Memorandum submitted by Colnbrook CE Primary School, Berks

 

Colnbrook C.of E. Primary School is on the Eastern outskirts of Slough and has limited local opportunities for children and young people with access to local towns at least two bus rides away and expensive. This coupled with emergency accommodation comprising of a number of bed and breakfast rooms in the same street for families who exist in one room, often with up to six individuals in the one bedroom, who then share washing and cooking facilities doesn't allow for creative activities children need. Equally, there are many single mums, often teenage parents who live on income support in a number of social housing estates neighbouring the school, these children are frequently deprived of creative opportunities outside of education due to limited income.

 

Realising the need to develop literacy skills in our children, the school took the view that developing speaking and listening opportunities through a creative curriculum and linking this to our 'Outdoor Learning Environment' was the way forward. Our view was that this would give children something to discuss they all knew about and had a view on, together with ownership of it at the end of the day.

 

With this in mind the school made an application to become a Creative Partnership School. Our successful bid has led to significant advances in teachers' skills, the outdoor learning environment for all our pupils, links with professional artists and most importantly new opportunities for: speaking, listening, writing, team-building, designing and constructing for every one of our children.

 

 

This was a big project to be undertaken in one term across the school. Many unforeseen benefits have come out of the project especially ones where children have learnt quite independently of each others strengths and limitations and used these to one another's benefit not only in the creative work they have been involved in, but also on the playground and in other lessons. New friendship groups and extended tolerance, in most pupils, especially low achieving boys, have been a marked improvement noted by all staff across the school.

 

Opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills have abounded with all children being empowered equally. Opportunities to write from an informed point of view have also been developed and where previously children struggled with both areas, they could now express themselves without difficulty.

 

This has impacted on learning and made children more aware of their surroundings, empowered them to speak up and offer ideas knowing they have a voice, will be listened to and can make a difference. Our pupils now regularly offer their opinions and are learning to substantiate them where previously they were often considered to be poorly behaved and had few resources to support learning either inside or outside the classroom.

 

The school is keen to be environmentally friendly and through our work with Creative Partnerships, we have raised the awareness of the pupils across the school of recycling by designing and constructing four features from recycled products, which educationally support our work in school and have greatly enhanced the outdoor learning environment of everyone involved in the school.

 

 

July 2007