A Specially Commissioned Workshop Week in Bridgwater
for mixed ability children from
Elmwood Special School
Penrose Special School
& Hamp Junior School
Elmwood Special School, having received a special grant, commissioned Children's World to undertake a special integration week at the beginning of November for 15 children with severe and profound learning difficulties from Penrose Special School, 15 children with moderate learning difficulties from Elmwood and 30 mainstream children from Hamp Junior School.
The workshops took place over 4 days. On the first morning the 5-person Children's World team presented a puppet show to excite the children and to introduce them to the materials available to them. The remainder of the week was spent by the children, with the assistance of the Children's World team, in devising, designing and creating their own large-scale puppet and drama show which was performed on the Thursday afternoon to all the Hamp Junior School children and an invited audience of family and friends.
The children devised a most unusual and entertaining story in which an ugly and misunderstood Monster was thought to have been eating people's pets. The action moved from Elmwood Castle, to Penrose Pet Shop and finally to Hamp Camp Holiday Resort where it was finally understood that the Monster had not eaten the pets but had kept them in his room for company as he was feeling so lonely and excluded. So, of course, everyone made friends with him and they had a big party!
The children made a stunning range of puppets and props for the performance including mermaids, ghosts and ghouls, surfers, spiders, etc. Thanks to Children's World's quality sound and lighting and large puppet screen, the children's performance was clear and easy to understand.
It was felt that the participating children benefited in many different ways - design and technology, communication and many curricular areas were addressed and very successful integration was effected between the children and staff of the 3 Bridgwater schools and special schools. These "Integration" weeks offer almost unique opportunities for children with special needs to work, create and play as real equals with their mainstream peers, and, as usual, we were delighted to find that the mainstream children left the project with a far more positive attitude to "disability".
The 3 participating schools were all delighted with the special Workshop Week, and Elmwood Special School are applying again for special funding so that they can commission Children's World to undertake a similar week in November 2002.
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