Memorandum submitted by Deedmore Special School, Coventry

A summary of 'The Butterfly Effect'

 

In November 2005 Deedmore School and the Shysters Theatre Company were introduced to each other by Coventry Creative Partnerships. Deedmore School is a primary special school for 80 children and the Shysters Theatre Company is a group of actors with learning disabilities from the age of 16. They were brought together to explore the development of learning through the processes of theatre and drama and the basis of the project was to explore the creativity of children with learning difficulties in a project that was to be specifically developed for special schools and not a cut down version of mainstream practice.

 

Initially we explored the differences in disciplines and ways of working then decided that the focus was to be on developing communication strategies through drama. Staff in both organisations focused on ability rather than disability and determined to become assumption free. Since then different forms of communication have been explored and a secure format in which new ideas are introduced slowly and then expanded on over the weeks has been adopted.

 

Over the past 2 years children have been taking a more active role as they became more confident. Vigorous and fun sessions help to create starting points to ensure that bodies and minds are ready to learn. At the beginning the focus was on understanding and improving the way all the people concerned connected with each other. Children's confidence increased and they gradually realised that they had the ability to control both themselves and other people. From the start adults and children worked together as equals - creating a partnership in which everybody is valued for their unique contribution. Children and adults have learnt to trust each other, to take turns and to accept that each person's contribution is equally valuable and that being different is cause for celebration not approbation. All of those concerned are being helped to develop their creative selves, to use their own imagination and to explore a sense of communal understanding within, for example, creating an imaginary journey through an imaginary world.

 

The children have been encouraged to take control over themselves, other children, staff and objects. Initially this was quite an alien concept but the children began to initiate control themselves, suggesting ideas for changing parts of their story, introducing new characters and developing ideas. It is increasingly more obvious in day to day curricular and social situations that the children now believe that they have a part to play in the world and that they can write their own script. One child with an Autistic Spectrum disorder recently said 'I don't have to try to be like them any more. They should be like me.' One parent has commented that her son now smiles and another parent has told us that her son has found joy in dancing. The children that have been part of this project have found their 'voice'. They ask and answer questions (with and without language), they have a sense of themselves and their emotions, they show empathy in many different ways, eg noticing that someone is upset and offering support and they express themselves through narrative and dance.

 

Staff who have been involved with the project have been amazed at the transformation of the children, the school and the staff over the past 2 years. Improvements in social cognition, curiosity, empathy, imagination, narrative skills, social interaction and creativity have been noticed by staff, governors, parents, therapists, teachers and most of our many visitors. Comments from adults range from 'I never thought that our children could do that!' through 'his mental maths has improved in leaps and bounds. That child can now think!' to 'He has spoken to someone today'.

 

As teachers we feel that our practice has undergone a great deal of change to enable us to deliver a more creative and inspirational environment and curriculum in order to effectively teach our children. Working in collaborative ways with other artists, especially those as skilled as Richard Heyhow from The Shysters Theatre Company has given us access to a completely new set of skills that has had enormous influence on our methods, staff and children.

 

None of this would have happened without Creative Partnerships and their continued support and encouragement - not least the monetary contributions that have given us the time we needed to make this happen. We are very willing to talk to you and show you some of the films or workshops and performances that we have created. I'm sure that listening to the children of Deedmore School talking about their amazing journey will show you what the collaboration has done.

 

July 2007