The document summarizes a creative arts program involving primary school pupils from nine schools in West Norfolk. It describes workshops and activities held in Kings Lynn that encouraged pupils to explore the town using their bodies and senses. The program aimed to develop pupils' confidence, skills in self-expression, and ability to work with others. Teachers observed gains in pupils' confidence, willingness to take leads, understanding of communication through body language, and ability to direct their own learning. Teachers also reflected on letting pupils' creativity flow and guiding them less.

1. SPACE 4 DIALOGUE
Norfolk: Me & You
A partnership with 9 West Norfolk Primary Schools January – June 2015
The programme is designed to encourage pupils to enquire with a broader focus, using their whole
bodies to experience a new context. Through creative activities they develop the confidence and
skills to express what they have seen including the emotional and conceptual learning. The
programme is highly structured: in-school workshops funnelling to this exploratory day preparing for
resolution in a day steered by them. Staff are drawn in to support and also experience high quality
CPD in letting go and letting flow.
The sense of place is an essential ingredient in all phases of Space 4 Dialogue. This project has been
hugely influenced by our settings and we thank the following for their inspirational venues and
facilities, without which the children’s experience would have lacked inspiration and a stage:
The Lynn Museum Kings Lynn - Trues Yard Kings Lynn - The Garage Norwich

2. UROCK Creative and West Norfolk Schools: A Creative Day in Kings Lynn written by
Rosalind Scott-
‘We all have different experiences’ a reflective experience which chimes with themes of
diversity, differences and similarities.
Just over 35 pupils from four or five schools each experienced half days working with creative artists
to learn more about each other using Kings Lynn as a stage and source of information and questions.
Pupils of all ages, and temperaments, from year 2 to 6, including the, “Children who didn’t often get
picked – for sports and things – the quieter ones.” “The ones who are often overlooked.” To those,
“Known for their performance arts.”
UROCK creative artists had already worked with the pupils and staff at their schools introducing the
ideas of enquiry, without always needing a right answer, and of using your body to express an idea,
opinion or story. These skills were evident in all three groups during a ‘creative walk’ observing the
town and activities in Trues Yard and the Lynn Museum.
The pupils were organised into three groups of three from each school, each assigned to one of the
practitioners for a different experience. The warm up exercises built on ‘getting to know you’ and the
morning group gelled at once into their Artist’s group. They were all encouraged to swap and work
with pupils from other schools, there were some striking alliances made, notably one tiny girl and very
retiring older boy who held hands and ventured forth!
On the creative walk pupils observed and responded to stimuli in this historic town. Themes emerged
in each group which are offered to schools as follow up and also likely to be a feature of the day at
‘The Garage’ in Norwich.
Di’s groups were very much taken with sound, both playing with sounds, such as on the metal buoys,
listening and speculating on sounds. They also took up the invitation to explore identifying and
naming spaces – Cobbled Street to Rickety Alley, The Woodland to Bright shore. “We did feeling
things at school.” Explained some strange looking feeling behaviour around the museum spaces. The
group decided to recreate a part of the Sea Henge exhibition in the Lynn Museum, a huge tree root,
using themselves as materials. This was the way they chose to feedback to the other groups what
their journey had been.
Tom’s group found features of the historic town which were mainly on past events and contrast with
modern living. They literally enacted their journey by forming tableau of the milestones which they
caricatured in symbolic actions as feedback to the groups who had not been there. In the museum
this group brought objects which caught their attention ‘virtually’ to the group and described them,
developing both their imaginative, descriptive and interrogative skills.
Neil’s group were concerned with past and present in terms of place, in particular contrasting
architecture in the town and then looking to take home details of the living spaces of the past –
offering an opportunity to contrast their own living spaces back at school. This group, on the longest
walk,were asked to identify and respond to old and new along the length of the walk and remained
task oriented. “When are we getting to where we are going?” rather than experiencing the walk as
the means of discovery. The afternoon group was very concerned about what was cheating regarding
discoveries at the museum and also outlawed cooperation between threesomes as they considered
themselves in competition. It may be interesting to consider differences in the cultures of the
participating schools?

3. There was evidence of engagement by all the pupils observed, though they were far too busy and
engrossed to make many ‘quotable quotes.’ The staff were fulsome in their praise of the organisation
of the day and the way in which these pupils, often quite hard to reach or quiet, came out of
themselves, mixed socially and used their performance skills to come out of themselves. Staff also
commented on the way the practitioners worked, giving more time for child-led learning. In every
room the emphasis was on enquiry, not on right answers. I watched examples of unresolved
questions, even who the statue was of was left to conjecture, of decisions made solely by the pupils –
such as naming of spaces – which were not refined but accepted at first suggestion. Most staff were
able to suspend their teacherly concerns, enjoying the change which allowed choice and self-
authorisation and emphasised the enquiry rather than the ‘right answers’, but some struggled. This
may be a basis for further professional dialogue and CPD.
There were some difficulties with transport which meant that some schools were not able to take up
all the available places. In the afternoon there was a problem with the bus which meant that three
groups arrived later and had to join the workshop at the museum. The workshop and some creative
walking still took place, but there was less time for setting the parameters and feedback.
The contrast between the morning and afternoon groups serves to highlight the importance of the
way the creative practitioners imperceptivity but very carefully structured the learning experience to
set up a culture of the creative enquiry and surface the skills of whole body expression. The feedback
session at the end of the morning half day reflected their different experiences using a performance
or installation, a memorable impression presented to their fellow pupils. Follow up by teachers can
draw on the images or the installations – perhaps the participants could get volunteers to re-enact
them?

4. Teachers were asked to reflect upon these questions:
Children’s learning: In what ways have your children progressed in this work?
✓ More confident interactions with new children
✓ Able to open their mind to new experiences, physical & creative
✓ Selected children had low esteem over these sessions children have offered their views
✓ Children have become more confident when interacting with children they didn’t know
✓ More willing to take the lead, share ideas.
✓ Understand the importance of body language, and not just the voice with which to
communicate
✓ At the start children stood only with those they knew and not mix, but this changed as they
became less inhibited.
✓ Positivity was a feature that developed over 3 workshops
✓ Understanding that they have “directed” rather than the teacher
✓ Demonstrating how very creative they are when given the invitation
✓ Youngest children have visibly grown in confidence, independence & engagement
✓ Initially children waiting for older children to take the lead and then realising they could follow
their own creativity
✓ Notable differences in children self-conscious versus find it difficult to communication
Adult learning: What will you personally take away from this project?
✓ Higher expectations.
✓ Not to be so bossy/directing/controlling and go with the flow
✓ To let children create their own journeys & to guide them less
✓ Visualisation is a good technique to remember & record their experiences
✓ Create opportunities to let imagination build
✓ How to take the whole body to express capture & share children’s ideas
✓ Try & use familiar places in different ways
✓ Gradual development of skills
✓ Be more open ended about outcomes instead of pre conceived ideas
✓ Some of the exercises I will use for myself
✓ Try to stand back more to enable children to lead
✓ The artists used ideas to engage & support positive communication such as no hands up

5. ✓ Allowing independent thinking without interfering
✓ Excellent to stand back and observe
UROCK Creative have demonstrated:
✓ Encouraged the children to practise talking to each other & meet new people which is a
valuable life skill.
✓ The impact that non-verbal communication can have in reaching agreement.
✓ Allowing children to break down barriers & become comfortable with the unknown.
✓ Allow children to express their individuality
✓ Step away from National Curriculum when you can and offer alternative ways of speaking &
listening.
✓ Value everyone’s contribution & treat everyone equally
✓ Opportunities for teachers across cluster to meet and build a better understanding of our
cluster
✓ Alternative skills in speaking and listening
✓ Valuable team building with partnership schools
✓ To develop & build upon the children’s thoughts & interests
✓ To sometimes take a risk & not worry about right wrong or what others think
✓ Follow children’s ideas
✓ Real skill in leading independent thinking & social emotional development through an
expressive Arts intervention
✓ Cross curricular approach perfect for literacy history & personal development
✓ Teachers are keen to make UROCK creative part of our ongoing commitment to the cluster

6. Teacher Case examples
1. A very quiet child hesitant & following others, asking teachers what to do. A clear tipping
point after 2 sessions when his confidence was evident by offering ideas, participating,
showing leadership of other students. Totally inspiring!
2. One child who would not make eye contact or communicate at the beginning with own peer
group, will now mix with both younger and older children and make eye contact.
3. One of our girls was quite nervous and hesitant to start off with but she grew in confidence
by day 2 and continued to make progress. She didn’t look to anyone else for reassurance as
before.
4. A dominant child very chatty and domineering over his peer group has had a chance to work
with others & learn to respect other children’s ideas, highlighting an increase in teamwork
and learning to compromise, something he has previously found huge difficulty in doing.
5. A child who loved phase 1, but when chosen to progress looked terrified and tried to reason
his way out of it. He has lots of experiences with parents but gets scared when praised. His
friends persuaded him and he did participate in a 3 phases. He has enjoyed every moment
despite having to interact with new people, share experiences and move in a dark an
unfamiliar environment [dance studio] so a really beneficial experience for him!
6. Quite an outspoken child at school with familiar people, but in this context took quite a long
while to engage and find the same level of confidence to participate with children from other
schools. Eventually Tom asked for a volunteer, which she took up and never looked back after
that gateway moment. She then fully engaged with everybody.
7. An anxious and self-conscious child who lacks confidence. He appears reluctant in class to
share his ideas, particularly in any serious class discussion. Through UROCK experience he has
been able to able to take the lead within large groups and even in unknown situations. He
has seen how when he contributes sensibly he can be a valuable addition to any group.
8. An EAL pupil who finds it difficult to interact with others particularly if he doesn’t know them
very well. Working with unknown children has helped. Just listening to his language on the
bus return journey was very enlightening. He was eloquent and was also the first child to
move away from who he knew to someone he didn’t. A huge impact on his independent
working and thinking and making choices for himself.
9. Really creative child, a bit of an “oddball” has really had the opportunity to shine and show
his skills freely. Lovely to see this child thrive!
Project Contacts

7. Artists & Cultural Venues
Di Goldsmith UROCK Creative info@urock.org.uk
Tom Fox UROCK Creative info@urock.org.uk
Neil Smith Associate UROCK
SmithDance Theatre
Smith_paris@hotmail.com
The Lynn Museum/Norfolk Melissa Hawker Melissa.hawker@norfolk.gov.uk
Trues Yard Education outreach outreach@truesyard.co.uk
The Garage Theatre Adam Taylor Adam.taylor@garage.org.uk
The West Norfolk Schools
Heacham Infant & Nursery school
Hunstanton Infant school
Sedgeford Primary school
Brancaster Primary school
Dersingham Primary school
Ingoldisthorpe Primary School
Snettisham Primary school
Docking Primary school
Heacham Junior School