Dramatic Enquiry

Dramatic Enquiry began as a Creative Partnerships research project bringing together Philosophy for Children (P4C) and Drama. The results showed that learners developed creativity, independence and key skills of thinking.

  Download Dramatic Enquiry flyer

Dramatic Enquiry Team

Dramatic Enquiry was developed by Gordon Poad and James Nottingham:

James has trained with Prof Edward de Bono (creator of Lateral Thinking) at the University of Malta, and is a senior Philosophy for Children trainer, an approach that develops creative, critical, caring and collaborative thinking.

Gordon Poad has been a drama and creativity practitioner for more than 15 years. He has his own theatre company, advises on many Creative Partnership projects, has worked alongside Dorothy Heathcote (creator of Mantle of the Expert), and trained alongside James as a P4C coach

In addition to Gordon and James there were 4 Creative Consultants involved in the project. Each one is an outstanding practitioner and would be delighted to support your creativity agenda

Rob Marsden        Peter Kennedy         Jill Rezzano        Rebecca Bell

Together, we can support you in the development of the Dramatic Enquiry with your learners, or help you to create an equally exciting project.

See also: PLTS     P4C     James's Bio     Gordon's Bio    

Dramatic Enquiry Aims and Vision

Dramatic Enquiry develops creativity, responsible independence and transferable thinking skills. It appeals to parents and teachers who want a broad and balanced curriculum for their children, and encourages us all to be motivated and questioning learners.

We believe that creative thinkers will influence all our futures and that “Educare”, an approach to education that draws on the talents of every learner rather than relies on the expertise of a single teacher, supports creativity and effective learning. To this end, we are developing a training model that is open to all learners, based in schools that are centres for excellence in the Dramatic Enquiry.

As a team, we capture the learning and impact of Dramatic Enquiry whilst drawing on, and seeking critiques from, the worlds of education, drama and philosophy. We realise that creating a new way of working is not easy but we are committed to challenging ourselves and to achieving this vision