...a project that seeks to promote the rights and opportunities of every child to speakout on a variety of issues, problems, concerns or worries within their lives.

Click here to view a printable lyric sheet (PDF Document)

Click here to view a printable lyric sheet (Word Document)

Click here to view a printable information and registration letter (PDF Document)

On 23rd June 2009, Corbets Tey School pupils performed Speakout! at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. The performance was a tremendously exciting culmination of creative work between the English Touring Opera and the school. Students were able to create their own opera based on themes of communication and identity. Corbets Tey School wanted to use songs from the show to promote this message to pupils in all havering schools.

We invited all Havering Schools to become involved in a Singing and Signing Extravaganza on 23rd June 2010. It involved children in Havering Schools all singing and signing to the same song at the same time - 1pm. The SPEAKOUT! message was promoted to many children and also raised funds for the NSPCC and Childline's Child Voice Appeal.

The project was hugely sucessful with 46 other schools taking part. The children at Corbets Tey School had a fantastic Speakout Havering day. They successfully sung and signed to the Speakout song on the school field on a beautifully sunny day. Over 46 other schools in Havering and beyond also performed the song in their own school fields, playground and halls. Children and young people from Engayne School, Sanders Drapers School, Gaynes School and the ARC came to Corbets Tey to join in the fun.

Also in attendance was the new Lady Mayor - Pam Light and her escort Terry Light, Tim Yealland from the English Touring Opera and other VIP guests.

Joannamarie sung beautifully to ‘Magic in the Air’ and then presented the school with a £1000 cheque from her fundraising Opera Gala event at the Upminster Methodist Church. After presenting this cheque, Joanna generously promised to match fund this amount so that the school will receive £2000 in total. Joannamarie has also agreed to be the second Patron of the school PFA which is wonderful news.

Special thanks to all involved in this really fantastic event. We will advise of the total raised for the NSPCC and Childline Child Voice Appeal in the near future.

Where the Idea Came From!

The show Speakout! was an idea (and a title) that came from the teaching staff at the school: communication is at the heart of all the learning at Corbets Tey, and this was a perfect starting-point for new creative work on an ambitious scale.

With guidance from the English Touring Opera (ETO) Outreach Staff, the production was created from twelve workshop sessions spent working with the children at the school in the previous months. The storyline came from the children’s own ideas and therefore gave them all a sense of ownership, which undoubtedly increased their motivation and also their pride in the final show. The show incorporated live music, dancing, animation, circus activities, opera and of course singing and Makaton Signing along to 14 songs, created for the show.

The final performance at the Queen’s Theatre on 23rd June was a spectacular success and every one of the 90+ children on stage gained an immense boost to their self-confidence, self-esteem, motivation and enjoyment from their involvement. The majority of our pupils aged from 4 to 16 with a wide rage of abilities were on stage performing and enjoying every moment. Individual children, who were considered unlikely to even enter the theatre because of anxiety due to their learning disabilities, were on stage singing solo and signing, confidently and clearly in front of an audience of 500. All children in the school took part in this project at some level through animation workshops, artwork production for posters, programme covers and stage set, costume design and production and in taking part in drama, singing, music and dancing at production preparation workshops.

The school received an abundance of positive feedback from VIP attendees about the show and parents communicated their pleasure and delight of what their children were able to achieve.