Denver Primary School pupils act out play written by music teacher

Primary school pupils performed a play during the last two days of summer term which was written by their own teacher.

The Key Stage 2 youngsters at Denver Primary School took to the stage at the village hall to act out ‘Penelope and The Crystal of Ultimate Knowledge’.

The play was about intelligence, what is it, who has it and who hasn’t.

Mr Lawrence said: “When I was a boy growing up in South Wales, I struggled academically. I was never very good at maths, I couldn’t understand science and I never really got to grips with anything that demanded much from the right-hand side of my brain.

“However, the left-hand side of my brain was already on overdrive. Unfortunately, the education system struggled, as it has since, to recognise and reward creativity because art, at any level, is so subjective.

“The craft of a creation, be it a painting, a piece of music or a sculpture can be assessed relatively easily, yet the art behind it can be harder to formalise.

“Additionally, the overemphasis of certain areas on the curriculum, to the detriment of the arts, has led to a decline in creative opportunities for school children, which is something that Denver tries hard to counter.

“While teaching this play to the children I kept reminding them that there is a difference between intellect and wisdom. Intellect comes from your brain, whereas wisdom comes from somewhere deeper. To access it you need to be in touch with your heart, your feelings and your humanity.

“I also wanted the children to realise that not knowing everything is a part of being human. Life is in the learning, and we should ‘treasure the questions.’

“I never want a child to feel the way I used to feel. I want them all to realise that they are all intelligent in their own unique way, for we all have gifts.

“This is proved every year in these performances, when a pupil comes to the fore with a gift and intellect for acting that they never knew they had. This is one of the most rewarding parts of working on these plays.”