The New Addington primary schools animation project: using animation to build community relationships between schools

Abstract

Addington High School is a Visual and Media Arts College located in the community of New Addington on the edge of the London Borough of Croydon. The school is an 11‐16 Community school, which takes students from six local primary schools, all located, like AHS on an estate that was built, both pre‐ and post‐World War II, to house families after slum clearance. The area is one, which experiences high levels of social, economic and cultural deprivation and is characterised by significant unemployment levels and benefit dependency. The school achieved Specialist Status as a Visual and Media Arts College in September 2007 under the auspices of the government's specialist schools programme. This article describes how animation is used at the school as an assistive technology to build community relationships.