"On the whole, the pupils are really bright, but they can lose interest easily. Gail did some drama and maths but mixed it up to keep the children on their toes all the time. She did some fantastic group and class work, and developed their listening and PSHE skills too." Standard workshops cost £165 a day (£90 for a halfday), while tailored workshops - which offer schools the opportunity to fine-tune sessions to the exact needs of the curriculum - cost £195 and £140 respectively. While its prices compare favourably with those charged by supply teacher agencies, Bigfoot is not in competition with them, stresses artistic director Karl Wozny.
"We want to give schools an opportunity to have drama in the class - up to now, they haven't had a choice," he says. "It might make some supply agencies nervous, but we're not out to do that. We compliment what they do and we're offering schools something different. This is about raising standards in education, not making money."
It's a view shared by Russell Braund, head teacher at Royston Primary. "A drama teacher brings specialist skills that not everybody has," he notes. "I think that's important because they have the skills to enable children to bring out what they can do through the medium. Without a doubt, I think that drama supply cover provides another aspect to the school curriculum."
For more information call Scott Young on 020 8761 0110.
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