Young Arts Advocates Special School (YAASS) programme

In 2018 we worked closely with the Wyvern Special School in Ashford as part of YAASS. We aimed to build experiences and self-confidence for students with special needs, through schools and artists engaging in a rich dialogue and practice around the arts. Creating a bespoke performance of Pinocchio in our informal rehearsal space, students engaged in a live performance, with the freedom to comfortably move, verbalise and interact throughout. Following that, dancers spent time with pupils back at their school, developing their understanding and experience of dance.

Thanks to the success of the project, its legacy enabled other schools within Kent Special Educational Needs Trust to benefit from shared knowledge – in particular, through working with us on a teacher development project, Valuing Voices, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

The Jasmin Vardimon Company continued collaborating with teachers from a further six schools in the area, working intensively in four of the schools, co-constructing and embedding arts practice in their curriculum.