schools get?
Each participating school receiveD:
How Much?
The schools programme was an excellent way to join in with Octopus Ahoy!, available to all educational establishments for £395 + VAT.
Find out more from the Octopus Ahoy! School Coordinators about how to get involved with our future campaigns.
What our schools say…
“We love large creative projects that all our students can get involved in, and this was perfect for everyone to really enjoy being part of and contribute to. They came up with some incredible ideas for it as a group and loved putting their own stamp on the sculpture. Everyone is looking forward to taking their family and friends to see our sculpture proudly displayed on the art trail, it’s very exciting.”
Simon Key (D.T. Instructor) at Lexden Springs
“Thanks so much for the support for this project. The children thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Richard de Clare Community Academy
“We are delighted to be part of the Octopus Ahoy! project. We are excited to see it bring the community together and capture everyone’s imaginations – we can’t wait until it is on the streets”.
Ellie Jaggs Headteacher Boxted St Peter’s CEVCP School
“We have really enjoyed this project, so thank you!!”
Kayleigh Francis, Year 6 Class Teacher, St James’ Church of England Primary School and Nursery
“These sessions sound so exciting and we can’t wait to incorporate them with our under and beside the sea topics in the summer.”
Angharad Thomas, St Thomas More’s Primary
