The Arts Society Corinium has awarded a charitable grant to Ashton Keynes CoE Primary School in 2025.
The charitable grant has enabled Ashton Keynes CoE Primary School to put on a short drama for Key Stage 1 pupils about The Great Fire of London which is relevant to the children’s work this year. A theatrical company with wide experience of working with children and young people was used and the production took place on Friday 6 June.
The theatrical company involved in the production consisted of just two people, who played all the roles. They used different voices appropriate to the various characters and used a variety of simple costumes, mainly hats and the stage was set with scenery depicting London in the seventeenth century. It was an interactive production, and the actors involved the children in a number of ways – singing, dancing and they were invited to volunteer to play little parts within the performance.
The pupils loved the performance, especially the opportunities to ‘join in’. Importantly, the performance enabled the pupils to gain a greater understanding of a significant event in English history. Moreover, by delivering the historical information through theatre and music, the pupils were given the sort of enriching experience many may not have the opportunity to enjoy outside of school.
A representative of The Arts Society Corinium attended the performance on 6 June.
As can be seen from the extracts below, the letter of thanks received from the school gives clear evidence of the extra benefit this show brought to all pupils:
"The show made a huge impact on the children. It was such a great way to launch the topic and they then knew lots of key facts which they have remembered throughout their study (date it started, how it started, where it started, key figures etc.).
An example of the impact it has had is a child in class 2 with an ECHP who requires adult support. He has been so engaged with the learning that his mum recorded him telling her all about it and sent it to his teaching assistant as she was amazed with his knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject. " Whilst other pupils, " only 6-7 years old wrote in great depth."
"They have all said this is the best history unit this year and I feel that by starting it in such an exciting way it led to much greater engagement with the learning in class.
The performance was very clever - using two actors to play multiple roles in a comical way. They had a range of props and involved the pupils in activities and songs which they really enjoyed.
Without your funding this wouldn't have been possible so we are very grateful for your support."