Memorandum submitted by Mrs J Maxted, Class Teacher, Holly Hill Methodist C of E (aided) Infant and Nursery School, Rednal, Birmingham

 

As a teacher I have worked with Creative Partnerships team over the last few years. I have watched as their ideas have brought great joy to the children's faces. They have given staff ideas that would not have been thought possible with younger children. Over the time children have been shown how to use camera technology effectively, learned how to develop the results into creative results that have increased their skills and learning powers. They have been allowed to showcase their results and each year have put on a performance to the parents of their learning. The last two years has seen them creating costumes, music and dance to form a parade that then went around the local area. All children were involved in coming up with ideas for designs and making of their own costumes. They created music to use as they walked on the parade, not using musical instruments but using for example pipes to blow into to make sounds. They created their own tunes and played as they walked. The children were also taught circus skills that they could use as they walked, spinning plates, juggling and balancing objects like feathers. All skills which are not really present in the National Curriculum but which the children enjoyed and empowered them to join in with everyone, help each other and co operate in a larger group.

 

They are also now able to look at each other while learning and take photographs of their peers learning and state why they think that it is a good example, what skills their peer is using and suggest ways in which they may be able to help them.

 

Through my work with the professional artists that we have had at our school I have personally found that areas which I would have been weary of before, suddenly are accessable. One example could be in music. My children worked with a group making pictures and creating music, this was done using a keyboard and other percussion instruments. They used the alphabet then wrote the notes below....

 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

adefgabcdefgab..............

 

Where an A meant a B meant d etc on the keyboard. The children then wrote their names and made up a tune for their name. WE then added untuned percussion instruments and made up one big piece of music. I have subsequently used this for the children to compose their own music for assemblies, using names of fruit and indeed recently for names of pirates. The children love the idea that it is their own piece of music and all contribute to the group piece. They all allow others to suggest ways of improving it.

 

I feel that the inclusion of the Creative Partnership in our school has had an impact on the current thinking towards the curriculum. We have agreed to follow a more creative approach towards all subjects and are at present changing our current plans to accommodate this. Some of the ideas brought by the Creative Partnership have been taken on board. A recent conference given by them has thrown up even more ideas that we could use.

 

I feel that the children's learning has been made fun for them. With children enjoying all tasks,nobody feeling under pressure to conform but just all producing good results and enjoyment of learning even children who have severe learning difficulties.

 

Becoming reporters and pretending to travel back in time has helped some children who don't talk very much or very loud to be heard by all especially when using podcasting equipment.

 

All children wanted to use the devise and could all think of sentences to say when it was their turn. They were eager to sit and listen to others, even trying to guess who`s it was.

 

I feel that we are trying hard to fulfil the "Every Child Matters" document in changing our ways in teaching skills in a creative manner, making learning fun for ALL children that come to Holly Hill.

 

The Creative Partnership has helped us to begin this journey and we would like it to continue into the future as they are a very valuable resource to all who work with them. Basically they have helped make small ideas or dreams come true for the children that they are involved with.

 

July 2007