Pupil Voice Creativity Research Birkdale Primary School Investigators

Pupil Voice Creativity Research Birkdale Primary School Investigators Aaron, Ben, Charley, Ellen, Ellie, Hannah, Leanne, Richard

What we did • Questionnaires – Reception & Key Stage 1 (same numbers of boys and girls randomly selected by teachers) – Key Stage 2 (same numbers of boys and girls randomly selected by teachers) – Adults (all teachers) • Interviews – Reception & Key Stage 1 – Key Stage 2 – Adults (4 teachers, 1 parent)

Hannah wrote this report • The reason for this is we want to see what children and teachers think of the school and what they think creativity is. Us 6 [Hannah me, Ellie, Ben, Ellen , Aaron and Charley] have had to do interviews and questioners also with that information we have had to analyse the data. this was hard as we had to listens to it and look at it. All the equipment we needed was in the school but it was very hard to work as we have never used it before as nothing like this had happened to us before. • I think the interviews were very hard as I could not stop laughing. The other children we are working with had never done this before so it was fair as we had never done it ether so it was very fun but it was not easy. It was very hard also the easy bit was getting to no every body. they are all very nice people including the teachers and helpers. I have had fun working with Mathilda and all the others.

Reception + Key Stage 1 Questionnaire findings • Why do Year 1 girls like listening the most? Do they want to make a good impression? Do they really think this? • Why do Reception boys like copying but Reception girls don’t but it’s the other way round in Yr 1? Reception boys find copying easier – Reception girls like to have their own ideas. Yr 1 boys try to catch up and want to have their own ideas.

• Why do Reception boys and Year 1 girls think fun & excitement help you learn? Is it because there’s more fun and excitement in reception for boys? Is it because there is a difference between Year 1 s in the main building and Year 1 s in the other building? • Maybe people in the main building need more fun and excitement because it’s more serious and there’s not so much open space.

• Reception boys don’t like working alone, why? • They may want to rely on others to do the work. • Reception girls don’t like working in groups, why? • They want to be independent or bossy girls don’t get on with each other or they might not have many friends yet. • Year 1 girls do like working in groups, why? • They’ve now made more friends. • Why do boys always want to do the opposite thing to the main style of working?

• Year 1 learn from listening more than anything else and more than other year groups. Why? • They don’t think they • • learn through making Perhaps the teacher talks more Perhaps the teacher says: you’ll learn if you listen • We were surprised that • Reception learn through finding out, not just listening. Why don’t Year 2 boys think they learn through listening?

• For Reception and • Year 1 fun and excitement happens both at school and at home. Why is it so different for year 2? Why does no one in year 2 think fun and excitement happen in school? • The seriousness of SATs in Year 2 means school is not fun and exciting anymore

• Most children enjoy • creativity. Why is there data missing on this question? • They probably didn’t understand the word creativity, since this is the only question in which we used the word ‘creativity’ for Reception/ Key Stage 1.

Key Stage 2 Questionnaire findings • • • Year 4 boys think only doing is creative. Why? Perhaps doing covers everything for them. Only Year 5 boys think art is creative, none of the other boys do. Why? Perhaps they did a Creative Partnership project that no other year did. Most arts projects happen in year 3 & 4, not Year 5 or 6 Is this a question of staffing and resourcing?

• Art is seen as creative by all • Year 3 boys think that literacy and numeracy lessons are • not creative compared with boys in other years. Why? In years 3 & 4 boys think numeracy is less creative than girls, but in Years 5 & 6 they agree. Why?

• • • Only Year 5 thinks reading could be creative. Why? Perhaps they had more interesting texts? But, Year 6 had the same texts and they didn’t think it’s creative. Perhaps it’s the teaching, is it? Why do Year 5 boys think writing stories is less creative than other boys? • Is it because they want to write what they want, not what they’re told. • But why do Year 6 boys think writing is more creative, since it’s even more structured in Year 6? • Perhaps it’s to do with how the work is presented to them.

• Why do Year 5 boys rate the creativity of the school lower then others? • The data from Year 5 boys is never level with the data from the other years. • They’re either higher or lower. Why?

• Year 3 girls, Year 3 boys, Year 5 boys, Year 6 girls and Year 6 boys think creativity does not happen at school at all. This is a big difference from Key Stage 1. Why? Year 6 boys think creativity happens best in bed. • • Perhaps that’s why Aaron’s not here today. • Year 6 girls think creativity happens most outside. That’s surprising! We thought it would be the boys.

• Reception class and resource hall are most creative for all but Year 3 boys. Why are these places seen as creative? • • These are busy places, there’s lots going on and they are full of our own ideas and our own artwork. • The office is the least creative. • It would be nice to have more colour in the office. It would make it more welcoming.

Main messages • Everyone has got their own personality and their • • education should be based partly around them. School pupils have a lot of different opinions. That’s why it’s important to listen to our opinions. It’s important that everyone gets a say, not just the 6 of us. Boys think a bit differently about school than girls. Boys have different perspectives. Play is not just for Reception. You can learn through playing at all ages.

Our research song A teacher took a question the wrong way But sometimes it is nice to have your own say I like the interviews ‘cos there’s lots of different answers But the little ones gave the best. You get to know people’s personalities They have their own opinions But we can disagree! A teacher took a question the wrong way But sometimes it is nice to have your own say I like the interviews ‘cos there’s lots of different answers But the little ones gave the best.

Thank you for listening