The Priory Patchwork Collaboration
The Priory Patchwork Collaboration took place between January and March 2010 when Priory Lower School worked with Rachel Betts from Patchwork Theatre to find answers to the question: Can storytelling through drama impact upon retelling a story and increasing pupil vocabulary’?
Project objectives
Priory Lower School in Bedford is in an area of high social deprivation with 81% of pupils who speak English as an additional language. This impacts on all aspects of learning and therefore much emphasis is placed on speaking, listening and learning through play.
The enquiry question evolved out of the need to develop speaking and listening skills with Reception and Year 1 children. Alongside this, it was also hoped that there would be an impact on the Personal, Social and Emotional Development skills of pupils compared to previous years, with a particular focus on working as part of a group, turn taking and listening to others.
Impact
The project had an immediate impact on the Reception children's confidence to express themselves using their bodies and facial expressions. It also had a significant impact on their understanding of emotional literacy. It has made them more aware of the needs and feelings of their peers and in stories they are better at recognising how a character is feeling and are able to articulate why they know this.
The project really helped the teachers to consider the impact that drama can have on children’s confidence, speaking and listening.
“Working with children in an upbeat, energetic way has shown me how responsive the children become and far less self aware. It was great to be able to work with Rachel who is both passionate and professional about drama. Adults and children responded to her positive approach.”
The Creative Agent supporting the school felt that, "One of the real strengths of the project was the quality of the partnership working... Everyone was happy to go out of their way to make the project a success, as it was clear from the co-developed and very focused plan for the project that it would be of great use and benefit to the children and teachers in the school."
