Oakham School pupils and staff have created a series of sustainable structures using recycled materials from the campus and beyond.

In a collaborative project across the School, items were made in the Smallbone Library using everything from coffee bean bags, felt from piano keypads and an old bed frame. 

Teacher of Art at Oakham School, Hanna Day, said: "Sustainability and recycling is an important part of the Art Department's ethics. We were inspired to start this exciting project as we had old clothes and fabrics donated by the School community and knew we wanted to use these for an inspiring new project."

After receiving the donations, the School decided to start a sustainable art week where they invite pupils of all ages and abilities to collaborate on a project. 

Hanna Day with the reused keyboard pads (image courtesy of Oakham School).

Alongside getting pupils involved in making something from the recyclable materials, the School's Art Technicians created a cube using old printing frames from the department. The strips of fabric used were a combination of old materials and donated clothes from staff members.

Overall, the creative project was a huge success and many pupils enjoyed seeing how old materials could be used to create something brand new. 

Hanna added: "There is something great about collaborative Art projects, seeing how individuals interact with each other on the canvas. It was a lovely opportunity for students and staff to take some time out of their busy Oakham day to give old materials a new purpose." 

Students working together to weave recycled materials (image courtesy of Oakham School).

As Oakham School continues to prioritise sustainable projects like this, Form 2 (Year 8) pupils are learning about sustainability and globalisation as part of their IB Middle Years' Project, where they are using scrap materials to create protest banners that share an important message about the environment. 

Form 3 (Year 9) pupils are also getting involved and are using recycled denim jeans purchased from the charity shop to create little denim jackets for their sketchbooks. 

Elsewhere in the School, Geography pupils are studying the relationship between fast fashion and sustainability, and members of the Decem are starting a Sustainability committee.