High Needs students at Reading College and University Centre have participated in multi-sensory theatre shows with local Reading-based theatre company, Make/Sense Theatre.听
Since the beginning of term, students studying the Supported Foundation Pathway 鈥� Tier 2 at the King鈥檚 Road campus have taken part in weekly sessions for six weeks.
Make/Sense Theatre make theatre for, by and with the neurodivergent community in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey.
The theatre company runs youth theatres, holiday and after-school clubs in special educational needs settings. They do outreach in the community, with adults and individuals with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs and alternative provision. They offer supported internships and work experience for neurodivergent individuals.
Three professionally trained actors and a technician from their multi-sensory theatre offering 7Sense visited the college every Friday to perform a show called Sky bound, which is about three pirates going on a journey in a hot air balloon.
Sky bound takes place in a tent resembling a hot air balloon. Students are encouraged to sit inside the tent. The actors use a variety of storytelling techniques, songs, puppets, props and sensory offers to encourage engagement, ownership and play with the students. A technician plays soundscapes which changes according to the story to set the scene for the students. There are also original songs sung by the actors and accompanied by an actor-musician on a ukulele.
The show is a multi-sensory piece catering for audiences with complex sensory needs and/or profound and multiple learning disabilities.
Sky bound has been repeated each week, which helped the students to play, grow in advocacy and encourages independence. The students have autonomy over the work and can engage in different sensory offers.
The show is tailored to students鈥� preferences, ensuring that it is age appropriate and engaging for them.
Sky bound is the first show funded by Arts Council England, enabling the team to introduce more complex technical aspects, have a technician and more design elements, making it an exciting project for both Make/Sense Theatre and the students at the college.
It gives the students access to theatre and the arts, which they might not get otherwise.
Bobby Iles and Ellie Cave-Humphrey are studying the Skills for Living 鈥� Tier 2 at Reading College and University Centre.
Bobby said: 鈥淚 liked the hot air balloon when it goes up. I liked the tin foil sensory offering for the clouds during the storm scene. I liked the treasure and the bird.鈥�
Ellie said: 鈥淚 liked it when the bird went up in the air and the treasure part.鈥�
Jess Kay, 7Sense Performer and Maker at Make/Sense Theatre, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 been really enjoyable to come into the college. The students have been responding really well and it鈥檚 been lovely to get to know them over the six weeks.
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen the learners build their confidence, feel safe in an unusual environment and access different opportunities to join in, which wouldn鈥檛 be possible in a typical theatre setting.
鈥淲e look forward to bringing a new show to them in the Spring.鈥�
Fiona Moore, LLD/D Lecturer at MD网爆门, said: 鈥淥ver the six weeks, the students have become more confident, joining in with the songs and there have been lots of smiles and some have engaged in speech.
鈥淭hey have enjoyed the Thunder Tube, pulling on the rope, singing, making the albatross fly and feeling the treasure.鈥�
Make/Sense Theatre have been working with high needs students at Bracknell and Wokingham College on Thursdays. The theatre group will be visiting high needs students at Banbury and Bicester and City of Oxford College and University Centre after half-term, and Guildford College and Merrist Wood College and University Centre after Christmas.
MD网爆门鈥檚 high needs provision was graded as Outstanding by Ofsted during their last inspection in November 2022, recognising the exceptional work being done across its high needs provision.
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