If you read my blogs regularly, you’ll know that I’m like a broken record when it comes to how fantastic drama is for child development. It’s central to everything we do at Perform. But I am also aware that not everyone has the financial means to pay for the classes.

Eleven years ago, I was teaching a child whose parents’ financial circumstances dramatically changed, meaning that they could no longer afford for their son to come to Perform.  The sad things was that this child was really blossoming. When he first started he wouldn’t talk in class or even at school and his parents were extremely worried because his self-esteem was very low. 

But once he started coming to Perform,  he (and we) discovered that he was an excellent dancer and taking part in the classes not only brought him not only out of his shell but gave him a sense of identity that he’d never had before, because he could see that he was really excelling at something.  This new confidence fed into every area of his life and I felt it was imperative that he continue. So we offered him a free place. He continued attending for another three years and is now a confident and articulate young man who is doing brilliantly at school. 

Setting up The Perform Bursary Scheme