College-School partnership

Forth Valley College and Falkirk Council Primary Schools

The work of staff within the Department of Communication and Media and the School of Leisure Industries of the former Falkirk College (now Forth Valley College), in partnership with Falkirk Council schools demonstrates how colleges can work with schools to address contemporary social issues. The initiative, which originated from the College’s HND Sports Coaching students, was awarded funds by the Sense over Sectarianism Millennium Award Scheme to hold a football festival in Falkirk.

Taking an anti-sectarian initiative

John Williams, then Senior Lecturer in the School of Leisure Industries for Higher National students, commissioned a drama to be written around the issue of sectarianism. The play was written by Bruce Adam, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Communication and Media at Falkirk College, now a Curriculum and Quality Leader in the Forth Valley College Department of Creative Industries. The link between issues of sports and contemporary social issues inspired the choice of a sectarian theme.

This production of the play was a joint effort between drama students undertaking the Higher National course in Acting and Performance, and Higher National students in Leisure Studies.

Preparation and planning

While students were aware of the issues, particularly those interested in football, historical and contemporary reasons for sectarianism were more fully explored.

The college students researched the topic of sectarianism as part of the preparation of their own knowledge and understanding of the issue, in order to run workshops for pupils in Falkirk schools. The students researched the links between the Old Firm, Falkirk, and the issue of sectarianism. Student feedback showed that their levels of awareness of the issues were heightened as a result of preparing for the drama and subsequent performances to primary schools.

Processes and products

The play Breaking Down the Wall was performed to several local primary schools in the Grangemouth Sports Centre. The idea was to urge pupils to support their teams and not sectarianism. The event [what event?], part of the “Sense Over Sectarianism Football against Sectarianism” [campaign? event?] in Falkirk, had football coaching sessions, visits from Celtic and Rangers football players, and the drama performance. The college students designed half green and half blue football shirts for this event. The Falkirk Herald reported on the day’s events.

Subsequently, the play was taken to other primary schools in the area, with discussion sessions between the drama students and pupils after the performance. The college and schools found the interaction between the pupils and the drama students to be vibrant, engaging and fruitful.

What the students learnt

The college students became more aware of sectarian and anti-sectarian issues. They learnt to use their skills as sports and drama students to take forward contemporary issues in the genre of theatre in education.

There was no formal evaluation of what school pupils learnt.

Future plans and spreading of good practice

Bruce Adam, the author of the play Breaking Down the Wall, provided consent for the play to become part of the Don’t Give It, Don’t Take It website. This play is now widely used by primary and lower secondary schools across Scotland.

The winning schools for the Scottish Education Anti-Sectarianism Education Award 2007, Earnhill Primary and Sacred Heart Primary from Inverclyde Council, used the play as a way of bringing pupils from the two schools together.

Bruce Adam has since written another play focusing on similar themes: Blue-Green: Green-Blue

To commission Bruce Adam to write a play for your school or authority, contact:

Bruce Adam
Curriculum and Quality Leader
Department of Creative Industries
Forth Valley College
Grangemouth Road
Falkirk
FK2 9AD

Tel: 01324 403000
E-mail: bruce.adam@forthvalley.ac.uk