SPEAK TOGETHER · THE STUDIO
Plan the interaction around the pupils. The screen serves the group; thirty pupils do not need to perform in front of one device.
Around 4–6 pupils is a useful starting arrangement for drama and communication work. Adapt to individual needs, staff availability, access, relationships and regulation. This is a planning suggestion, not a staffing ratio.
A pupil may act, direct a puppet, choose symbols, operate a device, create a sound, partner a listener or observe. Keep each role purposeful and give pupils a choice to change, pause or return.
Deliver the full 55-minute lesson to one group at a time, repeating it across the timetable or week. Other pupils follow the school’s planned provision with appropriate supervision.
This gives each group the modelling, rehearsal and reflection in the complete lesson. Maintain familiar starting tasks and access supports when reviewing progress.
A 55-minute class practice session could use 5 minutes to welcome/model, five 8-minute stations (40), 5 minutes total for transitions and 5 minutes to reflect.
A teacher-led station gets 8 minutes per group. This is short practice, not delivery of the full 55-minute small-group lesson. Introduce stations gradually and use only familiar independent tasks where suitable.
For either format, plan adults, supervision, AAC access, space and clear routines before splitting the class. If those conditions are not available, use fewer stations or timetable separate small-group sessions.
These are options, not five tasks every group must complete. Choose fewer when transitions or demands become too much. Avoid introducing several unfamiliar activities at once.
Director: chooses the intention or next move. Communicator: shares through their chosen route. Listener/checker: checks meaning and asks for repair. Device/prop operator: follows the chosen instruction. Observer: notices something to share, or listens first.
No pupil should have to speak or perform to earn a turn. Rotate by agreement; a preferred access role can remain stable.
Choose one focus and a few planned observation opportunities. Collect quick pupil feedback and agree a small target; rotate detailed observation across sessions so the teacher can facilitate. Record duration and context when comparing station practice with full lessons.
Review together → · Prepare puppets, props and AAC →Dorothy Heathcote’s Mantle of the Expert places pupils within an imagined team with responsibilities, a client and a task. Our short Studio scenarios draw on that principle of purposeful participation; they are not a complete Mantle of the Expert scheme or accredited training.
Read the Mantle Network’s guide ↗ · Read the BERA introduction ↗
A fictional puppet librarian needs help to complete a story with a missing ending. The teacher invites: “Could we be the team who helps the library?” Agree the fiction, show the stimulus and use “Yes… and…” to build possibilities. Pupils choose how they take responsibility.
In a smaller group, combine roles; in pairs, share them. These are invitations, not ability labels. The listener or observer may contribute later, through a partner, or choose to pass. No role makes speech or public performance compulsory.
Briefly model the librarian’s request or join as a team colleague. Keep instructions and fiction clear: “Pause the story—let’s check the choices.” Step out, review what helped, then return only by agreement. The teacher still manages safety, access and learning.
Transfer the idea: Week 3 can be a delivery team helping a recipient; Week 6 a prop-curation team; Week 7 a radio production team with an agreed audience. Each role carries a real communication decision, rather than just something to hold.