Clowning can become a powerful tool to support young people with learning disabilities in social, emotional and cognitive development.
Blue Cabin and TimbaDash Theatre worked together to introduce care experienced children and young people from three SEND schools in Gateshead to the core elements of clowning, including physical comedy, improvisation, movement, and sensory play.
Following the delivery phase, which mainly involved the clowns working with individual young people and their support worker, each school hosted Joyful Jamboree celebrations. These events marked the culmination of the project and provided opportunities for young people to share their experiences and learning with friends, classmates, and school staff.
The project aimed to:
Staff from Gateshead Virtual School and the participating SEND schools took part in a CPD session, learning how they can continue to use clowning to support children and young people in the future.
“This project has grown my knowledge, skills and practice in intensive interventions and furthered my knowledge and understanding of clowning. Very confident now.”
At the end of the programme, each school also held an after-school Joyful Legacies and Reflection Session for staff involved in the project.
Schools were presented with a classroom resource toolkit known as the ‘Joy Kit’. The kit included a range of items used by the clowns during delivery, such as musical instruments and colourful material streamers, and staff were encouraged to explore and experiment with the resources alongside their colleagues.
The sessions also provided dedicated time for reflection, enabling staff to consider the overall impact of the project on individual young people, as well as on their own practice, confidence, and approaches to supporting pupils.
Blue Cabin partnered with tialt to explore the impact of Just for Joy. Our programme evaluation report includes:
“Just For Joy uses trauma-informed clowning and play to create relational moments of connection, communication and regulation for children. The approach complements counselling within school settings by providing non-verbal, play-based opportunities for expression and co-regulation, particularly for children who find traditional talking therapies challenging.” Artist reflection.
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