“We started Radio Drake with a view to support children - as well as the wider Drake community - in finding their ‘voice’, both in terms of oracy but also their broader capacity for creative output. I was released from full-time classroom teaching in order to build this platform, and the school invested in the required technology. Part of the station’s remit is to bolster and extend our curriculum, and children have been able to recite their pieces, present findings and develop reflections based on their learning experiences, deepening their understanding of taught content and encouraging investment and pride in their work.
The station also aims to be a comprehensive reflection of Drake’s community and, as such, we provide broadcast opportunities for all children across the school. One pupil from our SRB, for example, has used the radio station to share his passion for technology with a wide audience, going on to offer tech support on-air for those who need it.
As well as this, as a communicative medium, the radio has allowed us to facilitate useful and inspirational conversations with cultural industry creatives from places like Arts Council England and the The Brecks Fen Edge and Rivers Landscape Partnership (BFER). Indeed, BBC Radio Suffolk/Norfolk went on to broadcast one of our podcasts that evidenced the arts support provided by BFER.
Our student Radio Council meets weekly and is composed of Key Stage 2 students who want to take an active role in shaping Radio Drake’s direction; they have learned how to use the mixing desk and have led the way in live broadcasting and audience interaction. Some members of the council are now able to independently support Key Stage 1 children in delivering their morning weather show, thereby building agency and self-efficacy: attributes central to the station’s purpose.
We are also working hard to develop links across Thetford, and Radio Drake is now played in our local library and a nearby branch of Tesco. The station has helped us embed the curriculum, develop our community’s voice and create a wide range of cultural links. We look forward to this continuing in the years to come.”
Ben Fox - Drake Primary School
