General Manager Sarah Atherton and Creative Development Manager Phoebe Mills had the opportunity to discuss the importance of drama-in-education with Mark Quinn (Associate Professor (Teaching) and Deputy Programme Director, UCL Early Career Teacher programmes at the UCL Institute of Education and his colleague Elaine Long.

Both Phoebe and Sarah studied ‘Performing Arts/Theatre Studies’ at university and have worked with young people in an educational setting.

Sarah qualified as a secondary school drama teacher in the mid 1990s and worked in mainstream secondary education for nearly 13 years teaching drama to students at Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 and psychology at KS5.  Phoebe worked as a facilatator with performing arts company Stagecoach and devised and delivered sessions to children between the ages of 4 to 6 so between them they have a lot of experience of working with young people and have delivered drama to students of all ages.

Phoebe and Sarah feel strongly about the importance of drama-in-education and what it offers to young people in terms of helping them to embed the curriculum, bringing joy and connection to their learning and helping them to develop a range of creative and social skills.

In their conversation with Mark and Elaine, they passionately articulate their feelings about drama and the arts and reflect upon how the work of Freshwater Theatre Company positively contributes to the education landscape in so many ways including to the well-being of the young people and the teachers with whom it works.

Click here for a listen:  https://pod.fo/e/2d9997