An exciting event ft a keynote speech by award-winning writer, Patrice Lawrence MBE is taking place at the Bluecoat in Liverpool on Thursday 23rd February 2023.
The event concludes and celebrates Superheroes: Words are our Power, a pioneering programme delivered in 8 primary schools across four years. Using a range of creative writing strategies, poets, authors, comic book writers, spoken word artists and playwrights all worked alongside teachers, supporting them to put creativity back into the curriculum.
The project was funded with a £239,00 grant awarded to Writing on the Wall by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s ‘More and Better’ strand.
The Superheroes project gave children the chance to meet and work with a range of writers with different backgrounds, interests, approaches, specialisms, cultures and heritage. The difference this made for children was noticed across the curriculum as they became more resilient, more confident, more engaged and more motivated. Children were inspired by writers and became more comfortable writing about their own experiences and interests. Moreover, amongst this diversity of authors, children were able to find relatable role models, and this shifted their aspirations. In the gradual return to normality after the Coronavirus Lockdowns teachers began to notice that the pandemic had impacted on the mental health of children. Superheroes pivoted towards using writing to promote wellbeing.
During the event we will be sharing the final independent evaluation report from Curious Minds, celebrating the work created and discussing some of the ways we can continue working with local schools in the future.
Patrice Lawrence MBE, winner of the Bookseller YA Prize, Waterstones Prize for Older Children’s Fiction and the inaugural Jhalak Prize for Children and Young Adults will deliver a keynote speech on the importance of creativity in education. There will also be performances from artists who have worked on the project, including Ashley Nugent, Amina Atiq and Blue Saint.
Mike Morris, Co-Director, Writing on the Wall said:
“Our aim was to highlight the value of a creative education programme, led by professional writers and artists, in schools, working alongside an established arts organisation. The incredible work produced by the pupils in the schools and the feedback from staff has shown how valuable this project has been. I am enormously proud of our whole team who worked through the challenges of the pandemic and Lockdowns, and following the murder of George Floyd led training and created a book and resources to increase diversity in children’s literature. There is no doubt, based on the independent evaluation, that this type of programme should now be delivered in all schools across the region.”
Key stats:
90% of teachers said children were inspired to write independently at home
90% of teachers said children were more comfortable to share their work
92% of teachers said children wanted to share their writing with others
89% of teachers said Superheroes raised children’s aspirations
82% of teachers said children were more excited on Superheroes days
You can find out more about Superheroes: Words Are Our Power here.
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