Making a Difference in Schools - Case Studies

The teachers’ confidence in using drama in their classrooms has absolutely increased.

ELEANOR PALMER PRIMARY SCHOOL, CAMDEN (Collaborate partner school 2014-15)

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

IN SCHOOLS

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

We are a one-form entry state funded community primary school in Camden, with a socially and ethnically mixed intake of pupils.

IMPACT ON PUPILS

I have been around the houses many times and the Collaborate Programme has been one of the most successful and genuine partnerships I’ve been involved with.

Well thought out, brilliantly managed and genuinely involved the whole school.

Kate Frood Headteacher It was so powerful for my class to perform at a real theatre and something I’m sure they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. There were so many things that they enjoyed, including: exploring their own feelings and emotions in a safe place, creating and performing daily, responding to music, working with a director, performing infront of friends and family, contributing to the story and themes of the performance.

In terms of the theatre trips, seeing the faces of the children as they watched a performance was fantastic, they were mesmerised. Seeing actors, puppets and stories unfold live in front of them was very powerful. Live theatre was a new or at least, uncommon experience for many! Year 2 did so much around The Secret Life of Suitcases and this really enhanced their enjoyment of the production.

Every child and teacher has taken something from this partnership and there will be a legacy – we are thrilled that we know of a few families who have now become members of the Unicorn. It was a hugely successful year.

Nancy Cummings class teacher

Prioritising the arts at Woodcroft is supported by the whole school community – pupils, parents, governors and staff.

WOODCROFT PRIMARY SCHOOL, BARNET (Collaborate partner school 2015-16)

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Woodcroft is a two-form entry primary school in the Burnt Oak area of Barnet.

Burnt Oak is within the 10% of most deprived areas nationally. 56% of pupils speak English as an additional language and over 40% qualify for Pupil Premium funding.

23% are identified as having special educational needs.

IMPACT ON PUPILS

Woodcroft values arts education highly. We have a commitment to enhance and grow the arts, demonstrated by the desire to place creativity at the centre of our curriculum. The Collaborate partnership with the Unicorn enables us to develop and embed this even further.

Besides being creative and enjoyable subjects, the arts are also highly academic and demanding areas of the curriculum. They play an important part in helping pupils develop their SMSC skills, enabling them to find their place in the world.

We provide opportunities for all children to create, reflect, share, participate in and enjoy the arts. These skills will enable the pupils to appreciate a wide variety of artistic forms, and to begin to make informed judgements about the quality of artwork, and their responses to these.

The arts are underpinned by a published, and inclusive, Arts Charter. This acts as a guarantee for every pupil, ensuring they receive a termly programme of live arts experiences, opportunities for critical review, artistic research and skills sharing.

In addition, every pupil performs to an audience at least once per term.

We represent a diverse socio-economic community with a high level of need and disadvantage. Through the arts we are determined to provide outstanding opportunities for our pupils to achieve their best across the whole curriculum.

Craig Tallon Headteacher

To discuss any aspect of our Schools’ Programme contact Ella Macfadyen on 020 7645 0544 or schools@unicorntheatre.com

UNICORN_SCHOOLS

UNICORNTHEATRE

UNICORNTHEATRE

At the Unicorn, we work with hundreds of schools across London each year, reaching thousands of children and young people of all ages and from all backgrounds.

Our work with schools is focused on deepening both teachers’ and pupils’ understanding of and response to live theatre, whilst providing a rich stimulus for meaningful learning across the curriculum. We broadly work with schools in three different ways: Schools’ Programme: Practical teacher CPD training, in-depth resource packs, in-school workshops, post-show discussions and backstage tours – all designed to enhance a visit to us so that it has a long-lasting impact.

Explore: An in-depth programme for schools in the outer boroughs of London where we work with the same students over three years.

The depth of their understanding goes far beyond that which could have been achieved in a classroom.

ANSON PRIMARY SCHOOL, BRENT (Three-year Explore Programme)

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Most of our pupils are from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds. Two thirds speak English as an additional language and a high percentage are eligible for Pupil Premium funding.

Collaborate: A year-long artistic partnership programme between one primary and one secondary school.

IMPACT ON PUPILS

For all our children, theatre visits are an essential part of their development and learning and provide them with a unique opportunity for shared experience. The cultural relevance of such visits cannot be overestimated. For many children these may be their first experiences of professional theatre. The impact of the Explore Programme has been immeasurable and allowed the children to really delve into each play’s content on a deeper level.

Our Year 4 classes will have seen three productions at the Unicorn this year, two of which have been supported by a full learning programme. As well as enjoying the academic benefits, they have provided a stimulus for focused speaking and listening, increased confidence and independence, a broadening of outlook and experience, improved vocabulary, empathy and understanding for other people.

The depth of their understanding goes far beyond that which could have been achieved within a standard classroom setting and embraces so many aspects of the curriculum: English, History, PSHE, Religious and Moral Education, Music, etc.

Britain’s Best Recruiting Sergeant was outstanding and at a perfect level for the children. I was staggered by how much they understood and by their responses to the show. The pre-visit activities had clearly done the job and their comments indicated the childrens’ understanding, even of some of the more subtle moments in the play. It was clear that they were engaged both emotionally and intellectually. We finished the unit of work on the last day of term and the children were enthusiastic and totally engaged.

The last few days were quite emotional.

John Waters class teacher

But don’t just take our word for it – here are five inspiring stories from schools we work closely with.

This project turned a reluctant writer into one of our most prolific writers.

HILL MEAD PRIMARY SCHOOL, LAMBETH (Schools Programme)

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

We are a community school located in a large housing estate in Brixton, an area of extremely high social and economic deprivation. Proportions of pupils eligible for FSM, Pupil Premium, EAL and SEN are all above national and borough average figures.

IMPACT ON PUPILS

Hill Mead not only values theatre visits, but learning through theatre as a key strand of the curriculum and our approach to teaching and learning. For many years, we have visited the Unicorn to participate

in workshops and other projects. Because of the success of these we decided to build our school curriculum organically, using cultural and arts opportunities as the inspiration or starting point for learning.

The importance we place on learning through theatre is based on how children learn best and the specific needs of our school community. Exposing and immersing children in theatre is intuitively a good thing! It broadens their experience, develops their understanding of different or possible consequences of actions and encourages them to empathise.

At Hill Mead, many children find understanding inference in reading a challenge (largely due to limited experiences), our engagement in theatre is helping us to meet this need. Our key stage results in reading have been significantly improving. Like many other schools, we have some children who are reluctant writers. Providing children with opportunities to improvise and act out their ideas has given them time to orally rehearse and the confidence to

write their ideas down. Last year our Year 4 children studied Chaucer’s The Pardoner’s Tale with the Unicorn. This project turned a reluctant writer into one of our most prolific writers. His retelling was exceptional, he wrote as the pardoner, including humorous asides to the audience and selecting some of Chaucer’s own words.

Many of the children have few experiences beyond their immediate neighbourhood.

By providing them with a wide range of cultural experiences, we are filling this gap and seeking to create life-long habits to engage in the arts. We want the children to view arts experiences as a normal part of life and many do already! The children are developing an appreciation of the arts and they understand the contribution it makes to their learning.

Becky Lawrence Deputy Headteacher

Their confidence has increased hugely around elements of theatre. They feel like they are knowledgeable which makes them so.

ROKEBY SCHOOL, NEWHAM (Three-year Explore Programme)

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Rokeby School is a secondary school for boys in Newham. 76% of our students are are eligible for Free School Meals. 81% speak English as an additional language and 97% are from ethnic minority groups. These are not students who go to the theatre.

IMPACT ON PUPILS

The Explore Programme has had a considerable impact – it has provided a reference point for the students to contextualise theatre – how you build up tension, how to communicate directly with an audience, the discipline of staying in character, the impact music and lighting have, multi-rolling and alternative narrators.

These areas have all been directly or indirectly referenced by the students in class and it is wonderful because for the first time ever we all have a common reference point.

Their confidence has increased hugely around elements of theatre. They feel like they are knowledgeable which makes them so. Their frame of reference is growing and they are starting to make links between theatre and the world around them, including ideas about justice, history, choices, politics and identity.

During a performance of Henry the Fifth I spent a lot of time observing them and they were rarely distracted. It really was the perfect start to shaping interested and articulate theatre goers.

What has become very clear, and this is hugely important for them as developing Drama students, is their awareness of performance quality – something in the past these boys had struggled with hugely.

They (and I do not exaggerate) seem to love and have normalised hugely for themselves going to the theatre.

Gerry Canning Head of Drama