Hats - Life Skills Group

St. Patrick's RC Primary School

St Patrick's, a mainstream school in Greenwich, decided to use the Take One Picture approach with a group of pupils who have particular learning requirements. Their identified conditions include Developmental Coordination Disorders, Dyspraxia, Asperger syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Sensory Modulation Disorder. An occupational therapist and a learning support assistant led the project with the group.

The pupils were introduced to the painting 'Two Boys and a Girl Making Music' with a game called 'What can you see in the picture?'. Each pupil contributed by offering some observations, while also listening to the thoughts of others.

The hats in the painting were of particular interest to the pupils and it was decided to build on this theme by looking together at different styles of headwear from the 17th century. This inspired collaborative designs. The children produced their own individual pieces of work and the group appraised the results and chose which deserved a place on the final hats.

"The children were able to see how their skills were improving and were motivated to work hard. They became generally positive, sensitive and quick to praise each other."
Alison Royal, Occupational Therapist

Curriculum areas covered: Art and Design, History, Design Technology
Key skills: Communication, Working with others, Problem solving, Creative thinking, Numeracy, Enquiry, Reasoning, Information-processing