The Write Team

1 May 2009 - 31 July 2011

Funding awarded: £ 18,000

Sponsor(s): The Paul Hamlyn Foundation with Bath Festivals

Project webpage(s)

About the research

I was principal investigator of the research into Bath Festivals’ The Write Team Project on ‘invisible pupils’ and creative writing, which received £20k from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

This innovative project took place in Bath and North East Somerset over two years. It sought to enhance the experience of school of invisible pupils through engagement with professional creative writers from a range of disciplines (fiction; non-fiction; poetry; theatre).

Not only did pupil confidence and engagement with school-wide activity increase, it was also found that there was a significant and unexpected impact on the practice of the teachers who participated in the project. As a result, a bid to promulgate the Write Team model was made to Powys LA (April, 2012), but this was unsuccessful. Emma Metcalfe, the Write Team project manager, and I remain in close contact, and continue to look for suitable research partners for future work.

The project report, disseminated to policy makers (QCDA/TDA), Bath and North East Somerset Local Authority, headteachers, teachers and teacher educators at the Write Team end of project conference, can be downloaded here: http://2012.bathlitfest.org.uk/UltimateEditorInclude/UserFiles/files/Education/2012/The_Write_Team_-_Creativity_Confidence_and_Challenge.pdf

Dissemination

(2010), Mind the Gap: How do ‘Invisible Children’ Engage with Creative Writing?, Anthony Wilson with Emma Metcalfe (The Write Team, Bath Festivals) and Matt Oliver (Broadlands Secondary School, Keynsham), UKLA International Conference, University of Winchester.

(2011), The Write Team: Creativity, Confidence and Challenge. Write Team End of Project Conference, Bath.

(2012) Presentation by Anthony Wilson and Emma Metcalfe of the findings from the Write Team to the GSE CREATE research group, including local and trainee teachers, in March 2012.

The Write Team:

http://bathfestivals.org.uk/the-write-team/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilZrZShWBco&feature=youtu.be

Write Team pupil anthologies:

http://anthonywilsonpoetry.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/write-team-anthology-2008.pdf

http://anthonywilsonpoetry.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/the-write-team-anthology-2010.pdf

http://anthonywilsonpoetry.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/the-write-team-anthology-2011.pdf

Resources for teachers generated by the project:

http://bathfestivals.org.uk/resources-for-teachers/