The following case studies give a flavour of some of my work and
achievements within education. The hallmark of all my work is the use of creative approaches to meet the needs of school leaders,
teachers and learners.
g Gifted & talented in Barking
The headteacher of a vibrant junior school in this deprived part of
London wanted to organise an INSET day that would bring teachers and teaching assistants together to focus on the needs of
more able children. I worked with the school in advance of the day to design a tailor made programme which including plenty
of practical classroom activities, as well as time for reflection on the key issues facing the school. A particularly strong
feature of the day was the co-working between teachers and teaching assistants. The headteacher was delighted with the outcomes
of the day and was struck by my 'calm, confident and assured' style of training. Following the training event in February
2008, the staff of the school are now putting the plans they formulated on the day into practice to meet the needs of more
able children in this community.
Feedback from the school
'Brin was very professional, knowledgeable and personable'
'Brin was excellent at including everyone and drawing out information from all'
'Really well presented. Kept all teachers engaged'
'Clear objectives, good presentation'
'Lots of opportunity to reflect on what we were discussing so we could relate to it'
'Very thought-provoking and it has given me a way forward that I didn't have before'
'Helped me understand definitions associated with G&T - gave ideas for enrichment'
'Classroom practice was really useful'
'Very useful for a trainee teacher like me'
g Innovation in education Italian
style
An award winining group of students from north-eastern Italy were looking for an inspirational
trainer to engage their minds on a special study tour of Britain, on the theme of innovation. The students won an award in
their home region for their expertise in innovation in their schools. I worked with the UK-based project coordinator to plan
a workshop around the theme of creative thinking, then held the workshop face to face with the students in Scarborough. The
event allowed the students to think outside the box and suggest ways in which their lessons in Italy might be improved. I
use the tool of logovisual thinking - the topic of my PhD research - in order to help the students think creatively. The
students found the event motivating and thought-provoking and for one student, it provided the springboard for a meeting with
her headteacher in order to suggest ways in which lessons at her school could be made more exciting.
g A new community classroom
in Doncaster
A one to one consultancy session in with a headteacher in a Doncaster primary school led to the
setting up a new community classroom in this deprived part of northern England. The consultancy, which took place as part
of a range of work I was contracted to carry out by Doncaster Local Authority from 2003-2006, allowed the headteacher of the
school to focus on his priorities and bring together various projects under one heading. I also provided a range of suggested
funding sources for the school. Following the visit, the headteacher and business manager wrote a high quality bid that succeeded
in bringing in £50,000 for a new community building, which was opened in 2006. This building is now making a difference
on a day to day basis to the lives of people in this part of Doncaster.
g Settle
Together!
Whilst working as a development officer in a secondary school in Yorkshire I led an exciting
three year intergenerational project which linked four schools and provided the opportunity for young and older people to
share skills and experiences. The project was organised in collaboration with the charity Age Concern and allowed a team of
young people and children from secondary and primary schools to take an active role in managing the key developments. A high
profile project was secured in the form of celebated actress Thelma Barlow and some national publicity was obtained for the
project. The Settle Together! project won a £7,000 award from Barclays Bank and received an additional £6,000 from
Booths Supermarkets. Three years of workshops, events and other activities took place, ranging from a new community choir
to trips to the theatre. The project resulted in increased community cohesion, together with a better understanding on
both sides of the needs of young and older people.
g Funding for Creativity in
Bristol
Working in collaboration with Creative Partnerships I led a one day training course for schools
in the Bristol area in November 2007, which aimed to bring them sustainable income for their creative work. The event was
organised following a realisation that funding from Creative Partnerships for schools in the region would soon run out. I
worked with the charity to design a tailor-made day that would meet the needs of the local schools. The event was held in
a high quality external venue and allowed schools to plan future developments as well as helping to give them hundreds of
ideas of funding sources. It gave them a sense of what is possible using external funds and encouraged them to set their sights
on an exciting vision for creativity in their schools.
g Award for geography department
One of the most significant achievements of my time as a head of department was the Environment
Award my department received from the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The award was presented to my department for teaching
that 'went well beyond the National Curriculum and linked students with their immediate environment in an innovative way'.
The work included real life decision-making exercises carried out by the students as part of their GCSE studies, together
with a project to write a glossary for a WWF-UK book on sustainable development. The hallmark of all this work was the genuine
ownership of the projects by the students and a willingness to make learning as active and relevant as possible to the lives
of young people today. This imaginative approach to geography teaching helped to bring the A-level results of the department
to among the top three in the county - an impressive feat for a comprehensive school.
g 'Follow the learner'
This was the title of a quartet of films for Teachers' TV for which I was one of the featured
consultants. The programmes focussed on the lives of year eight children at a secondary school in Hove, some of whom were
struggling and all of whom needed a more personalised curriculum. I worked in collaboration with the the programme makers
and was filmed making expert comment on various episodes from lessons. I made especially detailed comments on motivating
learners, behavioural issues and respecting the learner's voice. The final programme in the series allowed the staff at the
school to reflect on the issues that the programmes had raised. You can download the series by visiting the website here.
g Promoting student journalism...and
other skills
One of my roles in secondary school was as a development officer, which encompassed the management
of the public relations and marketing of the school and the coordination of fundraising. The role also involved the organisation
of special projects to enhance and enrich the curriculum for our students. A highlight of this work was the setting up of
a professionally printed school magazine, of which I was editor for three years. Issued every half-term, the magazine provided
a platform for the school to share its successes and for students to write about their experiences. It was a genuine collaboration
between staff and students, with a strong and committed student production team. Students were given the oppotunity to take
on leading role such as news and sports editor, as well as being given the job of taking photos and preparing artwork for
publication. Local businesses sponsored the magazine, so that it eventually came to pay for itself. Several years on from
their involvement in the Settle High School magazine, some ex-students still continue their careers in journalism and related
jobs. I recently received a lovely message from one of the production team who is now in employment in the communications
industry.
'I certainly remember the days on the SHS magazine and the trips to
the Yorkshire Post! Your enthusiasm for journalism really helped me get my career off the ground and I'm very grateful
to you for that. I've still got all the school magazines, full of me rambling on about Leeds United's glory days!
After
getting my journalism degree at Preston, I worked for the Press Association's sports department for a couple of years, phoning
football managers for team news and interviewing players - lots of fun! I've since moved into web content management, which
is something new for me and I'm enjoying the challenge.'
Steve Creek
g Fresh water changes lives
As part of my charitable activities I have written education resources for the inspirational
charity Pump Aid, which is transforming lives across southern Africa through its innovative fresh water pumps. I invited the
director of the charity and one of his Zimbabwean colleagues to my school so my students could learn more about the exciting
work which is taking place. This inspired me to sponsor two pumps, which will support two villages in rural Zimbabwe, but
I wanted to go further in helping the charity. The charity identified its education resources for schools as an area for development
and I wrote lesson activities designed to stimulate students' interest in the issues underpinning Pump Aid's work. You can
read more about the amazing elephant pumps here.
g Creativity in the Curriculum
In February 2008 I was the chairman of a national conference on creativity entilted Creativity
in the Curriculum. The event attracted over 270 teachers, headteachers and creativity experts from across the country and
aimed to provide leading edge advice to delegates on how they can ensure a place for creativity in their revised curricula.
The event featured presentations from such speakers as Paul Roberts (Chair of the government's Creative and Cultural Education
Board) and Barry Sheerman MP (chair of the DCSF Education Select Committee). As well as chairing the overall event, I presented
a practical workshop on ensuring the resources are in place for a creative curriculum. This gave delegates the chance to hear
about a range of new funding sources for schools, as well as the importance of devising an overall fundraising strategy.
