The Formal Learning team at Gunnersbury have had a very and successful Autumn Term so far, welcoming lots of eager school children from the local boroughs and from many other boroughs and outside London too. We have led all sorts of exciting workshops, from the ever popular Victorian School to the increasingly popular Stone Age Survival activities out in the park.  

In October alone there were an incredibly large number of these full-filled sessions with 90 workshops in total, including one day which saw 180 students participating simultaneously in four different workshops! While another day saw outreach sessions delivered to 120 students at Christ the Saviour School in Ealing. These workshops never fail to capture the children’s imaginations, with the vast majority being immersive drama-led and activity-based sessions.

But the team haven’t just been busy delivering their award-winning pre-existing workshops. They have also been working on various projects, including the development of more bespoke SEND friendly workshops – one outcome of which saw Fielding Primary School engage with a sensory focused Stone Age Survival session with which each and every one of their children could interact, regardless of access need. The Formal Learning Team want to grow this audience and increase their social impact for groups with additional needs. So as well as developing further onsite SEND provision, the team are also looking to facilitate accessible workshops within an outreach setting, examining how the sessions can be adapted to best suit SEND schools and enable deeper interaction with their students.

In addition, the Formal Learning Team are in the process of developing a learning programme related to the new Humanitarian Memorial newly situated within the park. The new programme will focus on celebrating the efforts of those who do such work such as in disaster relief and it will allow secondary school students to reflect on the stories of bravery and sacrifice of those who have died in its cause. This programme is currently under development and is being made in consultation with local schools - so watch this space for further details!