Welcombe Hills School: Children with learning difficulties have a new found confidence
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Date:2010 - 2011
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Categories:Communication skillsCurriculum developmentSpecial Educational NeedsYoung people as co-constructors of learning
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Introduction:
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Article:
Our Achievement
There has been an increase in pupil confidence in all Key Stage 3 pupils; Pupils are proactive and are able to lead their own learning more confidently now.
Pupils have learned new skills and discovered new areas of interest; one pupil has found a new passion for photography.
Teachers who have been involved in the project are using their creative skill set in other areas of the curriculum and are actively sharing their knowledge with other staff. Staff are enthusiastic to use their new technical skills and adapt the 'big scale' work into their lessons. "I have already started to encourage the children in my class to take more ownership of their lessons; in science they are designing their own experiments to test properties of materials."
The practitioners involved in the project also improved their own understanding of how pupils with complex learning difficulties can be engaged in creative learning, and gained an insight into appropriate communication techniques which they can use when working on other projects.
The Feedback
Teachers recognised the confidence that pupils had developed through the project. One teacher commented:
“Pupils are working in teams and producing work they had never imagined before…they have all become far less self-conscious about joining in with things.”
The flexible approach of the practitioners enabled pupils to work in a way which suited their own proclivities, whether hands-on art skills or more technology based.
“George made enormous progress, moving away from nervousness about ‘doing it right’ to feel free to express without anxiety – leading to excellent work, and pride in showing to the rest of the class.”
Teachers feel that the project has given them the opportunity and time to get to know their children better. For example, one child demonstrated his ability to use a computer and camera – the teacher commented, “I didn’t realise he could do that.”
The Cre8us effect...at Welcombe Hills Special School:
'Welcombe Voices - The BIG YEAR'
In their third year as a Creative Partnerships’ Change School, the staff at Welcombe Hills Special School wanted to look further at how they can continue to engage their pupils as active learners (particularly those with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties ‘PMLD’). Building on their first and second year projects, the school focussed on developing their pupils’ ability to communicate through Art. Working with the Art teacher and teaching assistant, as well as a wider group of school staff from each class group, the project was closely aligned to the School’s Development Plan; developing the creative and sensory curriculum.
Three practitioners worked with Welcombe Hills during their ‘BIG YEAR’ project; Mat Beckett and Jonathan Lee, who had worked with the school previously through the Creative Partnerships programme bringing together skills in ICT, film, photography and animation, alongside visual artist, Gemma Cumming.
Working with four Key Stage 3 groups, including a number of PMLD pupils, each class spent weekly sessions with all three practitioners and staff. Staff involvement was key to the project to share learning. Pupils were engaged in unusual and exciting activities, including felt-making, screen printing, animation and filming. Throughout the project, the pupils were encouraged to suggest their own ideas and reflect on their work with the practitioners.
At the end of the project a sharing event was held with parents, other pupils, governors, staff and members of the community attending. The pupils shared their learning through presentations, interactive art exhibitions and workshops. Pupils were able to demonstrate their increased creative skills through their ability to share and teach others.
Enquiry Question: “How can empowering and enhancing the creative skill set of our staff in turn increase the creative skills of our Key Stage 3 Students?”
Creative Agent: Nikky Smedley
Creative Practitioners: Mat Beckett, Jonathan Lee, Gemma Cumming
School: Welcombe Hills Special School, Warwickshire