From October-November 2025, I lead eight performing arts workshops at Hope Valley College SEND Unit. This is a specialist post-16 provision for young people with Special Educational Needs that prepares them for life and work. 

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At the beginning, participants were very nervous to join in. They were dealing with a lot of social pressure and didn't want to stand out from the crowd. I therefore decided to focus sessions on creating characters and using masks so that the students could become someone else during their time with me.

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Using the contributions made by the group, I facilitated the creation of a 15-20 minute show that the members performed in front of their teachers and classmates.

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I think it was amazing to witness the massive improvement in self-confidence that happened throughout rehearsals.

A staff member reflected this by saying:

"It was lovely to see students confidently taking on new challenges and doing something different. ​​You could see how pleased and proud they were of themselves.​"