Vale School

2016
Tottenham

Lead dance artist delivering weekly dance sessions to students at both the primary and secondary school sites

Vale School

The Vale school is a community special school based in North London with both a Primary and a Secondary site. The students here have a range of Special Educational needs and disabilities including sensory impairments, developmental delay, learning and behavioural needs and autism. The school environment champions inclusive learning and shares its locations with Lancasterian Primary School and Northumberland Park Community School. My role as dance practitioner began here in April 2016 and during this time we have had a number of performances and also run weekly inclusive dance sessions,

The Vale Primary School

The dance sessions at the Vale Primary school are continually growing, allowing students to explore their movement range and creativity within the realms of dance. Alongside the skilled staff at The Vale many of the sessions include sensory elements to enhance lessons and make dance sessions accessible for all children in the class. In September 2016 the school gained funding from Mencap to extend our sessions and include children from Lancasterian Primary school, a mainstream school situated next door. This inclusion is so important and as each week passes the bond between the children is strengthening in addition to their dance and movement range.

The Vale Secondary School

The dance sessions at the Vale Secondary school allowed the children to really develop their confidence and challenge their creativity. We worked to develop our own choreography in small groups, building upon leadership and teamwork skills, and also gained an understanding of healthy dance practice. In October 2016 I was lucky enough to work alongside Jo Meredith on a project which involved taking the Vale students to perform at the Wilton Music Hall. Across 6 weeks we created a dance piece around the students heritage, using a musical soundscape reminiscent of their childhoods, our movement illustrated a globalised world as we exported our choreography to different groups across the stage. The whole day was a resounding success and the students gained valuable performing experience and a real sense of achievement at the end of it.