VIEWS & OPINION


A centenary to remember


Exploring all aspects of performance through the arts at school


Comment by LAURENCE POLE, founder of StackaStage, portable staging with a high-quality finish for performances.


Comment by LADY LUCY FRENCH, Founder and CEO of Never Such Innocence


As 2018 speeds away, at Never Such Innocence (NSI) we have been working to make this year our most momentous and memorable and so far, with tremendous success. Our Centenary project has engaged children aged 9-16 from across the UK and 32 countries globally to commemorate the First World War through poetry, art and song. We have received triple the number of entries from previous years, reaching nearly 7,000. We never cease to be amazed by the quality and emotional intelligence of the work we receive. We have travelled across the UK and met children from far and wide. We


will be thrilled to see them again as we travel back across the country to thank our entrants and winners, (winners will be announced ahead of our awards ceremony at the Guards Chapel on the 24th May). We’ve been immensely proud to watch our NSI young people display and perform their work in front of some of the most prestigious audiences including the Prime Minister, Theresa May, Never Such Innocence President, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Vice Chief of Defence Staff, General Sir Gordon Messenger, and in front of thousands at Passchendaele, the Royal Albert Hall and Holyrood. We still have lots to come this year with several more once in a lifetime opportunities for the NSI young people to take part in the largest national and international commemorative events. “What next?” you may ask. With the success and engagement that we’ve


seen over the last four years, we are so proud of our project and all of those who have taken part, we would be lost if this were the end. In such times of political uncertainty, it is crucial that our children understand our international and shared history and are engaged with the devastation that war causes. The Centenary has been a platform for us to work with schools to educate children emotionally with the meaning of war and how important it is to remember all of those who were sacrificed or worked for the good of their country. This has led us to create Together, with kind support from the British


Embassy in Berlin, Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge, and UK- German Connection to encourage children from Germany and the UK to work in partnership to create messages of hope and unity through poetry, art or song. We believe that this will be an enormously rewarding project and we look forward to seeing the excellent entries. Most excitingly, our four-year NSI project will culminate in the creation of


our Children’s Anthology of the Centenary, including a collection of winners and entries from across our project which we hope to publish in the last quarter of 2018. The book will be a legacy of the centenary commemorations and a showcase of the hard work that our schools and young entrants have committed to remembering. We’d like to thank are many partners and supporters who have made our


project such a success, in particular The Royal British Legion, the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund, and RAF100.


May 2018


Getting children involved in arts and performances at school can bring so many benefits. It’s a positive experience for both children and the wider community. School performances go beyond simply teaching children acting skills and boosting their confidence. For many children, it might be their first and only time


performing. Whether it’s a Christmas play, a class performance, or a charity event, the memory will stay with them long after they finish school and can be a memory to share with their own children and family one day. If it’s something they enjoy, it could be their first step to many more performances, or even going on to pursue an acting career. But the real joy of the arts at school is being able to explore all


aspects of performance — not simply the acting part. From costumes, to set design, to musical elements, to scriptwriting, there are so many different components which contribute to a fantastic performance. We love the fact that our portable staging can be assembled by the children, offering hands-on experience of set-building and designing in a safe environment. Enabling children to learn these skills and have these experiences means they can begin to understand the different roles involved in the arts. Behind-the-scenes positions are equally important as those on the stage. As well as the roles and experiences the children will learn,


performances in schools are the best time to strengthen community bonds — both in school and outside of school. There are few times in a school when children from different year groups can mix. A whole-school production is a perfect opportunity for this. Allowing children of different ages to mix really is a one-of-a-kind experience. The older children can set a great example for the younger students and can often act as mentors or inspiration. Strengthening these bonds is important and can bring a stronger sense of community to a school. But, beyond the school walls, opening up the performance to


the public is an excellent opportunity for the local community to see what the school is doing. So much hard work is put into creating a performance and sharing that with local residents can strengthen bonds. It can also open up relationships and new opportunities for the schools and students. Finding the time to put on a school production and teach


children about the arts is so important. Children learn so many skills outside of the classroom and being involved in a school production is certainly one of those ways. While it takes time and a lot of planning, the benefit to the children and the wider community make it worthwhile.


www.education-today.co.uk 23


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