Education

Rob leads workshops in performance poetry and spoken word, comedy, creative writing, improvisation and performance skills.

He has extensive experience of working in schools (key stages 1, 2 and 3), as well as with excluded students, gifted and talented students, adults and young people with learning difficulties, people receiving mental health treatment and members of the general public. Over the years Rob has helped people of all ages create shows, scripts, slam poetry, comedy songs and sketches, movies, raps, magazines, comic strips and lots of laughter.

Rob's workshops have an emphasis on literacy, teamwork and confidence. They can be tailored for any age or ability range and adjusted to incorporate any chosen theme or area of the curriculum.

Rob has enhanced DBS Disclosure and public liability insurance.

Here’s the mission statement:

I believe, not only that every child has a right to be heard, but also that there is a direct connection between being able to listen to each other and improvements in literacy, as well as other areas of academic achievement. Young people are more likely to acquire and develop skills when they share control of the learning process. The most successful (and enjoyable!) projects I’ve been involved in have been the ones where artist, teacher and students have all been able share their ideas and skills. I don’t believe there has to be a conflict between process and outcome, because emphasis on process makes for a stronger outcome.

Previous Projects in Education

SOME LIKE IT LIT
- Leicester
- 2020
- Sketch comedy workshops with young people from Focus Charity, culminating in a live show as part of Leicester Comedy Festival.
THE COMEDY ASYLUM
- Leicester
- 2007-2024
- Series of comedy workshops with mental health service users culminating in a series of live performances in clubs, mental health units and conferences throughout the East Midlands region.
SCHOOL BRITANNIA
- Leicester
- 2018
- Poetry workshops with KS3 students exploring the nature of post-Brexit Britishness, with several poems being animated.
ACT OUT WRITE UP
- Leicester and Coalville
- 2016-18
- Scriptwriting workshops with KS2 students, including students with profound physical disabilities, gifted and talented and students who have English as a second language, culminating in a publication and a performance of scripts by professional actors at Curve in Leices
MYSTERY SHOPPER
- Highly Secretive, 2017
- Not telling you
- Training and mentoring young people in being 'mystery shoppers' for a state-run leisure service that will remain unspecified for now. Their opinions are then collated and used to improve the quality of that service.
A FUNNY CITY
- Leicester
- 2017
- A comedy project in which 13-16 year olds collected jokes and stories from friends and families and translated them into sketch comedy performances.
POEMS TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE
- Leicester
- 2016
- Creation of a performance poetry DVD written and performed by mental health service users.
SAY WHAT
- Nottingham
- 2014 - 2016
- Presentation skills workshops with Fashion students at Nottingham Trent University.

Creative Workshops

Performance Poetry and Spoken Word
- Rob has been leading performance poetry workshops with young people and adults for over twenty years. He's won more poetry slams than other writer in East Midlands and collected over twenty awards for his poetry shows.
Comedy - Sketch, Improv, Stand-Up, Songs
- People of all ages love comedy and in the right hands (i.e. Rob's) it can be a fantastic tool for developing literacy and teamwork skills; and nothing boosts your confidence like making an audience laugh.
Creative Writing
- With an inexhaustible repertoire of writing games and exercises, Rob can inspire reluctant and experienced writers alike, whether they're creating poetry, stories, articles, or simply venting their spleen.
Performance and Presentation Skills
- A lot of people would rather eat their own head than deliver a presentation. Rob can help! Over the years he has worked with students of fashion, design, architecture and other subjects about which he knows absolutely nothing.
Filmmaking
- Rob is in touch with a pool of highly experienced filmmakers who he regularly collaborates with to deliver school and community projects. Literacy outcomes include scripts, storyboards, persuasive posters and film reviews.

Education Sector Testiminials

John Patching
- Rob taught (the children) not only drama and comedy techniques but also team work, responsibility and methods to resolve differences. His own enthusiasm for the work was boundless and they really responded. The journey the children took was very flexible and organic and showed how Rob could easily adapt to the needs of his audience. He got terrific results and progress, particularly from those children who initially found the work challenging, as he was able to improve their confidence and self esteem. He also motivated the members of staff he worked with through close teamwork and provided limitless resources and ideas which could be used within the school setting in times to come. Rob's skills with teaching, motivating and empowering the children ensured not only a fantastic final film, but also gave them knowledge and skills which they will all use in the future.
- Deputy Head Teacher, Orchard Primary School, Castle Donington
Michael Lane
- The event was excellent! The students certainly got a lot of educational value from it. It gave them a sense of occasion, combined with a relaxed but clear structure. They enjoyed working with their friends to create a presentation. The teachers enjoyed evaluating the work but it was overall more supportive than competitive. It helped greatly that Rob could perform poetry to a high standard, which led the way. The event became the focus of a display on the school's plasma screen.
- Teacher, Rushey Mead Secondary School, Leicester
Allendale 5
- Children enjoyed all activities, but especially liked the freedom that was given to generate ideas and play with words and sentences.
- Teacher, Allendale Primary School, Northumberland
Sense
- Thank you so much for a wonderfully hilarious session yesterday. The kids (and me) all had a brilliant time and I think you did an amazing job at facilitating the session through writing the poem AND keeping up with a very busy chat box. I’m so glad the participants engaged… you definitely got their imaginations running wild! Once again, thank you for delivering a fantastic workshop.
- Siblings and Young Carers Project Assistant, Sense
R Ingham
- The children had a great time yesterday and have been raving about it today and practising their sketches at break time. Thank you for a really fun day - it was great to see every single child engaged and channelling their energies into something so creative.
- Year 4 Teacher, The Hall Primary School, Leicester
Glenbrook
- Our children and staff thoroughly enjoyed today - so many adults and children have been talking about your session so a HUGE thank you!
- Teacher, Glenbrook Spencer Academy, Nottingham
Rachel Bowron
- The children thoroughly enjoyed these sessions. It has been a great experience.
- Teacher, Oakway Junior School, Wellingborough
Focus Charity
- The crowd over here are still buzzing from Thursday! A mahoosive ‘Thank you’ to you for everything- as always you were great!
- Project Manager, Focus Charity, Leicester

Education

Previous Projects in Education

SOME LIKE IT LIT

THE COMEDY ASYLUM

SCHOOL BRITANNIA

ACT OUT WRITE UP

MYSTERY SHOPPER

A FUNNY CITY

POEMS TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE

SAY WHAT

Creative Workshops

Performance Poetry and Spoken Word

Comedy - Sketch, Improv, Stand-Up, Songs

Creative Writing

Performance and Presentation Skills

Filmmaking

Education Sector Testiminials

John Patching

Michael Lane

Allendale 5

Sense

R Ingham

Glenbrook

Rachel Bowron

Focus Charity