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Local Schools 453
Bury Primary School Sussex day Each year there is a special day dedicated to celebrating all things Sussex. This year our music teacher, Mr Mott, has been putting plans in motion to celebrate the day here at Bury and also to share our expertise with some other schools. On June 16th all these plans came to fruition as we were joined by children from Slindon, Easebourne and Worthing as we celebrated the day. Sompting Morris joined us for the day and spent time teaching the children some traditional Sussex Morris dancing. This was a big hit with all of the children, with many stating it was their favourite session of the day. Once they had finished their dancing the children moved on to hear some traditional Sussex tales retold by storyteller extraordinaire, Mike O’Leary. After that the children spent time with
the South Downs National Park education team, learning all about the different habitats that make the park so special. We finished the morning with our very own Miss Willett teaching all of the children Stoolball before having a go in the middle of our school field. After a quick bite to eat, each school performed a traditional Sussex folk song that Mr Mott had provided them with in advance. Before finally joining in with some songs altogether. As the other schools departed, we even had time to bring all of the children from Bury together with their parents to hear a special Sussex story from Mike and then finished the day by sharing some of the Sussex songs they had all been learning in class, all with the South Downs as our backdrop throughout. Mr Moore, Headteacher www.bury.w-sussex.sch.uk
St Mary’s C of E Primary School, Pulborough Chichester festival theatre At the end of last term we were very lucky that we were invited to send a number of children to Chichester Festival Theatre to participate in a backstage event as part of the theatre’s outreach programme. After a train journey from Pulborough via Barnham to Chichester, the children walked up to the theatre where a fascinating day of discovery awaited them. After a briefing in the auditorium, the children spent time in the props department, learning how they make food last for a whole production (silicone moulds are made of the foodstuffs and a replica item is cast, bringing a new meaning to ‘long-life’) and how the sets are built.
The children were very amused by the thought that even rat droppings have to be faked sometimes… They then moved to the costume department, where they learnt about the amount of work that goes into costumes and how the props department ‘break down’ some of the items, for example making hats, coats and shoes look as if they have been through the mud.
Costume changes are practised several times in rehearsals as sometimes there is as little as 20 seconds to effect a costume change. The children also learnt about the cost of wigs, which can run into thousands of pounds. They were able to try on ‘ghost’ masks, again made of silicone. After lunch, they all had a tour of backstage and were able to see how the stage works. After an enjoyable and enlightening day, the children made their way back to the station and home. Thank you to Chichester Festival Theatre for this wonderful opportunity. Please do come and visit us if you would like to see our happy, busy school in action! Mrs S Copus Head Teacher www.st-marys-pulborough.w-sussex.sch.uk
