Creative Arts combine with History at Woodlands Community College as Year 7 students bring creativity into their learning about the Mongol Empire this term.
SCEP Cultural Curriculum, part of Better Lives Through Culture. Photographs: Nosa Malcolm
Abi Thommes from Arts2Educate has spent the past term working with students to find out how they would like to bring music, art and drama into their lessons. This is one of four arts/schools partnership to develop a Southampton Cultural Curriculum, as part of the SCEP’s Better Lives Through Culture Programme.
Together with history teacher Georgina Hicks, they have co-created a youth-led creative scheme of work for the subject. Abi has also been working with teachers to equip them with the skills and confidence needed to use the arts in a humanities setting.
At the beginning of the arts-led lesson students were initially unsure and said they felt like ‘running out of the classroom’ and thought ‘it was going to be boring’, however by the end of the class, their comments were considerably more positive; ‘Better than a normal lesson’, ‘I liked the dancing, it was funny’ and ‘Does this lesson have to end?’.
All participating students will earn an Arts Award Discover award, with a project group working towards their Arts Award Explore certificates.
‘Does this lesson have to end?’
Year 7 Student, Woodlands Community College
The Cultural Curriculum project, part of Better Lives Through Culture, is taking place in four different schools across Southampton with Arts2Educate, SoCo Music Project, ArtfulScribe and dance practitioner Natalie Watson.
Are you a school setting looking to develop Cultural Capital and creative learning in the classroom? Get in touch with scep@soton.ac.uk to explore how we can support your ambitions.
SCEP supported by
Better Lives Through Culture, in partnership with Artswork
