On a magic carpet ride with Manor Green Primary School
Manor Green Primary Schools is a school for children with varied special needs, based in Crawley, West Sussex.
The schools enquiry project was for a group of fifteen children from 4 to 9 years old. All of these children had some communication skills, through sign or speech, but their ability to use it effectively was quite mixed.
Project objectives
The school wanted to investigate the enquiry:
How does extending our creative approach to learning by working in partnership with a creative practitioner deepen and develop the social communication and emotional literacy of our children?
The early years stage of the school work in a very creative manner, choosing to enable their students to learn through play and exploration. They were keen to partner with external creative practitioners to investigate how this experience could deepen the children’s creative experience, develop their social interaction and emotional literacy, whilst providing effective development for all school staff involved with the project.
Who was involved?
The school worked with practitioners Tom Cook and Jane Gordon, following a recruitment process involving the children and their special support workers. All gave feedback and were fully involved in choosing the practitioners.
Impact
The project started with an informal pirate themed party where everyone could relax together and get to know each other. It was important the children became comfortable with Jane and Tom; they had often been very hesitant to connect with adults they did not know very well.
Jane and Tom worked from what became ‘the creative room’ in the school, using materials to build different environments for the children to explore whilst in role. They built large puppets; created sound and music using microphones, computers and traditional instruments; explored light and shadow structures and slowly created and spoke aloud their own stories for recording. Tom then worked alongside the children to animate their creations and recorded stories on to film for the children to watch and share.
The project culminated in an event at The Hawth Theatre. Jane and Tom transformed a conference room into a ‘magical world’ with silk screens, sound, colour, light, puppets and projection theatre. The children were invited to explore this space with their families and teachers, sharing their stories, films and creations with all.
Impact on teachers, parents/carers and practitioners
The impact of hearing all the children’s voices was very powerful. Staff and creative partners recognised how the playful nature of creating sound using the microphone and instruments gave confidence to the children in developing their own ‘sound’ and communication.
"It is the first time I have heard Lee speak for so long and so clearly"
- Lee’s Mum
"Several of these children simply do not speak in class"
- Deputy Headteacher
"I have more trust in the children’s ability....I can’t believe what they achieved today"
- SSP worker
"It's been lovely and inspiring to work with others who have a different perspective to work in schools and to the curriculum"
- Sally, lead teacher
Impacts on children
Each child has a different experience or development to take from this project, varying from Kirsty - who for the first time was able to stand up and speak to the group by herself - to Jack, who had been deeply unhappy and disengaged, but experienced happy moments through engaging in this work - a key development in his social and emotional well-being.
"That’s my story, my monster, I did them"
- Toby, pupil
All the children became better at working as a team, focusing attention for longer periods and recognising routine and behaviour patterns in others. They became able to access a creative activity with purpose more independently.
Results
Manor Green is particularly interested in developing work with microphone, recording and sound and is keen to initiate a film festival at the school, creating more work with film and using animation again.
They would like to take a similar experience to the older children at the school.
On a magic carpet ride
On a magic carpet ride
On a magic carpet ride
On a magic carpet ride
On a magic carpet ride
On a magic carpet ride
On a magic carpet ride
