Neutral Venue Visit

A linking day with a focus on identity worked covered in class, including an exchange of information gathered together by the pupils and presented in an ‘identity box’.

Introduction

Two schools in Stockport – High Lane Primary School, High Lane and All Saints CE Primary School, Heaton Norris – held a linking day at Romiley Forum Theatre in Stockport, on Wednesday 18 November 2009.

The project built upon the identity work the children had covered in their own classes, including an exchange of information in the form of a class identity box containing special objects and fact files about the children.

Activities

The day began with games to mix the children up and help them relax. Following this the children engaged in drama and dance activities ran by facilitators at the theatre, based on the story “Giraffes Can’t Dance” by Giles Andreae. This story provided a great stimulus for a first meeting to engage these Year 4 children with discussing ideas around identity and prejudice and exploring feelings associated with these issues.

Lunch time, which can often be a tricky time to manage, felt very relaxed. The children were put into mixed groups, each supported by a member of staff whose role was to guide informal conversation within the group. The children had fun talking about favourite TV programmes, discussing the contents of their lunch box and finding out lots of similarities and differences between them.

Successes

The children were provided with many opportunities to meet, work and form relationships with different children throughout the day, sometimes in small groups and sometimes in pairings. Facilitating the group in this way proved a great success and the children quickly and confidently became used to this way of working.

During whole group reflection at the end of the day the children felt they had formed a relationship with someone in the group at some point throughout the day and were excited about meeting each other again.

The project is ongoing and the day will be followed up by reflective practice in school where the children will have opportunities to openly voice their thoughts in a safe environment and another exchange of information focussed on the question: Where do we live? before they visit each others’ schools next term.