'I like to use stories or narrative poems as starting points for students to explore different worlds and feelings; sometimes I begin with an intriguing object or a picture. I encourage kids to use their own lives, each others' lives and ideas to help them deepen the creative experience. Children find this a safe and unthreatening way to try out new things like making up a back story for Cinderella's stepmother, what was Theseus really thinking when he entered the Labyrinth? or how to take a Wild Thing home to The Place Where the Wild Things Are.
Lately, I have been using art as a way of unlocking children's creative ability. I regularly publish their written work on the display areas of the Workshop
I see all my classes as part of a tailor-made course to suit each and every child in my care. In that hour or two that we are together each week, I try and make them feel that they did great things and were effective human beings, even in such a short space of time. What could they not achieve when they really put their minds to it?
All students over 5 look forward to preparing for a Drama exam under the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) syllabus at the end of the year. It's one of the highlights of their year and I support that fully.'Mrs Tan
