Millbay Academy

‘… ‘art’ is not something you do once a week’

This short film is a portrait of the radical educational approach and design of Millbay Academy, formerly known as Plymouth School of Creative Arts, and affectionately known as ‘The Red House’.

This all-through school, sponsored by Plymouth College of Art, occupies an inner-city brownfield site and sees its role as a place to develop the richness and individuality of human creativity.

Connecting with a local artistic tradition going back to 1845, the staff here believe that ‘art’ is not something you do once a week, but rather the act and process of making pervades all human endeavour and so is brought into the classroom as a way of learning everything from maths to cooking to literature. Reading Macbeth? Let’s draw the witches and sketch out Birnam Wood! Learning to speak French? Let’s take the ferry to Roscoff, buy our ingredients from French shops and learn vocabulary in real life situations…