Pupils were invited to attend the Flowers in a Cauldron floristry workshop ahead of the event and were eager to take part in this exciting opportunity. For many pupils, this was their first experience of working with flowers and exploring the creative skills involved in floristry.
On the day, Claire transformed the Art Room into a welcoming florist's workspace for the 11:15am to 12:15pm workshop. Each pupil had their own workstation and was provided with a prepared floristry foam block in a green floristry paper-lined cauldron, ready to arrange their chosen flowers and seasonal adornments. The workshop took place against a backdrop of Halloween-themed lo-fi visuals and instrumental music, helping to create a calm, creative, and engaging atmosphere.
Claire began by introducing pupils to a range of flowers, explaining their names, characteristics and uses within floral arrangements. Pupils learnt how to correctly cut, prepare and position each flower within their designs, discovering how different colours, textures, shapes and aromas can be combined to create depth and visual impact. The flowers available included Celosia, Reprise Velvet Rose, Rosa Carnival, Asparagus Fern, Brassica Queen, Lemoncello, Limonium Diamant Princess and Confifern.
Throughout the workshop, Claire demonstrated professional floristry techniques and modelled how to carefully place each stem into the floristry block. Pupils then had the freedom to explore their own creativity, experiment with different arrangements and develop their own unique designs. No two creations were the same, with some pupils opting for carefully structured displays while others chose a more layered and natural arrangement. Pupils were also able to personalise their cauldrons with seasonal decorations, including orange pumpkin adornments and glittering black spiders.
As well as developing practical floristry skills, pupils had the valuable opportunity to learn directly from a floristry professional and gain an insight into the role and responsibilities of a florist. Throughout the workshop, pupils listened to Claire's instructions, accepted guidance from both Claire and supporting Arc staff, and asked questions about the flowers they were using, how flowers are prepared and arranged, and what a career in floristry involves. Claire spoke about running her own florist business, explaining that she works independently with support from her mum one day each week. This sparked conversations about employment, self-employment and working within the floristry industry, with pupils imagining what it might be like to work in a florist shop themselves. One pupil enthusiastically commented that they would happily work there for "£50 a day".
The workshop provided a meaningful, hands-on experience that supported creativity, communication, fine motor skills and career-related learning. Pupils showed excellent engagement throughout and demonstrated growing confidence as they developed new skills and saw their designs take shape.
At the end of the workshop, every pupil left with a fantastic Flowers in a Cauldron arrangement that they had designed and created themselves. Pupils showed immense pride in their work and were eager to share their creations with staff and peers before taking them home to display to their families. Seeing the sense of achievement on pupils' faces as they completed their arrangements was a wonderful reminder of the value of providing practical, real-world learning opportunities.
Following the success of the workshop, pupils have already expressed enthusiasm for participating in future floristry experiences. We are hopeful that Claire will return to Arc later this term to deliver a Christmas-themed wreath-making or festive table-centre workshop, allowing pupils to further develop their floristry skills and continue exploring this creative and rewarding career pathway.
