West Berkshire school's arts outreach to local primaries

Online sessions aim to help parents and carers stay positive

Downe House drama and dance department has been delivering online lessons for prep schools and local primary schools through the lockdown period.

The independent girls school in Cold Ash has been livestreaming dance and drama lessons to help to keep the community active and engaged.

Head of extra-curricular dance Olivia Ward said: "I am absolutely delighted to be running such an exciting outreach opportunity for so many children who may not currently be able to access extra-curricular dance lessons.

"Each workshop is designed to get everyone dancing along to fun, upbeat music from the comfort of their own homes.

"Parents, guardians and siblings are also encouraged to join in, so the workshops can also act as a fun family activity which everyone can participate in."

Schools in Cold Ash, Hampstead Norreys, Hermitage, Inkpen, East Ilsley and Yattendon have been taking part, along with 15 other prep schools across the UK.

The lessons are broadcast every Wednesday, with more than 110 boys and girls joining in.

Isla Carroll, from Year 5 St Finian's Catholic Primary School, Cold Ash, said: "Miss Ward made the choreography fun and energetic. I liked the way the routine was broken down to make it easy to follow.

"I had so much fun and can't wait until the next session."

For drama, pupils devised four pre-recorded lessons, two for the infant age group and two for juniors.

Downe House said this helped children in the wider community play and explore through drama, with the added benefit of encouraging independence, creativity and collaboration.

Downe House LVI Geraldine James Drama Scholar Alice Pernthaller said: "I was excited to be involved in this project because I wanted to do something meaningful for the community and I also love working with my fellow drama students.

"My lesson was targeted at junior pupils in Years 4 to 6 and I used Roald Dahl's Matilda to teach physical performance skills.

"After a fun warm-up, I described characters from the book, including Matilda, Miss Trunchbull and Bruce Bogtrotter and explained how the boys and girls could use their facial expressions, posture, gesture and other skills to bring the character to life.

"Teaching drama to younger children was a new experience for me and I hugely enjoyed it."