Even more unusually, their supply teacher, Hayley Radford, isn't a qualified teacher - she's an actress who specialises in school drama workshops. She was called in to help cover for staff that was busy moving into newly built classrooms. Ms Radford is on the books of a new supply agency run by Bigfoot Theatre Company, a London-based charity that provides drama workshops for after school clubs and Summer schools. The company says it aims to provide an alternative to traditional supply cover for Primary schools, offering staff from its pool of actors and drama tutors.
Viv Grant, head of St Andrew's, says: "The children have enjoyed it. Children are often aware that they are being taught by a supply teacher, and it gets them off on a negative track. But it's different if they know they are going to be involved in something creative and fun. They love acting, they love drama, so it's a bonus. Some of our boys who are quite challenging love it. It's a good way of channelling their energies."
Bigfoot Theatre Company was set up 3 years ago by actor Karl Wozny, providing drama workshops for schools in London's East End. The idea of a teacher supply agency was a logical extension, he says. The company had a ready pool of actors and trained drama tutors, and he believes primary schools are crying out for an alternative to the staffing crisis.
