Speech and Drama at Ellendel; the things we have learned:

Research has shown that children’s language skills have greatly deteriorated. We need to provide opportunities for young people to learn how to communicate effectively. These are some of the things we have learned about Speech and Drama and its benefits since opening our school 4 years ago:

1. All children want to express themselves- even the ‘shy’ children; they just need a safe environment and platform to do this.
2. By allowing students the freedom to express themselves, they naturally grow in confidence.
3. The loudest students are not always the most confident.
4. The importance of creating an uncompetitive environment for children, especially in today’s world.
5. Speech and Drama allows students to develop their performance skills through lots of different activities – it is not always about learning the techniques of good presentation rigidly. Through different activities, students develop their own personal style that is unique to them. This is much more engaging for an audience.
6. Children often find poetry boring but when given a poem to learn and present in their own personal style, they begin to develop a much better appreciation for it. Speech and Drama kickstarts a lifelong love and appreciation for all literature: poetry, prose and drama because children get to take ownership of it, engage with it and make it their own. Their interpretation is not constructed by someone else.
7. Students underestimate how much they can achieve. They all need someone who believes in them to make them shine!
8. Students soon learn that what is more important than winning at festivals is the fact that they participated in the first place and the confidence they gain as a result.
9. Students LOVE Tongue Twisters!

Students make long lasting friendships easily when they have shared passion for something: drama!