• Alan Pergusey works with pupils and uses newspaper to create large sculptures.

• Sam Paechter gets creative with clay!

• Zoe Phillips brings a live design and make challenge into the classroom with a workshop to create a magician’s bag.

For schools who want to work with an artist, but aren’t sure where to start, here is some helpful guidance .

Image credit: Zoe Phillips

Schools can access the following:
Workshops

• Fairy Tales and Dragons – Story telling interactive workshop
• The Magic of Carnival – Interactive Workshop

Shows

• The Princess of The Rain Forest: followed by a talk showing the lovely puppets and props from the show
• The Boy Who Found His Smile: followed by a talk showing the lovely puppets and props from the show

For further information about each of these opportunities, please visit the Cusan Theatre website or contact Tanya by email tancusan@yahoo.com

Writing and performing poetry took Andy from open mic nights, to booked gigs, to festival slots, and slam wins, to bookings abroad, British Council trips and commissions to write new work. The largest part of Andy’s creative training is now reading both fiction and creative writing theory.

Andy has been delivering workshops in schools since 2008 and thoroughly enjoys it!

“Part of the joy of working in schools is that every day, even after having taught 20,000 young people, somebody writes something that surprises me. Young people are generally better lateral thinkers than adults, so it can be because the idea or image is unexpected or surprising, but it can also be because the writing is honest and brave, or because it is beautifully phrased.”

More than technical expertise, Andy’s job is about enabling young people to take risks in their writing and performance by diminishing self consciousness and embarrassment. Andy encourages young people grow in confidence and own their creativity. Nothing comes out right first time, and Andy is happy to show how his first drafts of work prove this. But through discussion and facing difficulties, powerful poetry can emerge even from the most reluctant of learners.

Andy believes art and creativity is vital to human well-being. Countless studies show it, and Andy himself feels happiest when he has been making something. “It’s a chance for people to play, to question, to put forward a personal point of view. With seemingly less and less freedom in teaching and with less focus on the arts and more on business and enterprise, it’s imperative that artists go into schools.”  In Andy’s eyes, young people get to see that, whether it is poetry, painting or music, an art can be learnt and practiced; it is not some form of magic performed by art-creatures, but a learnable craft done by people like them.

To see more about Andy’s work, please visit his website: andypoetry.com

Sketchbooks – Due to popular demand we are running another ‘Sketchbooks in School’ session, helping demystify the use of sketchbooks! For more info please see the Sketchbooks in School Flyer (PDF)

Storytelling through Drama for KS1 – a practical, creative drama session aimed at KS1 teachers using traditional fairy tales as a stimulus. For more info please see the Storytelling through Drama for KS1 Flyer (PDF)

Britain: Right and Wrong  – This practical, cross curricular half day training session will look at how aspects of ‘Promoting British Values’ can be brought to life and developed through the medium of poetry. For more info please see the Britain: Right & Wrong Flyer (PDF)

Getting Started with Project-Based Learning – This practical day will take senior leaders and teachers through the key stages of planning and managing pupil led projects. For more info please see the Project Based Learning Flyer (PDF)

Drama for Thought, Talk and Writing – This practical training day will provide teachers with a powerful toolbox, from which to design lessons for children, as thinkers, talkers and writers. For more info please see the Drama for Thought, Talk and Writing Flyer (PDF)