“This was one of the goodest but craziest days of my life!” said a year three girl. While it lacked detail, it was definitely a five star review of the kind that theatres love to receive. She had just enjoyed an immersive learning experience with Punchdrunk Enrichment. The event itself is a closely guarded secret so as not to spoil the surprise for other schools. However, I can reveal that it took place on a bus in the playground of Wyborne Primary and Nursery School in New Eltham, south London, towards the end of the summer term.
The school has artwork everywhere – as do many schools - but it also has enormous papier mâché animals in reception and a wall with so many different clocks that it looks like a display from Hogwarts. The Harry Potter vibe continues with the Museum of Everything, developed by the school as a creative response to an earlier Punchdrunk Enrichment project.
When he was a teacher, James Searjeant found that the most enjoyable subjects were art, music, drawing, “all good for people's confidence”. As headteacher, he exploits every opportunity for pupils to use their imagination. For the last few years, the pupils have engaged in a whole school project that runs through the autumn term. The title is announced in the summer term and teachers have autonomy to develop their own scheme of work. Past topics have included Wings, Attenborough and Museums. Since these themes encouraged stories, writing, literacy and history, the theme for September 22 was Time. This helped to tilt the balance towards mathematics, engineering and science. Year three studied sundials in Egypt and as Wyborne is so close to Greenwich, there was a school trip to the Observatory to see the Prime Meridian.
Theatre paves the way for immersive learning
Punchdrunk is a famous British immersive theatre company with current projects in Shanghai and New York as well as a London production of The Burnt City that reimagines the fall of Troy.
In 2008, Peter Higgin, a founding company member, established Punchdrunk Enrichment to share the company’s innovative practice with communities and schools, creating performances and workshops with, and for, children, young people, families and communities. Through its involvement with Punchdrunk Enrichment over several years, Wyborne has seen at first hand the impact of immersive learning experiences on its pupils. It isa participant in the latest projecttoo. In 2019 Punchdrunk Enrichmentsecured a grant from Paul Hamlyn Foundation to deliver Immersive Learning Journeys to eight primary schools in the Royal Borough of Greenwich: