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Reps Course Postponed

The proposed reps course which was to have taken place on 10th October has been postponed.

Report on the ‘Unlocking Creativity’ Course

What a treat this course was. The venue was amazing. West Dean College must have been a wonderful private home at one time. It easily rivals any National Trust Property in the area with its sculptured ceilings, chandeliers, imposing staircases, works of art and beautiful gardens. It is a haven of tranquillity set among green fields and grazing sheep. The catering was also a feast of creativity.

Now why were we there? Oh yes the course on unlocking creativity! The day began with a talk by Richard Gerver from Grange Primary School in Derbyshire. This was both amusing and inspiring. The aim of his talk was to show how creativity in teaching and learning could raise aspirations and be a means to higher standards of achievement He had taken on the headship of a failing school and turned the school round, eliminating discipline problems, absences and raising standards. The fact that the school was failing and traditional approaches had failed gave him the freedom to follow his own instincts and to develop a creative programme of learning appropriate to the needs of the community the school was serving. He described how he had turned the school into a mini town called Grangeton with shop, café, television studio, and museum etc and made it a place that children wanted to attend. The whole school explored one topic at levels appropriate to age and ability and with a cross-curricular approach giving a unity of purpose. On Friday morning lessons were provided by people from the community, who I think offered their services on a voluntary basis e.g. hairdressers, beauticians, media experts, sports coaches, mechanics etc. Despite deviating from rigid national curriculum plans performance in national curriculum tests improved. He invited teachers to visit his school to see it in action but emphasised that the solutions were particular to his schools needs.

For those of us who began their teaching career in the 70’s, when creativity had a high priority, listening to the speaker was like being allowed to breathe again.

The rest of the day was spent listening and participating as other teachers presented work that they had done to bring creativity back into the classroom. We chose to explore a project which had been based around the Beatles, and a maths project which had involved weekly real life problems, which the children believed were sent by the harbour master at Littlehampton. We also looked at two projects which gave children the opportunity to develop financial and economic awareness. One project gave hands on experience via a game which simulated the problems of managing a farm in the developing world and the other was a business simulation which involved making and selling hats.

There were also inspiring displays of children’s work and a display of relevant books to look at. The day ended with a display of music and dance by pupils.

Although as supply teachers we are not often in the position of initiating work, as a result of this course we were made aware of a shift in educational direction and were able to feel the excitement generated. Hopefully we will be able to carry some of this enthusiasm into our teaching and will be able to understand the present philosophy behind the lesson plans we are asked to teach.

We were very grateful to the NUT for enabling us to attend this course by paying the course fee and travelling expenses. We had a really stimulating day and both felt our batteries had been recharged.

Amrit Bhogal and Kathy Bennetts- Brown