WEST Dorset's Minerva Learning Trust planning an annual celebration of the arts.

The trust is a group of schools in west Dorset, working in partnership to share expertise, resources and experience for the benefit of the young people in their community.

The schools involved - Bridport Primary School, Burton Bradstock, St Mary’s and The Sir John Colfox Academy - all share the view that improving the quality of teaching and learning is best done through collaboration, sharing and joint activities

Trust executive principal Kay Taylor said: “We have a very clear vision of what education in Bridport should be like and how we can make things better for our staff, students and parents by working together.

The schools in the Minerva Learning Trust are looking forward to the extra freedom they have over the curriculum and to using the extra funding they receive creatively for the benefit of the young people in their care.

Mrs Taylor said the trust has ambitions to develop more expressive arts opportunities and that's what the annual celebration is all about.

Preparation for the event, which will be in February 2017 is underway as pupils from all of the four schools come together to explore the goddess Minerva and to develop a modern slant on the original story.

Pupils have begun to develop the plan for this event with a student writers' workshop last week at the Sir John Colfox Academy led by trustee and former teacher, David Powell.

The students shared their understanding of the legend of Minerva with each other before working together to develop a story that would form the background narrative to the celebration in February.

Some Sir John Colfox Academy sixth formers who helped lead the workshop are now completing the story and in early November the pupils will come together to shape the narrative into a performance that will include drama, dance, song, poetry and visual art.

David Powell said: “At a time when resourcing the arts is under pressure nationally the MLT is demonstrating that we see the importance of all young people accessing and enjoying the arts and developing the creative skills that can enhance their wider learning. “

According to legend Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She was born with weapons from the head of Jupiter.[1] After impregnating the titaness Metis, Jupiter recalled a prophecy that his own child would overthrow him. Fearing that their child would grow stronger than he and rule the Heavens in his place, Jupiter swallowed Metis whole. The titaness forged weapons and armor for her child while within the father-god, and the constant pounding and ringing gave him a headache. To relieve the pain, Vulcan used a hammer to split Jupiter's head and, from the cleft, Minerva emerged, whole, adult, and bearing her mother's weapons and armor. From the 2nd century BC onwards, the Romans equated her with the Greek goddess Athena. She was the virgin goddess of music, poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, and magic.She is often depicted with her sacred creature, an owl usually named as the 'owl of Minerva' which symbolised her association with wisdom and knowledge.