Multi-Arts
We run a multi-arts after school club at Kempston East Methodist Church for our minis age group. This club includes activities including; Dance, Drama, Music, Singing, Mixed Media Creations, and drawings.
With thanks to Bedford Giving, over the past year, we were able to provide additional spaces to support young people aged 5-8 with SEND in these sessions. This included providing additional staff to support their needs. Our pastoral team undertake a variety of SEND training to best support YP with SEND, and work with tutors and young people to ensure all can access our sessions. Sessions have also been planned to accommodate different skill levels, utilising short tasks in different arts subjects.
Research shows that exposure to dance and performing arts can have a profound and lasting influence on children's transferable skills, particularly creativity and confidence. Arts subjects, specifically for young people with SEND, allow for expression of feelings, help develop fine motor skills, inspire the imagination as well as promote self-esteem and confidence.
A key difference we have seen in the young people attending these sessions is their growth in confidence. This has been seen by both the pastoral team and parents of the young people. A member of our Pastoral Team commented on YPD, “At the beginning of the session they were very quiet and wouldn't speak, but as the weeks have gone on, they have really improved with their confidence and are very chatty and open with the tutors and other young people”. They have been able to positively contribute to activities and make friends.
One parent, when asked how attending the sessions had affected their YP confidence, expressed, “I’ve never seen my child shine through with confidence [before]” This was following a performance at our first Family Christmas Party, where young people performed a Christmas song with sign language and a dance performance including their own choreography.
YPE expressed “It makes me happy coming to multi-arts. It makes me happy because I have lots of friends to play with. It makes me extra happy because I love to dance, and I loved doing the Christmas performance at the family Christmas party.”
Pastoral Team commented that YPE has developed more social skills from attending these sessions “By doing group activities their listening skills have improved. For example, at the start of multi-arts they would struggle to not contribute when other young people were talking, but they have made good progress in listening to others comments and ideas before taking their turn.” YPE is demonstrating better social skills within a group setting and able to identify F4YP values within themselves and other young people.
Craft, A. (2000) Creativity Across the Primary Curriculum: Framing and Developing Practice, Taylor & Francis Group, London
Chappell, K. (2007) The dilemmas of teaching for creativity: Insights from expert specialist dance teachers. Thinking skills and creativity, 2(1), pp.39-56.
