Teachers looking for artists/creatives, and artists/creatives looking for schools to work with, are finding the Opportunities section of the A2:Connect website a great place to meet their perfect match. Ynysddu Primary School, near Caerphilly, found two fantastic creatives for their oracy, literacy and wellbeing work with Year 4 Pupils on A2:Connect – as Maggie James, Creative Agent, tells us.
What opportunity did you publicise on A2:Connect?
We were looking for a storyteller, and someone to help pupils make a Storytelling Chair. The aim of the project was to boost Oracy, Literacy and Wellbeing for Year 4 pupils.
When did you first hear about the Opportunities section of the A2:Connect website?
It was at one of your seminars. It seemed an obvious choice to sign up and I found the site very user-friendly.
Were you pleased with the response to your opportunity?
We had a great response. Over three weeks, eleven people responded to the two opportunities, and were asked to attend a short interview at the school. They were asked to provide a 15-minute taster session for a group of six children, who were then involved in interviewing them.
All practitioners were wonderful, but two really stood out for this particular project. Jason Hicks, a prop maker and animator arrived with masks and goggles for children to wear, while they created a simple object that had to go through a few processes. The children were immediately engaged with the new materials and processes.
Storyteller Louise Osborn arrived with a package she had mysteriously found, which the group slowly unwrapped and discussed together. Both practitioners created an immediate bond with the children and demonstrated a great deal of imagination in their mini workshops. The children unanimously chose to work with them. Since then they have built a full scale Storytelling Chair and are developing stories from The Deep.
Would you post an opportunity again?
I’d definitely use the website again, it’s the ideal conduit to link teachers and practitioners and a great starting point for finding the right person or the right opportunity. Its direct, clear, easy to navigate and very user friendly.
