Connecting generations
Information about the school
St Mary’s Church in Wales School is a Voluntary Aided English-medium 3-11 school within Blaenau Gwent local authority. It provides a Church in Wales education for the community of Brynmawr and the wider area. The school is in the Diocese of Swansea & Brecon. There are 248 pupils on roll.
Around 12% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average in primary schools of 18%. Nearly all pupils speak English as their first language and come from a white, British background. No pupils are fluent in Welsh.
The percentage of pupils with special educational needs is around 12%. This is lower than the national figure of 21%. The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs is 1%. This is below the national figure of 2.4%.
Context and background to the effective or innovative practice
A member of the SLT who also leads the school choir leader attended the launch of the Ffrind I Mi ‘Connecting Generations’ event in June 2018, which inspired her to contact a local care home to explore the idea of the school choir visiting and the possible development of an intergenerational choir. The main aim for the school was to ‘give back’ to the community: improving the health and wellbeing of the older adults and an opportunity for the children to interact with other people. The project would also fit closely with the school’s values based wellbeing and education programme.
Description of nature of strategy or activity
The School Choir of approximately 45 pupils (40% of key stage 2 / 20% of whole school population) visits a local care home weekly for a joint rehearsal with residents. The session comprises warm‑up songs, rehearsing of other songs and informal time at the end for the pupils to chat and socialise with the local residents. The sessions have become so popular that residents from other care facilities attend, family members of care home residents and other members of the community. For example, Police Community Support Officers attend regularly for the sessions.
Initially the intergenerational choir had an objective of performing at a community concert to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. Due to the enthusiasm of everyone involved, the choir has continued to go from strength to strength, continuing to rehearse weekly and regularly performing at community events. The intergenerational project is continuing to develop further strands. A ukulele group has already been established with weekly practices, a gardening club is starting during the Summer and a cooking club is planned for the coming months.
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
All attendees enjoy the interaction and singing, and care home staff note that some of the residents ‘come alive’ when the children visit, as the choir has become the highlight of the week for many of the residents. School staff have seen pupils develop in confidence and self-esteem as part of the project through the joint performances and the social interaction. The choir has provided pupils with a valuable opportunity to practice and improve literacy skills on a regular basis. The pupils are immensely proud of their choir and this has contributed well to pupils’ sense of worth and achievement. The value of the relationships that have been formed cannot be under-estimated, with birthday presents and cards being exchanged.
How have you shared your good practice?
The choir has performed at a number of community events, sharing the good work while providing valuable opportunities for the choir to perform. The choir has also performed at intergenerational conferences, providing further opportunity to give a real example of intergenerational work to attendees. The choir has taken part in a couple of case studies including one for the Diocese, with a video of their work completed in the Spring of 2019.
The school has also used social media to share the good practice but also demonstrate the enjoyment, benefit and value of this special project to pupils and care home residents alike.