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Theatre and museum help teachers and pupils reach the Arts during lockdown

Posted onPosted on 13th Jan

Mansfield Palace Theatre and Mansfield Museum have put together a new education pack to help those teaching during the coronavirus lockdown — and beyond.

The workshops can be delivered via schools to children at home virtually, pre-recorded or, in the future, live in the classroom by the Mansfield District Council-run venues.

Coun Stuart Richardson, portfolio holder for regeneration and growth, said: “We’re thrilled to present these activities to inspire some positivity, take the pressure off teachers and give children a much-needed escape by offering a full range of creative, physical and educational work that providers can use now or in the future.”

Cultural services manager Sian Booth added: “There’s nothing we love more than welcoming children to our theatre and museum.

“Seeing children come to life, and creating those jaw-dropping, lightbulb, ‘wow’ moments is what it’s all about.

“We’re gutted to have been away from our partner schools for so long, so we’ve been busy coming up with ways to get back in the game.

“When schools are able to return to normal schooling and guidance permits, we’ve come up with some robust and secure plans so that schools can come to us, or we can go to them.

“Whilst there are currently no plans for either the theatre or museum to reopen at this stage, when we do, we’re ready and prepared, having taken steps to ensure everyone can stay safe when they feel a visit to our venues may be possible. In the meantime, let’s go virtual.”

The pack can be accessed via the theatre website, www.mansfieldpalace.co.uk, and can also be downloaded for free.

Teachers can book sessions on behalf of their schools and follow their own guidelines for delivering the sessions virtually into children’s homes.

Whilst the venues and schools are closed (to normal schooling), the venues can offer:

Live Digital sessions: Using a school’s secure online platform or on their own, the venues can deliver sessions virtually to students studying at home, working closely in partnership with and under the guidance of teaching staff.

Recorded and Live Digital: Pre-recorded videos that set tasks for students. This could be mixed and matched with pre-recorded and live delivery.

Whole school assemblies: If there is a specific theme or topic that schools would like, the venues can deliver this through a live digital session into children’s homes.

The museum and theatre have been providing materials on their social media feeds since the start of the pandemic.

These enable parents to offer their children things to do to engage with culture in a fun way, from exercise sheets and making models to watching streamed shows or listening to and following story podcasts. Follow them on Facebook @mansfieldpalacetheatre or @mansfieldmuseum.

Once schools and the theatre and museum reopen, the venues will also offer sessions in schools. Tours and workshops can also be held at the venues.

Schools could arrange a shared day where they visit one venue in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
The museum will also offer schools the opportunity to take classes or groups to visit one of its exhibitions and lead their own session.

The venues said that all workshops are designed with Artsmark and Arts Award in mind.

All workshops featured in the pack are suitable for all children, including those with English as a second language, with additional needs or disabilities.

The education teams at the venues are also happy to create bespoke workshops if something special is required.

For further information about the workshops on offer or their delivery, contact Rachael Boaler for the museum at [email protected] or Christopher Neil for the theatre at [email protected]