| Description of good practice: |
Every learner at Frank Wise School in Banbury has been involved in high profile local premieres of movies that they have created themselves. This has given them a voice beyond the boundaries of conventional literacy.
Context:
Frank Wise School is a special school in North Oxfordshire for 101 learners aged 2 to 16 who have severe and complex learning difficulties. It has Investors in People status and was a Beacon School from 2000 to 2004. Since then, it has continued to work extensively with other schools and in 2007 was awarded specialist school status for special educational needs (cognition and learning).
Method used for promoting inclusive practice:
Using video and DVD software (iMovie and iDVD) the school has showcased two successive
biennial high profile premieres at the local cinema (and one two years earlier at the local arts centre, The Mill). This is not about learners using technology. It is about how technology makes it possible for them to get their achievements, thoughts and ideas noticed, respected and acted on by the community. In their 2004 production, ‘They Hope It’s All Over’, the learners took a range of memorable sporting moments and went to venues such as Old Trafford and the indoor snowdome at Milton Keynes to recreate the events. Teachers’ TV
covered the making of the film in a documentary, ‘Sporting Heroes’. The 2006 production, ‘Three Wise Men’, was a tongue-in-cheek look at the history of music. Every learner was involved in each of these productions. Equally importantly, they were part of the live event of the red carpet and paparazzi-style premiere. This was attended by nearly 400 people.
Focus of inclusive practice:
For many years the school has used film to allow its student body to communicate their views and experiences of the world without having to overcome the barrier of conventional
literacy. For learners with severe or profound learning difficulties, this opens a new door to
communication.
Level of success:
The three biennial premieres have had a tremendous impact on parents, carers and the learners themselves, along with the local community. Not only has it helped to raise awareness of what the learners can achieve among people who have seen the
media coverage, but it has changed parental expectations. One parent, who had never
taken her 14 year-old daughter to the cinema, described how she was stunned to discover that the young girl could sit through a film lasting nearly an hour with total absorption. Learners themselves, when compiling their Leaver’s Records of Achievement, always refer to the experience of seeing themselves featured on a full-size cinema screen, and how proud they felt. |
