A creative boost

In a world occupied by smart phones, televisions, computers and such, sadly it is clear that some children are lacking in creative stimulus, which in turn is affecting literacy standards in schools; but since 2009 The Courtyard Centre for the Arts has been delivering drama work in primary schools throughout Herefordshire with the broad aim of working with teachers to address this problem. As many appreciate, drama is an effective tool for exploring literary texts and this has been our main hook to engage schools. This has led to growing participation figures, from around 1,000 children in 2008 to over 16,000 in 2012.

Prior to this, the main focus of our work was on secondary schools with the principal aim of enhancing cultural visits with education packs, post-show discussions and masterclass workshops. Whilst there can be real benefits from all these approaches, they were not creating solid relationships with teachers and also neglected thousands of primary school-aged children.

It is clear that sadly some children are lacking in creative stimulus, which in turn is affecting literacy standards in schools

Therefore, the focus shifted from delivering work to put ‘bums on seats’ to delivering workshops, one-off hourly workshops initially, to support teachers and teaching practice in the curriculum. Through networking, the offer of free workshops and persistence, we got our foot in the door and once we were in, the teachers and head teachers talked; they were our ambassadors. From this point onwards our work and reputation locally grew, developed and flourished.

The first major success was the idea to create a Roald Dahl Week. It is not a national thing, just one we created. Armed with just two education officers, we had 22 workshop sessions to deliver across 11 schools in Herefordshire and we worked with over 2,000 pupils. The feedback was incredible and we found our first hook.

The following year we did it again and had similar results. We decided to launch the Roald Dahl Literacy Project, a five-week residency working with a class for two hours a week exploring the characters, structure, language and themes of a chosen Dahl text. These sessions are designed to provide stimulus for further writing exercises and the children are always keen to show what they have achieved.

The project culminates with a sharing day at The Courtyard to celebrate the pupils' work. Not only does this give the project and the work kudos and recognition, it is salso a chance to bring together their families to celebrate the creative work that has been achieved in the school. An analysis of ticket sales has demonstrated that 36% of these bookers were first-time attenders and of those 29% have made a return visit.

At this point I think it is key to point out that none of the department, then or now, has a teaching degree or qualification but instead a passion for drama, young people and the opportunities this brings. The key to our success was being open and honest as well as chatting up the administrators – the real gatekeepers of communication in schools. We didn’t pretend to know the curriculum but we know our artform inside out and we communicated, without the use of fluffy language, to explain the benefits of working creatively, using drama, to inspire, empower and engage all children. The beauty of all artforms is that they have the ability to engage all children irrespective of academic ability, and any and all of the ‘isms’ that children are labelled with.

We have created and nurtured healthy relationships with teachers, headteachers and governors, having worked with 89% of schools in the county in the last four years. In turn, we have gained the respect of parents and children, which has benefited our youth theatre numbers and reach across the county. This is how we are creating audiences for the future as well as being part of the creative curriculum mix in Herefordshire.

Grant Brisland is Programming, Learning and Participation Manager at The Courtyard.
www.courtyard.org.uk