Pupils from SEND schools had an opportunity to explore dance with the support and guidance of the professionals from the FABRIC team at the Birmingham Hippodrome. FABRIC is a Midlands based dance development organisation with a vision to inspire people through dance, transforming lives, communities and places. This project promises to provide brilliant new opportunities for physical activity and creative expression for pupils within Secondary SEN schools in Birmingham.
With the help of FABRIC and School Games, Sport Birmingham launched the dance project last year aiming to help teachers within Secondary SEN schools to develop their understanding, confidence and creativity around delivering dance. This started as a CPD session for teachers held at the Dance Exchange at Birmingham Hippodrome. In April this year, following on from the CPD session, Sport Birmingham partnered with FABRIC to deliver a targeted free 6-week dance programme within 4 local specialised secondary schools. The initiative aimed to promote physical activity amongst their students, increase teacher confidence in delivering movement sessions and raise awareness of the role dance can play in specialised educational settings.
Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) often experience limited access to inclusive physical activities whether it’s in school or in the wider community, and the programme aimed to help address this gap. We spoke to Lucy Humphries about her involvement in the programme:
As the Engagement Producer at FABRIC, I worked closely with Lucy from Sport Birmingham to connect the chosen schools with dance artists that matched their interests. I was the main point of contact for the artists, ensuring they had all the information they needed for the project, checking in throughout to track progress and address any challenges.
FABRIC have been delivering and supporting inclusive dance activity to disabled young people aged 16+ for the last 4 years, through the Commonwealth Games project Critical Mass, and the legacy activity since. It was important to us to expand provision within school environments, to ignite a passion for dance and a talent pathway at a younger age. Some students had a pre-conception about what ‘dance’ was and it was great to be able to challenge that, engaging the students through play and imagination. A key outcome for both FABRIC and Sport Birmingham included upskilling the teaching workforce to feel more confident delivering a topic like dance as part of the school PE curriculum. Teachers gained knowledge of games & tasks that they will hopefully take forward beyond this project
Dance benefits disabled children and young people physically, cognitively, and emotionally. It improves coordination, balance and motor skills, building strength and muscle control which significantly supports those will physical disabilities, limited mobility or health conditions. As a non-verbal art-form, dance allows for self-expression & emotional resilience in ways other art-forms or sports don’t, and is a successful regulation activity for neurodivergent young people to communicate their emotions. We really hope more schools are inspired to deliver dance because of this project and its success.
Key Outcomes of the Programme
- Calthorpe Academy have set up their own daytime dance sessions at the school, with more space in their curriculum devoted to dance and physical activity. Their pupils have developed greater confidence and independence through creative expression. Teachers have been upskilled in supporting their pupils in dance sessions.
- The Pines School are looking at integrating dance into their curriculum whilst also exploring ways of continuing their relationship with FABRIC dance tutors. The sessions have also upskilled the teaching staff, helping them to create a workbook of games and activities. This workbook is planned to be replicated within dance clubs or other PE lessons to integrate the idea of expression through movement.
- Selly Oak Trust School found that the sessions supported their students to more feel confident, self-aware and happy within themselves. The sessions also supported the building of routine into the day. The teachers also highlighted how having their students interact with people who are external to the school helped support their social and familiarisation skills. Going forward, the school are looking at integrating dance into their curriculum whilst also continuing their relationship with FABRIC dance tutors.
- Wilson Stuart School found that the sessions gave their students an accessible way to communicate, self-regulate and build physical skills. They also connected with their peers, and experienced the joy of self-expression in ways that support their individual abilities and needs.
To find out more information on how you can get involved with FABRIC, please email Becky Bailey, Director of Engagement -becky@fabric.dance