The halls of Looe Primary Academy have had a makeover hoping to inspire students.

The school recently welcomed Maisie, a former pupil who is now studying art at Plymouth University. During her visit, Maisie, along with students, created an artistic display which captured the school’s values.

The underwater scene features a variety of animals, each representing a different value.

Headteacher at the school, Mrs Waring explained the reason behind why each animal was chosen and how it matches one of the values.

Creative

“We chose an octopus because they are very intelligent creatures and can solve problems and fit into tight spaces.  They can use tools and they can change shape because they have few bones.”

Curious

“The lobster is the sea creature we chose.  Lobsters can live for as long as 100 years.  They cannot see or hear well, but they have an exquisite sense of touch.  They are also sensitive to changes in temperature and they can smell with their feet!  They have also learned to avoid anything that will cause them pain which we felt means they need to be curious to be able to do this.”

Determined 

“The unusual Goby was the choice here.  Goby’s live on the shoreline and they can determinedly swim and walk up rocks to get to rock pools.  They are prey animals and are in the largest fish family across the world.  They are very adaptive to different habitats.  The Goby fish in our environment are dull in colour, but we thought we would celebrate the vibrant colours that they can achieve.”

Enthusiastic

“Dolphins were the obvious choice here.  They are energetic and live in large pods; they are very sociable and work together to hunt.  They give awe-inspiring displays and surf the waves for fun.  Dolphins are altruistic and will help other dolphins and other species.”


Excellent

 “Surprisingly, the children chose a blue shark for this value.  They have a keen sense of electromagnetism and can detect a heart beating from miles away.  They migrate incredibly long distances in search of food and dive to very deep depths.  They always try their hardest.”

Responsible

“Our final sea creature, the whale was chosen because they look after their young very well and protect them for far longer than other marine animals.  They sing magical songs that are their complex way of communicating and the calves whisper to their mothers.  Whales are not predators; they feed by filtering through their gills.  Caring and responsibility go hand in hand we all felt.”

The sea creatures will now be displayed in each classroom to celebrate the schools values.