"Drama that works wonders in a crisis!" EVENING STANDARD 30 April 02
by NIALL HAMPTON
YEAR Four pupils at Ashmount Primary School in Hornsey had an experience they won't forget in a hurry last Tuesday.Instead of sitting in their classroom poring over textbooks, the children were busy in the school hall, energetically engaging in role-plays to improve their literacy, numeracy and communication skills. Thanks to a new service being offered to schools across the capital, class 4AS was benefiting from drama-based supply cover. The children loved it so much that their teachers plan to repeat the exercise very soon.
The scheme is the brainchild of the Bigfoot Theatre Company, a registered charity that champions the use of drama as an educational tool to build confidence and selfesteem. Having run after school drama clubs around London or the past three years, offering drama-based supply cover seemed a logical progression. Following negotiations with a number of local education authorities, the service was launched this month and is up and running at three schools, with more soon to follow.
