Improving communication skills

Summary

This large junior school has a policy of making the most of opportunities for pupils' creative development in the arts. In this case, it decided to improve year 5 pupils' communication skills through an arts-based project on the Tudors. The project developed pupils' understanding of life in Tudor times by exploring the arts used by different social groups. At the same time, pupils' attainment in the arts was increased and enriched by focusing on specific artforms, such as the Pavan and portraits, as part of a historical investigation. The project culminated in the performance of a historical play written by the pupils.

As a result of this project, there was a marked improvement in pupils' willingness to communicate and the quality of their responses and use of language. In interviews carried out before the project, evidence collected by a researcher showed that the balance of teacher to pupil talk was approximately 60% to 40% in favour of the teacher. By the end of the project, this had completely reversed to 67% to 33% in favour of the pupil. Teachers found that pupils gained and retained more than twice the amount of historical knowledge than in previous projects taught in more traditional ways.

He's really fired up. He can't wait to get to school these days!

We had to extend parents' evening due to interest in the project.