What’s Happening in The Alleyn's Well: School Podcasts

Mr. Koloi (Education Welfare Officer) and a handful of pupils have been working closely with Mr. Grogan (Head of Film Studies) to record a pupil produced podcast series. Using The Alleyn’s Well as a base, pupils have been learning the ropes of various recording devices and editing software to create podcasts, while developing their oracy skills and learning how they can amplify their voices through a digital medium.  

It started off the back of an idea from Josh in Year 12, who wanted to raise awareness around neurodiversity. What was a thoughtful and meaningful idea has organically blossomed into pupils delving into other connected topics.  

One of the first topics of discussion was the Phase Space Virtual Reality experience which the school had been trialing recently, which aimed to assess the effectiveness of virtual reality in reducing stress and anxiety. Phase Space VR technology uses colours, patterns and sounds to transport the viewer into a visual journey whereby it is intended for the viewer to relax, breathe and enjoy the experience, subsequently reducing feelings of stress and anxiety. Certainly, an interesting topic to kick The Alleyn’s Well podcast into gear.  

Further topics have covered exam stress and how pupils can manage in times of pressure, and how The Alleyn’s Well and the school can support. They’ve delved into friendship and how to be a good friend, and as part of a Neurodiverse Conference, our pupil podcasters even went to children from other schools in the SSLP partnership to get broader context for their podcast content. 

Podcasting is just another way in which pupils can explore and amplify their thoughts on different topics. It can do wonders for confidence, and like any pupil-led project, podcasting cultivates skills that will last a lifetime. On top of the technical elements, pupils get to try out creative ideation and practice project management, while exploring what kinds of information is worth sharing and learning what their podcast scripts should include or avoid.  

While they’re learning a range of hard skills, there is a much wider wellbeing piece playing out in the Thursday morning sessions at The Alleyn’s Well. The podcast is simply a means of getting the kids together, to work on something as a team without any particular outcome. Pupil podcasters Ava and Lucy have expressed their enjoyment of the opportunity to make a lot of friends along the way, connecting with other pupils who they may not otherwise have the chance to know, and also how the sessions help them feel more ready for a day at school. 

Mr. Koloi, building on the above comments from the pupils, reiterates how The Alleyn’s Well is a neutral place for the kids, who are always very busy, to come in, chill and not have any pressure to carry out overly structured tasks. Among the busyness of their fruitful school lives, it’s a haven for connection to grow and creativity to flow, free of any expectation or pressure.