ABOUT

The Ae Project was a whole school inter-disciplinary project developed and delivered in partnership with the school and the Ae community. Pupils and teachers worked with a writer to develop new works that celebrated the school and all the work created was captured by a film-maker. Further creative collaborations included input from a dancer and resulted in a filmed performance in the forest of Ae, about a mythical Forest Queen.

A permanent teaching resource emerged from the Ae project and was created through interaction with all the previous Head Teachers of Ae Primary and the local community.

One very successful aspect of the half centenary celebrations was an inter-generational project – a professional writer and a visual artist worked with pupils, teachers and community members to reveal the stories of the past, explore ways of representing the present, and consider future aspirations. Together they created a resource for future generations of young people.  Team planning and team teaching in the classroom ensured there was a CPD element to the project where the artist, writer and teachers shared and developed skills.

Involved in The Ae project were:

• – 10 pupils
• – 4 teachers
• – 1 writer
• – 1 film-maker
• – Former Head Teachers
• – Parents and community members

Pupils created their own blogs to document their learning and experiences, and the project was shared with other school in Dumfries and Galloway through Glow.

PURPOSE

The school wished to use the context of the Ae school half centenary to highlight the rich history of the local community as a stimulus for learning. The project was developed to inspire new ways of working, to use the arts as a way of investigating, recording and sharing local history, memories and aspirations.

Another purpose of the project was to create teaching resources and tools throughout the process that would support future inter-disciplinary learning and teaching in the school.

The aims of the project were for pupils to:

• – Gain new skills through accessing library facilities and services
• – Gain skills and confidence by visiting national organisations such as the Museum of Childhood and the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh
• – Learn about developing projects
• – Give direction to their own learning
• – Work in partnership with artists and creative adults

IMPACTS

Head Teacher has reported that as a result of the project, there has been an increased engagement with the community, partly evidenced by the number of requests for the book and the DVD created during the project. These  are now part of the Ae library collection and are a valuable resources for people researching the village history.

Within the school the Ae Project has had the following impacts:

• – a change in teaching practice – working more across the entire curriculumin
• – teachers developing other projects that are as wide in scope
• – a better and more focussed consideration of creatiivty when planning – using models from the Ae project
• – pupils worked harder on their writing skills

OTHER

Partners;

• – Curriculum For Excellence Team
• – Ae Primary School
• – The wider community

Levels and Stages:

• – Early
• – First adn second levels
• – Pre-school to P 7

Funding:

• with support from the Curriculum for Excellence Team, the school applied to Awards for All (lottery)

For more information contact:

Vanessa Morris, Development Officer (Cultural Co-ordinator) on 01387 720774 or email vanessa.morris@dumgal.gov.uk

Visit:

http://www.dgcommunity.net/dgcommunity/services.aspx?id=2465

Links:

TESS Article:   http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6046391

http://www.dgcommunity.net/dgcommunity/services.aspx?id=2465