The HSBC Cares for Children Fund is facilitating a development programme organised by the Helen O’Grady Academy for children attending Senglea Primary School. The fund has been supporting sessions at Senglea Primary School since 2005. During the past three scholastic years, the programme sponsorship was also extended to Cospicua Primary School.
The internationally acclaimed developmental programme uses the latest drama techniques to help children develop holistically, act confidently and speak clearly. The programme addresses the prevailing “fear of making a mistake” that often results in lack of participation in other academic areas. Another important benefit is that the children are also learning English in a fun, stress-free environment, through usage of the language.
This year, 60 students are benefiting from the programme, 39 students from Year 5 and 6 classes in Senglea, and another 21 in Cospicua. Throughout the programme, students are taken through creative drama, speech, movement, improvisations and mini productions in a non-competitive environment.
“The feedback we have from the teachers assisting at the drama sessions is extremely positive,” said Angela Grixti, Head of Senglea Primary School. “The teachers’ assessment shows that the children not only enjoy the sessions but their self-esteem is enhanced and their understanding of the English language is also improving.”
Sandro Spiteri, Director (Quality Assurance) in the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education, said: “I consider the project to be an outstanding success, since it succeeded in reaching targets in language mastery as well as personal and social development that would have otherwise been far more difficult to attain in the context of a traditional curriculum.”
The internationally acclaimed Helen O’Grady Academy has been operating in 25 countries worldwide for the last 29 years, making it the largest operation of its kind. It has a proven track record and over 75,000 children worldwide attend the programme.
O’Grady National Director Nigel Le Page wrote: “We would like to thank HSBC for its ongoing support of this project and for bringing our award-winning curriculum to so many children from diverse backgrounds.”
During a recent visit to the Senglea primary school, Alan Montanaro, Principal of the Helen O’Grady Academy in Malta, explained to Mrs Gonzi and Mrs Lucy Weldon, wife of HSBC Malta’s CEO Alan Richards, that the vision of the academy is to provide educational opportunities to children from diverse backgrounds, including those who, under normal circumstances, may not have access to developmental programmes.
“Drama is the tool we use to implement our programme, and this make sense because studies show that drama reinforces the rest of the school curriculum and helps children understand, discuss and participate actively in the trials that life throws their way,” Mr Montanaro commented. “Since classes are also given in English, the children are also learning and practising the language in a practical way.”