Fridayfest at the Institute of Education
Monday, 10 December 2012
School pupils and PGCE students at Fridayfest
'It was great to see how enthusiastic and engaged the children were'
Over 200 pupils from local schools visited the Institute of Education (IoE) earlier this term for the first ‘Fridayfest', an event designed to build on the already strong relationship between local schools and the Institute.
The day, organised by Professor Andy Kempe, was based around workshops that utilised the excellent facilities of the London Road campus. A painting housed in Reading Museum by Eric Henry Kennington called ‘Charles the Chef' provided the starting point for workshops in art, music and drama, led by IoE staff and students, involving groups of Year 5 and 6 children from Geoffrey Field, Katesgrove and Emmer Green Junior Schools.
Graduates of the PGCE Secondary drama course, Katie Evett and Chris Lambert, both now teachers and professional artists, offered workshops in storytelling and puppetry. The children and their teachers could also watch and talk to sculptor Joss Nankoo and woodcarver Daren Gravett as they spent the day at work in the art studios.
At lunchtime, RUSU's Circus Skills Society and ‘Sign along with Music' group Decibels provided further entertainment and a chance to learn something new.
Later in the day, members of Reading University Drama Society and the current PGCE Drama group offered a series of ‘masterclasses' to GCSE and A Level Theatre Arts students. This was followed by a drama showcase in which five local secondary schools shared extracts of productions they are currently working on.
Vice-Chancellor Sir David Bell's wife, Lady Louise Bell, was also invited to the event. She said: "It was great to see how enthusiastic and engaged the children were. Being in a university setting was a big plus, as was clear from my conversations with the youngsters. Teachers were also very positive about the experience of being at London Road."
Andy said: "We were really pleased to have so many eager school pupils come to the Institute; they seemed to really enjoy meeting university students and were able to learn so much from one another. We feel it was such a success that we are planning some more: one toward the end of spring term, and a third in the summer which will hopefully collaborate with the Department of English Literature."