southwark theatres' education partnership

STEP Out!

STEP Out! is a drama education programme designed by Steam Industry Free Theatre in partnership with STEP to work with primary and secondary students. The climax of the programme is an ensemble performance at The Scoop at More London in June.

2010 was the seventh year for STEP Out! bringing together St Mary Magdalene, Lyndhurst and ST Paul's CE Primary Schools alongside students from the Globe Academy and The Charter School. Each school received a twilight teacher INSET, four half-day in-school workshops leading up to the performance and an introductory session at the Scoop. These workshops explored the themes of Toad of Toad Hall through drama games, character study, improvisation and storytelling. The final performance, a highly energetic, ensemble piece involving physical theatre, song, dance and percussion with imaginative costumes and large-scale props, took place on Tuesday 15th June 2010.

STEP Early Years Programme

In 2007-2008, STEP followed on from its work with Drama Champions to work within early years’ settings. The Early Years Programme involved collaboration between three partner theatres (Oval House Theatre, Unicorn Theatre and In Toto Theatre) in the development of a comprehensive programme of training and workshops in fifteen centres across the borough. The aims of this pilot project were to develop models of good practice for early years’ settings and help empower early years’ practitioners to lead on creative strategies in their own settings and enable each of the theatres involved to develop their provision for early years’ audiences. This Programme will hopefully continue in the future with further funding. 

Southwark Drama Champions

Drama Champions are teachers and teaching assistants from Southwark primary schools interested in pursuing the use of drama in the curriculum to raise standards and attainment and championing the embedding of performance arts in the curriculum. In 2007-2008 the Programme enabled 30 Primary School teachers to attend intensive INSET training run by practitioners from London Drama, Shakespeare’s Globe, Oval House, the Unicorn Theatre and Southwark Children’s Services. The Drama Champions Programme develops strong partnerships between the participating teachers and performing arts organisations, theatres, Southwark Children’s Services and STEP. The participating teachers produce Action Learning Research as part of the Programme.

This original STEP initiative is now run and financed by other key players but supported by STEP. The Programme is back for 2009-2010, with a new collaboration with schools in Croydon.

As part of the 2009 STEP Festival there was an open-door invitation for other Southwark primary teachers to observe drama/literacy lessons delivered by Drama Champions and Nina Birch, Southwark’s Drama Consultant.

Visit London Drama for more information about the current Programme.