The Butterfly Effect – the shysters at Deedmore School This uniquely designed project brought together Deedmore School and the shysters to develop a wide range of communication skills in pupil and explore new models for learning that can be sustained in the school. All of the participants in this ongoing project have the opportunity to engage with drama, mime, supported role play, music, movement and visual arts on a journey of self discovery. Through regular workshops, performances and visits - pupils, teachers and company members have explored a wide variety of creative and non verbal ways to communicate and express their ideas, experiences and opinions. All this creative work has taken place during the school’s ‘literacy time’. Deedmore School provides education for primary children with moderate learning difficulties. Through their Creative Partnerships programme they are exploring how creative learning builds inclusivity and impacts upon understanding and thinking across the curriculum. They are also interested in the potential of their partnership to influence mainstream approaches to teaching and learning.     The metaphor of the life cycle of a butterfly used for the title of this project is extremely apt because the work that Deedmore School and the shysters are engaged in is also a transformative process. The journey of a caterpillar from an egg through the chrysalis stage to a butterfly provides the creative framework for all the participants to draw upon their own experiences in order to develop existing skills as well as to acquire new tools for living, learning and teaching. The effect…   the shysters have built up a strong relationship with Deedmore and has become an intrinsic part of the school’s learning experience, having helped to identify positive changes in practice. Through the project, the young people have worked to develop a range of vital skills that will help them in every aspect of their lives. They have learned how to imagine and pretend, to respond with enormous creativity and in this way increase their self-awareness, empathy and ways of communicating. The school has noticed a huge impact from having male role models on site as the staff are mostly women and they wish to follow this up with further work.   As a result of the experiences gained during this project Deedmore are committed to transforming their approaches to teaching and learning throughout the whole school, by reviewing their learning strategies to allow for more unstructured time and spontaneous processes. For more information click here: http://www.creative-partnerships.com/projects/117181/?view=Standard