Curious Minds

Peel Park’s School Development Plan prioritises raising standards in history and geography and developing more opportunities for children to actively influence and evaluate the learning taking place in the school. The school are interested in exploring co-delivery in relation to every aspect of their developing topic-based curriculum, taking risks to find new and creative approaches.

The school wanted to find new and creative ways of delivering their topic-based curriculum, focusing on history and geography led work. This was based on embedding practice developed in previous CP projects. The school’s previous focus was on raising confidence in all areas of literacy and embedding effective creative practice within the school.

Four practitioners were engaged from a variety of disciplines to work with the staff, pupils and parents in developing a more creative, topic-based humanities curriculum. The children played a key role in the selection of appropriate practitioners.

The practitioners were appointed to work with the teachers on pre agreed topics over the term. In the second term, they would move to another teacher and class.  Planning time was built in at the beginning of the project with the teacher and the practitioner each day the practitioner was in school.  Young people actively contributed to the planning wherever appropriate.

Examples were:

• Reception built a story telling tree in the corner of the classroom out of wire, paper, fabric and other found objects.  The tree was old and hollowed out so that groups of children could sit inside. In the tree lived a squirrel.  The children left messages and questions for the squirrel. Replies were waiting for them the following morning .
• Year 1 worked on the ancient Greek Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. They devised a musical accompaniment to the story which was performed to the rest of Key Stage One just before Easter.
• The Year 3 topic was recycling.  The practitioner worked with the class to create some short animations using recycled materials.
• Year 5 were looking at 20^th Century History. They worked on WWII for the first half term and music through the decades for the second half term.  This involved listening to and composing music, visual arts, costumes, dancing and recreation of WWII environments.

• Children reported feeling involved and feeling as if they were in the driving seat.  Year 3 made up their own recycling scripts, designed their own logo, all had a turn at different aspects of filming and agreed their own roles for the project amongst themselves.
• Teachers reported greater confidence, teamwork and concentration.  At least two groups of pupils referred to an enhanced ability to work in teams and negotiate with each other.
• Having a practitioner in school has allowed staff to step back on occasions and observe the pupils from a different perspective.
• Both pupils and teachers have reported using ideas and techniques independently that were first developed with practitioners. This learning also took place with teachers not directly involved with the practitioners, who have witnessed work and discussed it further in the staff room.
• Creative practitioners have been encouraged not to rely on their own creative specialisms and have universally reported a better understanding of age appropriate communication and of the curriculum.

• Following this project, staff  will go back to the school development plan and emphasize creative and applied learning as opposed to creative teaching.

• This model of term long ‘residencies’ with teachers, fitting in with a topic based curriculum, works really well for the school. This model of working has the potential to become standard and sustainable practice.