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Case study 8: Sixth formers and younger pupils
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Case study 8: Sixth formers and younger pupils
This case study shows how a school enriched its sixth-form curriculum for gifted and talented students by encouraging them to become partners in the education of younger pupils at the school.
selective girls' grammar school (11 to 18), with 1000 on roll and a rich ethnic mix. The school has Beacon status (the same school as in case study 13)
involving sixth-form business studies students in a creative writing week for years 8 and 9
asking the students to run a mini-enterprise related to the initiative
students developing new skills in public speaking and book production
Background
The school decided to enrich its curriculum for year 12 business-studies students by getting them involved in the education of year 8 and 9 students. The older students were asked to support a writing week for the younger pupils through imaginative development of the mini-enterprise concept.
Implementation
The project centred on a creative writing week for students in years 8 and 9. A former poetry grand slam champion was appointed poet-in-residence and devised workshops for the students. She also taught accelerated learning techniques and showed the students how to overcome their fear of public speaking by imagining they were in a bubble when delivering their lines to peers.
Other workshops were led by laureate, a storyteller, a voice coach, a photographer, an artist and a musician.
The sixth-form students were in charge of putting together an anthology of the pupils' work and ran the whole venture as a business. Three hundred copies of the anthology, called Reflections, were produced at a cost of £650 and were sold at £4.50 each. Profits were used to buy books for the school library.
The project culminated in a local radio station spending a day producing an outdoor broadcast from the school. Students wrote music to accompany their poems, others sang and performed musical items, and the year 12 students were interviewed about what they had learnt from running the business.
Impact
The sixth-form students were given personal support in learning relevant and highly practical skills, including public speaking and book production. They also received specialist help with poetry writing. The involvement of well-known, highly-qualified experts in the implementation and review of the project gave it excitement and a professional edge.