School's murals 'strengthen community connection'

The murals reflect the school's new direction based on the Bible verse "they will soar on wings like eagles''

A school has said its new murals have strengthened the connection between its pupils and the community.

St Barnabas CE Primary School in Jericho, Oxford, was recently adorned with colourful art reflecting its ethos and depicting life in the area.

The murals were painted by local artist Lisa Curtis, aka Lisa Made It, who has helped transform other areas of the city.

Head teacher Beccy Harris said the unveiling had taken place at "a great time" as it coincided with the school receiving an upgraded rating of Good by Ofsted and the suburb's 200th anniversary.

Ms Harris said they did not want to lose "that community Jericho feel"

Ms Harris became the new headteacher 18 months ago and said that at the time the school had a Requires Improvement grade.

"That was simply because the work on the curriculum and the academic side of things had lagged behind," she said.

"I was in a very fortunate position of being able to take on this wonderful community school in... the most stunning part of Oxford."

Her team introduced a new vision based on the Bible verse "they will soar on wings like eagles'' and developed the idea of three core values: adventurous, wise and encouraging.

"The murals were then about bringing that to life," she said.

Artist Lisa Curtis said the cat on the boat "is a nod to the canal that runs through Jericho" and was inspired by her own black cat that lives with her on a narrowboat in Wolvercote

Ms Harris said Lisa Made It had been "the perfect match" for their vision.

"We were really looking for an artist that reflected something that was very Jericho-y - that lovely combination of the canal, Port Meadow, the small houses, and that village within a big city.

"We had members of the community coming into our reception and saying how much they love it.

"They really feel [the mural] has become a big part of Jericho now."

She added that community organisations had also expressed interest to do work with the school.

Ms Curtis said the feedback on her work "has been overwhelmingly positive".

"I love that the design features local houses, the church and wildlife from the meadow and river - it makes it feel really personal."