70 Year 5/6 students from around the island attended a creative writing course held at various primary schools recently as part of the Extended Curriculum Programme organised by Education, Sport and Culture and supported by Ogier Jersey.
Jimmy Symonds, a photographic artist and highly experienced teacher of creative activities for children of all ages, led a week of one day courses filled with fun, quirky and intellectually stimulating creative writing games, including 'the 99 second poem', and choosing photographs from 'lexicon', a photographic journey through the Oxford English Dictionary recently commissioned by the British Council, and connecting them to make a story. The emphasis was on the children enjoying writing and sharing their ideas, poems and stories with the group.
Nicola Easton, Business Development and Marketing Manager at Ogier Jersey, attended the first session at St John's Primary School. She said: "It was fantastic to see the children so involved in Jimmy's games. Some of the stories were concocted by selecting different coloured paint swatches with names such as 'blackberry jam' and 'lemon dust' and the children produced imaginative, funny and heart-warming pieces far beyond their years. It was truly wonderful to watch their creative talents come alive under Jimmy's unique style."
Kathryn Robinson, Educational Psychologist at the Education, Sport and Culture Department said: "We are delighted that Ogier have presented us with the opportunity to organise activities to extend the children's learning opportunities. As a result, children have produced creative literacy work of the highest quality and extended their thinking beyond the curriculum. The highly positive feedback and thank you letters received are testament to the success of this programme. This is one example of how partnership between business and education can benefit so many young people."
The Ogier Extended Curriculum Programme will continue with Maths Masterclasses and other initiatives in the Autumn term.