Memorandum submitted by Mrs S Murphy, Headteacher, Shoeburyness High
School, Shoeburyness, Southend-on-Sea
1. Executive Summary
Unique experiences such as B Lab projects enable school to
be a formative, memorable experience for developing the whole person in
education.
2. Introduction
As Headteacher of a large Full Service Extended Secondary
School in Southend-on-Sea I would like to affirm the value of Creative
Partnerships to the development of the diverse range of students in our very
large school. Our school exists in a
highly selective authority and is made up of many children who consider
themselves to be second rate because they failed the 11+ examination. Social deprivation is a significant barrier
to the learning of a high proportion of our intake. As a school we work hard to develop the innate creativity of our
students and have been recognised as offering a broad and successful creative
element within our own curriculum.
3. We benefit
from a number of Creative Partnerships in our school including the Billboard
Project, which has enriched our curriculum offer and provided personalised
learning opportunities for students of all abilities and backgrounds to work
with professional artists on regeneration themes. The highlight of the experience was the opportunity for 16 Sixth
Form students to prepare professional quality presentations at Debate London at
the Tate Modern in June 2007. There
have been a number of other recent collaborations in our school. One of which involved our students as the
focus. Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
Road Safety Department sponsor our drama students to perform Theatre in
Education plays in many of the feeder primary schools. This enables a full scale professional tour
with the students forming a theatre company for a week every autumn.
4. The impact
of such projects is invaluable to our students and could be described as highly
motivating, unique and confidence building.
These opportunities must be included in all school curriculums as they
have a fantastic effect on the personal, social and emotional development of
students and staff.
July 2007