Curious Minds

With over 90% of the pupil population EAL learners, communication is a high priority for Cedars Infant School. Communication is a key area within the School Development Plan and central to whole school improvement. 

Working through a Foundation Stage model at Key Stage One, the teaching and learning environment is crucial for ensuring learning is exciting and engaging. ‘Climate for learning’ is a key area of interest for the school and was the starting point for this school’s first project in the Change School programme.

The focus for the project was around using existing teaching and learning environments more creatively to see if this would have an impact on children’s communication skills. The aim was to see a shift in thinking about teaching and learning from staff rather than applying a physical change to the school.

As no specific art form was deliberately identified at the outset, creative practitioners were invited to begin challenging the school’s thinking around teaching and learning environments and their effect on communication. Staff sought practitioners with certain qualities rather than a specific art form skills and were looking for people who were inspirational in their thinking around how working and thinking spaces could be used creatively and to their full potential.

The selected practitioners had skills in sculpture, environmental science, story telling, puppet making, developing space and display, and dance for early years.  All were chosen after a practical interview with children and some staff, where children had an equal vote and their views were sought on each practitioner.

Practitioners worked in residence in the school for two terms, looking at whole school development and doing some individual class work. The practitioners and the ‘Cool ideas gang’ (pupil steering group) were introduced to the whole school during a creative, practical assembly which was followed by a creative session for staff, delivered by the practitioners.

Practitioners observed teaching in the school to familiarise themselves with the school’s approach. Each residency started with a series of 2 day collaborative mini-projects; for example, pupils of different ages danced outside, in corridors, under material and using props, while other pupils designed and built dens in the classroom, in the playground, the local park and on Beacon Fell.

Within this project, parents were encouraged to be more involved in working on projects alongside staff, children and practitioners. This  included four half day parent and children sessions around movement and using different spaces for creativity, along with sessions for very young children (between 18 and 36 months) to support communication through movement. 

• The children communicated in a variety of ways through their responses to experiences with the practitioners.  All children were contributing more than usual. The less skilled  communicators were given the opportunity to respond to the activities in their own way rather than being asked to formally record their responses. A boy in nursery, who was a partial elective mute, was asked to lie down and look at the clouds and unexpectedly began to describe what he could see.
• Children re-engaged and connected with their surroundings through a wide range of different activities in different environments, even though no physical change had occurred.
• The project challenged teachers’ perceptions of creative teaching and learning in their existing environment.
• Teachers recognized that creating a stimulating teaching and learning environment is more about attitude and perspective than physical spaces. They now feel confident in taking their planning of creative teaching and learning a step further.

• Improved communication skills are having an impact on many areas of the curriculum. This will be monitored in the months to come and during forthcoming projects.
• The school now wants to build on their experience of ensuring pupils are involved in shaping their own curriculum and creating exciting teaching and learning environments.
• The school is keen to build on their learning of the importance of the teacher-practitioner relationship and how this practice can be sustained and embedded through co-planning and delivery.