Kathy Tappin - Artistic Director

Drama in Education Specialist: MA Education (Drama) / BA Hons Drama/Dance/Music (B’ham) PGCE Drama in Education / Ad Dip in the Ed of Children with SEN

A fully qualified drama specialist, teaching drama and the performing arts for over 20 years; 12 years in Secondary schools, and the last 10 or so in FE and HE, now freelance.  I have considerable experience across all phases of education.  I also currently run a Youth Theatre with members predominantly aged 8 - 18, and a Boys Dance Company with boys aged 9 to 14; 4 years ago we were given a Blue Sky Award - of £2000 a year for 3 years - from the Cornwall Children's Fund and Dance Theatre Cornwall, to create performance work around the theme of social inclusion.

In June 2004 I completed my MA in Education: Drama, with Plymouth University, using the Forum Theatre and Rainbow of Desire practices of Augusto Boal to deliver aspects of the citizenship and PSHE curriculum in Primary Schools.

My first freelance project was DramaWorks - a classroom-based drama Inset programme – which was supported by The Works and delivered in 11 Primary schools around Cornwall with a Showcase of the story-telling work created performed at Gwennap Pit on 14th July 2005.  Following this, StoryWorks Theatre Company was formed and has received 2 Arts Council England grants to support and part-finance our work in Primary Schools.  ‘Putting Arts-Based Practice at the Centre of the Primary School Curriculum’ ran from January 2006 to July 2006 and involved 20 schools across Cornwall.  We are currently delivering our ‘Developing Arts-Based Learning across the Primary Curriculum’ to 25 schools over the next 12 months.  This project has a particular focus on facilitating professional development for teachers and offering work-experience placements for students from Year 10 upwards and for students involved in the Silver and Gold Arts Awards.

I also work on an individual basis in a number of schools on a one-off basis to deliver drama/performing arts workshops, Inset, etc. to develop the effectiveness of performing arts in education - Primary in particular.  I am keen to empower class teachers in their delivery in other curriculum areas utilising drama techniques. Drama engages children through active learning and as such is ideal both as a subject in its own right, and as a method to explore and deliver aspects of other curriculum subjects.