NEWS
Leading thespians lend their support to students producing lockdown play
A school in Stratford-upon-Avon has been supported by some of British theatre’s most distinguished and highly regarded members, ensuring student creativity is not stifled by isolation measures. Stratford Girls’ Grammar School, based in Shottery, is a fully selective girls’ academy state school and Sixth Form, consistently ranked as one of the top 30 state schools in the country. Subjects that require collaborative and physical activity, such as Drama, are typically some of the most
challenging for schools to adapt during the coronavirus pandemic. But this has not stopped Year 12 students at Stratford Girls’ Grammar School from devising a new play all about the experience of living through this unique moment in time. The intention is for the students to perform their piece of theatre once they can return to school. The initiative has been supported by Dominic Cooke, who directed Ironbark starring Benedict Cumberbatch,
and Alexi Kaye Campbell, writer of Woman in Gold starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds. Both took the time to film and send messages of support to the students, as well as sharing their experiences of lockdown and giving helpful tips on how to devise a piece of theatre and write engaging characters. This was followed by a video from Jacqui O’Hanlon, Director of Education at the Royal Shakespeare
Company (RSC). Jacqui shared some of her vast experience of what makes an exciting piece of performance art with the students. Susan Frater, Joint Head of Drama at Stratford Girls' Grammar School said, “Theatres in this country have
only been closed a handful of times before, such as during the Plague and World War II. This is a unique point in history so we wanted students to make their own piece of theatre in response. We are pushing the boundaries of virtual teaching and thus ensuring we keep creativity alive. The interest and advice from professionals within the industry has been invaluable and we are extremely grateful for all of their support”
uwww.sggs.org.uk
College donates to food bank to help those in need
Sunderland College is helping a local food bank feed the vulnerable people and families in crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the college moving to
online teaching and learning, unused stock from campus refectories have been passed to the Sunderland Foodbank to be distributed across Wearside. Dozens of boxes of crisps,
cookies, brownies, chocolate bars, fruit juice and soft drinks have been collected by the foodbank from Bede Campus. Darren Lawton, Education Partnership North East's Food and Beverage
Manager, said: "With the majority of our students at home we didn't want the stock to go to waste. "The college prides itself on being at the heart of the community and ||
we are proud to support Sunderland Foodbank and help those who need it most." The Foodbank was founded by local churches and community groups in
2017, who are working together to stop hunger and receives support from Sunderland City Council, Sunderland AFC, local businesses and supermarkets across the region. Sunderland College's donation will enhance emergency food parcels which
will be available at collection points throughout the city for those facing increasing hardship. Jo Gordon, Sunderland Foodbank Coordinator, added: "We were overwhelmed by Sunderland College's generosity and the amount of stock donated. "We have amazing supporters behind us and it's amazing to see the
community pulling together at such a challenging time." In addition to donating food, Sunderland College also gifted hundreds of
pieces of essential personal protection equipment (PPE) to keep front line NHS staff safe during the outbreak.
uwww.sunderlandcollege.ac.uk 10
www.education-today.co.uk
Language students given opportunities to explore new cultures and maintain their skills during lockdown
Year 13 language students can now access interactive remote learning as part of an initiative led by Cardiff University. In response to the Covid-19 restrictions,
academics working on Welsh Government initiative The Modern Foreign Language Student Mentoring Project have created a programme of lectures, seminars and workshops that will be delivered online. The sessions, being offered through the medium of English and Welsh, are aimed at language students looking to continue studying languages at University. Lecturers and students from Aberystwyth University and the University of
Bangor are also involved in the project. Claire Gorrara, Professor of French at Cardiff University’s School of Modern
Languages, said: “Students due to complete their A Levels have had their classroom teaching cut short due to Covid-19. Remote learning in any subject is a challenge, but for those studying languages, there is a real danger they could lose confidence and skills as it is much harder to practice and build language skills on your own. “It’s well-known that there has been a decline in the numbers of people
choosing a language at GCSE and beyond in the UK as a whole. That’s why we are working to ensure those who are due to start degrees that have a language component next academic year are given the best support and start possible.” Lucy Jenkins, also of Cardiff University, who is coordinating the 11-week
programme, said: “Being able to interact with others is one of the joys of studying a language. We hope our sessions will fuel students’ enthusiasm for learning and give them a taste of what to expect when they start University study in September.” The project will be multilingual in approach and is therefore open to all
students regardless of their language of study. It offers support for studying the culture as well as the language of other countries.
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https://bit.ly/3fDT1sx May 2020
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