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What it was like before the work and why was the work undertaken?

Thomas Tallis and Kidbrooke Schools, situated half a mile apart in South East London, received £9,000, joint funding, from the DfES in order to run an arts summer school project for students in Key Stage 3 to get a ‘flying start’ in arts subjects before their GCSE courses.

What was planned?

The Deputy Head of Thomas Tallis School had overall responsibility for the Arts Summer School held at both schools.  At Thomas Tallis School it was decided in order to avoid prescription in the use of resources and a superficial approach to works of art a number of guiding principles were adopted, as follow:

• Students would work in groups of four or five
• Five works of art would be used as stimuli: an Indian sculpture of Shiva, photographs of the painter Jackson Pollock at work in his studio, a portrait of Pablo Picasso, a nineteenth century painting entitled "Waiting for the Verdict" and a wooden mask from Zaire
• Teachers would be given copies of each artwork and background material.
• The students would be split into two halves, and begin their investigations in either art or drama and then swap after approximately two days.
• The two art rooms would be used, along with the drama studio and the art gallery for the final day’s exhibition.
• The afternoons would be used for a combination of reflection, journal writing, rehearsal, and continuing with group projects.
• Each student would be issued with a journal to record their experiences at summer school.
• The final performance would reflect the work in progress and need not necessarily be polished and complete.

What was done and when?

The students at Thomas Tallis School had the opportunity to work in both the art and drama departments on activities including, painting, set and costume design, illustration, drama, photography, video and working with computers.  The students at Kidbrooke School worked towards producing a multimedia performance centred on a time machine capable of transporting them through cultural history with the theme ‘Past, Present, and Future’. The play was set in a special time travel lift, and the students were escorted by an eccentric ‘Willy Wonka-type’ character who took them back in time and showed them the future. The students chose a selected time in history that interested them such as: cavemen and the invention of the wheel; Roman Britain, the Norman Conquest, 1066, Victorian England, and World War Two. A band of students played music from the different historical periods and the art department was responsible for designing and painting the interior of the lift.

During the course of the six days the students were involved in composing their own music on computers and instruments, singing, dancing, drama workshops, designing art work, sets and props. As with Thomas Tallis School, the students were free to choose which activities they wanted to participate in.

What has been the impact and how is it verified?

The students’ confidence and enthusiasm had increased throughout the duration of the projects and was reflected in the art work, songs and acting performances of all involved. On the last day, both schools performed their drama work in front of a large audience of friends, parents and members of the local community. There was also an exhibition of the art work produced throughout the week.

What has been learnt?

The Deputy Head of Thomas Tallis School commented that the summer school gave the students the opportunity to work in art and drama over a longer period of uninterrupted time, as opposed to the short bursts that are normally contained in the weekly timetable. The majority of students at both Thomas Tallis and Kidbrooke Schools found the summer school a worthwhile and enjoyable experience. Generally, the students liked the teachers, thestyle of working and the relaxed atmosphere. They also liked the opportunity to choose what activities to participate in and welcomed having something meaningful to do during the summer holiday.

What next?

Thomas Tallis School also ran art summer schools in 2000, 2001 and 2002 for all Year 6 students upwards from a variety of local primary and secondary schools.

NB: For more detailed information about the 1999 Summer School please consult the DfES Research report entitled "Study Support Summer School Pilots 1999: An Evaluation of 25 Schemes".