For several years I’ve been developing ways of passing on ideas about creativity and ways of working with groups; I’ve put together many information packs and training resources. Many of the projects detailed elsewhere on this website have included training for adults who work with children. I’ve run many training sessions for pre-school workers, teachers, playscheme workers, youth workers and emerging artists, looking at working with primary school aged children and the role of creative exploratory play in participatory arts.
This has also included:
September 2016, co-leading inset at St Peters Junior, Ruddington (Nottinghamshire), with Katy Doncaster.
September 2016, Nature Connections Festival, Derby University, co-leading sessions and creating installation of a creative outdoor space, with Katy Doncaster and Jo Galtrey.
March 2016, Dunkirk primary, co leading a whole school staff Inset day, Lockerbrook Study centre, High peak, developing resources and running sessions to explore how connections with nature lead to conversations, language and literacy.
2007 - 2016, key part of Creativity Team developing whole school Creative Curriculum, as part of long term residency at Dunkirk Primary, Nottingham, working with all staff to explore Big Questions and explore ways the work with children can ignite curiosity in the world.
Winter 2015 / 2016, Kirk Hallam Pupil Support Unit, staff training exploring forest school and outdoor education ethos. Ilkeston, Derbyshire.
Autumn 2014 – staff training on Forest School / creative work outside in school grounds, Cottmanhay Infants, Ilkeston.
2014, autumn, explorations of creative documentation and observations of learning, as part of an inset day, Dunkirk Primary School.
2014, summer inset / staff retreat, Calke Abbey, Derbyshire, Dunkirk Primary School, exploring the grounds and house as a space to inspire stories and creativity.
2012, presentation of pedagogical documentation, as part of an INSET, Dunkirk Primary School.
2011: Main author of a chapter in “Creative Approaches to Participation” edited by Helen Manchester and published by Routledge, 2011, exploring the Small Actions, Big Change project at Dunkirk Primary School.
2011: Running sessions and a studio space exploring creativity and play for the Parents Conference, run by Dunkirk Primary School at the University of Nottingham.
2011: Inset sessions for staff at Berridge Infants school, Nottingham, exploring creativity and early years, pedagogical documentation and using open-ended resources with young children.
2010. Inset sessions at Rosehill Special School in Nottingham, exploring ideas around the Reggio Emila approach and pedagogical documentation.
2010: Inset at Highbank Primary exploring creativity and working with children outside and with the natural world.
2009: Inset sessions at Welbeck Primary with the project artists team, exploring tactile materials and touch.
2009: Global Citizenship conference in Nottingham, making a presentation with Asima Qureshi, about the Small Actions Big Change project at Dunkirk primary school.
2009: making presentations about creative exploration with early years groups, Sure Start, Leicester
2008: Highbank and Dunkirk Primary schools: delivering Inset sessions to staff looking at the ethos and work of the Reggio Emilia schools.
2006 and 2007: CreatAbility project in West Sussex – I was part of a team of 6 artists (2 visual artists, 2 dancers and 2 musicians); the artists team are co-authors of a book which was published nationally, (by Sage) about the project. We also ran sessions and a studio space at regional conference as part of this work in June 2007. In the pilot stage of this project I worked with Teresa Grimaldi to run sessions with early years groups which were filmed for a documentary about this way of working and we also ran sessions at a conference in Southampton.
2003 and 2004: I ran several sessions for emerging artists (through IMPACT in Nottingham,), looking at working with primary school aged children and the use / role of play in participatory arts.