Testimonials - the students
Each year, we ask the pupils involved in our projects to tell us what they thought, and this is what they said:
2021-22
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"The best days at school were the days we had puppets." Poppi
"The puppet experience helped me realise that just because we are young doesn't mean we can't do difficult work. We can do anything we want now and in the future." Mohammed "It was such an amazing experience because the children got to run it and normally adults would. It made me feel confident and believed in." Maddy "I have learned that as long as you try, nothing is impossible." Raychen "The puppet project put children's differences aside and brought us together." Micah 
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"I have learned that I have an imagination beyond what I knew I had." Rachel
"The puppet project was an amazing experience because it helped me work better with my class and it made me feel happy and proud of myself." Jack "I've learned so many new and unique skills. I never thought I would be good at making puppets!" Nesrine "I loved creating every step with my friends and teachers." Joseph "I've learned that if you work hard enough, you can achieve something you thought you couldn't do." Ruben |
2020-21
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"I really enjoyed helping my classmates when things were difficult." Harry
"I felt really proud because at the start of this project I didn’t think that I could do all of this, but we all did!" Emese "I liked making the puppets because you can make whatever puppet you want and no-one can judge your puppet. I’ve learned there’s no end to creativity! I’m so happy because we did things people didn’t think we could do. You shouldn’t listen to people who say you can’t do something." Matthew "It was great to see how we all came together to make a big project." Ethan 
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"I have learned to adapt to mistakes and how to stay organised. I have also learnt to become more resilient. At the end of the shows I felt triumphant because I had finally mastered a whole show without too much help from an adult." Kitty-Mae
"My favourite part was doing the show because I had fun doing rehearsals and working with others as a team." Deon "I’m really happy that all the 11 months of work paid off to make a huge production. I felt really proud." Allen "I liked doing the show because my family was watching me. I’ve learned to handle heavy and dangerous things, and work with others. I feel proud of what I’ve achieved." Natasha |
2018-19
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"I'm dyslexic and this has really helped me with my reading - I was a voice part. The best bit was performing for our parents because it has given me more confidence and now I read with expression. I was amazing to see the impressed faces in the audience after the show!" Drew
"This project has taught me teamwork because before I didn't work with other people well, and now I talk to people who I wasn't friends with before" Diva "Thank you for the amazing experience, we cannot thank you enough for what you have given us. You were the light in our dark days (SATs)." Momtaz "The puppet project has been so so important to me. It is in my heart forever." Madison |
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"I loved making my puppet. It turned out so much better than I thought it would. This completely changed my opinion of school and what I could do." Natalie
"I've learned that nothing is impossible if you try" Dylan "I have been able to do things that I did not know I could do" AJ "Everyone in my family came to the show and they're still talking about it!" Sairam "I learned that for big projects you need more than just yourself" Haron "I'm so proud of myself because we’ve worked on this project for 10 months and it was fantastic" Ciaren "It's helped my confidence so much. I will always remember it" Sophie |
2017-18
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"I have never worked together this much before"
"My favourite part was putting the stage together because it was just amazing. We have never had a stage like it." "I'm really proud because we made everything in the show and we worked really hard." "I liked the feeling of importance - it was a good feeling knowing that my part in the show was important." "I liked speaking into the microphone because it made me feel like a professional." |
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"I learned that any child, any age, can do anything if they try."
"When we got the applause it made me really happy." "It is a fantastic experience that you'll remember forever." "I learned to be brave and speak in front of lots of people." "The best bit for me was perfoming to the rest of the school because they were just glued to the stage!" "I can do things I never knew." "I learned how make my mistakes look like art. |
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"When I saw my puppet working, it felt like all my hard work paid off."
"I learned to use my imagination more and to think about my choices." "You could be as creative as you want." "I learned to be more patient and to follow instructions." "My new skill is persevering - at times I felt like giving up, but I didn't." "We all had to do different jobs to make it work and when we finished, we were really proud." "I loved playing my part - it felt really good to be heard." |
"Some people may get stage fright in an ordinary play but in the puppet show I really liked it because you didn't have to be seen."
"My favourite memory is taking the bow at the end, I felt really proud."
"I feel really proud because we worked so hard and it paid off."
"The smoke machine looked really cool in the play"
"I learned to be more confident in myself."
"At the end of the show I felt really proud of myself because I was able to stay focussed."
"My favourite memory is taking the bow at the end, I felt really proud."
"I feel really proud because we worked so hard and it paid off."
"The smoke machine looked really cool in the play"
"I learned to be more confident in myself."
"At the end of the show I felt really proud of myself because I was able to stay focussed."
"Everyone was clapping and it made me feel special."
"I think it was the best show ever."
"Whenever you feel like giving up, never do! That's what I learned."
"I learned to work as a team without making a fuss."
"I learned to keep calm, even if the situation is stressful, and to keep going if I mess up instead of quitting."
"We just let our imagination go wild."
"My mum really enjoyed it and she was really proud of me."
"I think it was the best show ever."
"Whenever you feel like giving up, never do! That's what I learned."
"I learned to work as a team without making a fuss."
"I learned to keep calm, even if the situation is stressful, and to keep going if I mess up instead of quitting."
"We just let our imagination go wild."
"My mum really enjoyed it and she was really proud of me."
2016-17
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"This is the best thing I have ever made"
"I enjoyed everything, I've never done anything like it." "YPPT was AMAZING for thousands of reasons I could not explain. Thank you for boosting my confidence in art." "I learned not to be scared. I did it even though I had stage fright and afterwards I felt really confident." "I learned to be confident and to speak loudly into the microphone." "At the end of the shows I felt so proud of what we had achieved." "It's really fun, and a little bit challenging." |
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"This project and the skills you learn will make you unique - not many people get this opportunity."
"I had an absolutely great time doing this project and I learned a lot." "I liked making the face and clothes because you could be as creative as you want." "I felt like I was a builder." "The best part was puppeteering, when I made people laugh." "I liked lighting because you sort of learn engineering." "I learned to talk more confidently and loudly." |
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I learned how to deal with pressure and face my fears. I'm so proud of the show."
"I felt proud when everyone was clapping and cheering for us." "I thought I would give up and never do it, but we did it in the end. I'm so happy." "Everyone is important in the show." "It was really hard not to talk backstage because it was so exciting!" "I felt so proud of our class at the end because all of our hard work was a success, and everyone was amazed!" "You should never miss school on a puppet day because it's the most fun thing ever." "People complimented me after the show and it made me feel really good." "I felt very proud of myself because we pulled off the show on our own." |
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2015-16
"The best part was the smoke because the Year Ones were so impressed."
"I really enjoyed the way we worked together because it made us bond more as a class."
"I learned to be confident and to speak loudly into the microphone."
"I really enjoyed seeing everyone smiling and enjoying the puppet show, having a good time because I’ve never seen anyone in the class that happy before and it was a pleasure seeing them like that."
"When we came out for the bow I felt awesome and I want to do it again."
"To next year's Year Six: If you keep on going and never give up you will achieve things that you thought you couldn’t."
"I want to act when I'm older, I love showbiz!"
"I learned to share and ask for help when I need it."
"At the end of the show, I felt on top of the world because it was amazing."
"I felt proud when my parents were sitting there clapping and cheering. They are so proud of me."
"Thank you for teaching and helping us make a wonderful production; everyone enjoyed it very much and we had an amazing time."
"I really enjoyed the way we worked together because it made us bond more as a class."
"I learned to be confident and to speak loudly into the microphone."
"I really enjoyed seeing everyone smiling and enjoying the puppet show, having a good time because I’ve never seen anyone in the class that happy before and it was a pleasure seeing them like that."
"When we came out for the bow I felt awesome and I want to do it again."
"To next year's Year Six: If you keep on going and never give up you will achieve things that you thought you couldn’t."
"I want to act when I'm older, I love showbiz!"
"I learned to share and ask for help when I need it."
"At the end of the show, I felt on top of the world because it was amazing."
"I felt proud when my parents were sitting there clapping and cheering. They are so proud of me."
"Thank you for teaching and helping us make a wonderful production; everyone enjoyed it very much and we had an amazing time."
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"Puppets is the best thing I ever did."
"I learned how to take on everyone's ideas." "To next year's Year Six: It is an extraordinary experience and you will love it very much. You will be so proud of yourself when you finish making the puppet and showing your parents the performance." "This project is far more than fun." "I loved seeing my mum’s face after she heard me speak." "Honestly the whole thing is amazing." "I extremely enjoyed being a narrator and I am proud to be one." "You would be amazed how addictive moving a puppet is." "At the end of the show I felt proud and overjoyed for doing better than I thought." "In my opinion this is the best project I have ever done." |
2014-15
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"I really enjoyed making the puppets because you learn loads of new things and I like operating them too because it’s tricky and I like challenges. You have to be really on the ball because there are loads of things going on and I really like working with everybody because everyone’s working together."
"It was really cool that not only did we perform puppet shows, but we made the puppets, set and props ourselves." "The best thing was performing the shows and seeing everybody working as a team, because you get to talk to people you don't normally talk to." "Even though we’re not all doing the same thing, we’re working together to make sure that everyone’s doing their part well." "My favourite part was the show, because we saw it start from scratch, and it was so much fun to see and be part of the final project."
"I didn’t know some people in our class very well before starting this. I feel that our class has connected more, it’s been really good to work together. It’s been great how everyone supports you while you’re making your puppet and controlling it." "My favourite part was seeing everyone coming together as a team. We worked hard on our individual parts but we worked so well together." "I will always remember the first session, when we read through the script, because it felt like the start of a huge, amazing project." "I really like the fact that we can take our puppets home. Every time we look at them, we will remember this project." |
"It was amazing to know that we had made almost everything in the final show."
"I think that all the people in the audience were really impressed." "I really liked putting up the stage - it gave us all a challenge, but we managed it in the end!" "I liked designing the face of the puppet because I could choose how I wanted it to look." "I think that if you weren't part of our class, you would think that the performances were magical." 
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