The project took place at a South London Primary School, on a Friday morning for 9 weeks in the spring term. Ninety children from Years 5 and 6 attended the initial anti-bullying workshops.  From these year groups, 9 children (1 from Year 6 and 8 from Year 5) were referred for weekly sessions by the teachers. Children were referred to the sessions for various reasons relating to bullying, including emotional, social, or behavioural problems, lack of self-confidence and difficulties with learning and concentration.  General aims of the sessions included providing a safe space to explore social interactions, build self-esteem and encourage emotional well-being.

The Roundabout Dramatherapists ran three workshops lasting 20 minutes each with the children from years 5 and 6 children. The workshops focused on the topic of bullying.  The children were shown a DVD which had been made by Roundabout previously, with children in a specialist secondary school in Merton, on the issue of bullying. The DVD was used in a fun and interactive way to encourage discussion.  The children responded to workshops with enthusiasm and honesty.  They offered ideas relating to the questions provoked by the DVD and took part in a game to further explore facts, myths and ideas around bullying. They were also given support and guidance, through discussion, on what to do if they or someone they know is being bullied. The teachers present at the workshops were encouraged to take part in the discussion. As many of the children shared that they would find it difficult to speak to a teacher if they were victims of bullying, it was very useful for the teachers to be involved.

A group of 2 girls and 3 boys from Year 5 attended weekly Dramatherapy sessions, following on from the workshops. They were referred by their class teacher to support them with their special educational needs (SEN) and/or in developing confidence and in building and maintaining friendships. General aims included building self-esteem, developing interaction and relationships with peers, and exploring different ways to express themselves and their emotions. During the sessions different art forms were used to meet these aims, for example, stories created individually and as a group, and stories chosen by the Dramatherapists, such as the Ugly Duckling to address themes of bullying and friendships, and a story of a caterpillar being all powerful and tricking the other animals, even though they were much bigger. Child A, who initially was very quiet in the group and who suffered from low self-confidence chose to play the main parts in both these stories, which seemed to build her confidence and helped her find her voice. This change was noted by the head teacher, who reflected that since coming to the group Child A had become much more open and confident generally in the school.
Group games were used to build social skills such as turn taking and listening. Specific exercises to encourage expression and sharing of feelings were also used in each session.
Child R, referred because she had been getting into trouble in the playground, shared with the Head teacher that playtime had improved and that Dramatherapy had really helped her work through her feelings. This child also shared that Dramatherapy had helped the group members to form friendships and that they now played together, whereas they hadn’t done so in the past.
In the evaluation form at the start of the therapy Child O shared that his main worry was being bullied and going to school and that this was of great concern to him. At the end of therapy this worry was reversed and he shared that this did not bother him at all anymore and that Dramatherapy had made him feel much better.
The group fully engaged in the sessions, and were able to use the sessions and the exercises in a way that was very creative and imaginative, as well as supportive of each other. In the final session all the children shared that they wished that the sessions could have gone on for longer.
A group of 1 girl from Year 6 and 1 girl and 2 boys from Year 5 also attended weekly Dramatherapy sessions.  These children all had special educational and/or confidence building needs, and one child was diagnosed as being on the Autistic Spectrum.  Aims included improving social interaction and building self-esteem, encouraging self-expression and expression of feelings.  Sessions used a range of creative materials and exercises to meet these aims, e.g. story telling, enactments, drawing, games, improvisation, movement and creative exploration of play through imagination.
The structure of the sessions, using similar rituals to begin and end, was very containing and safe for the group. The group were fully supportive of one another, aiding trust to build quickly. They engaged fully with the exercises in a way that was both imaginative and creative, and their individual contributions became more evident as their trust and confidence grew.  They were able to express their feelings and ideas with maturity and understanding.  
At the beginning of the work we asked the children to fill out evaluation forms.  The children used these forms to share concerns relating to bullying, feeling left out, bereavement and finding it difficult to play with peers.
At times Child B, who was on the autistic spectrum, found it difficult to engage with the activities as a group.  However, with encouragement he found ways in he could engage, using roles such as the story director or stage manager.  B particularly enjoyed activities where he experienced leading the group through games or as part of an imaginary exercise.  Here he gained a shared social experience, having his ideas playfully met and valued by his peers.
Stories used within the sessions explored themes of the unlikely hero, perseverance and loss.  Individuals chose characters to explore and embody these experiences and were able to reflect clearly on their choices.  When the sessions began Child C, who was particularly shy, was unsure about attending and often needed prompting to arrive on time.  However, as the sessions progressed she brought herself independently, often being early.  This enthusiasm and confidence were reflected in her role choices.  In later sessions, she chose to play the main role in two stories, in which she was able to be seen and heard and become the hero of the story.   
All four children seemed to value the opportunity to express and share in a small group.  The feed-back in their evaluation forms showed that Dramatherapy had helped with their confidence and enabled them to play better with peers.
Conclusion
During the project we piloted a validated evaluation method called Psychlops, developed in collaboration with Kings College London, to help the children understand and express their feelings, and identify things they were struggling with before and after the project.  Two thirds of the children said that at the end of the project they were feeling either better or much better about the difficult feelings they had expressed.  We also elicited feed-back from the children and the staff involved with the project, using our usual monitoring and evaluation procedures.

We met with the Head teacher to give feed-back after the sessions.  The school and the sessions seemed to benefit from the shared thinking that was encouraged in this time, providing a link between the school and the therapeutic work.  At the end of the project we met again with Headteacher and the assistant headteacher to provide overall feed-back and recommendations. They were both supportive of the therapeutic input Roundabout had provided for the children attending the groups.  We also shared information and creative strategies that the school could employ concerning the issue of bullying. The Headteacher felt that Dramatherapy sessions would be something valued by the school; she particularly recognised that many of the children at the school have high emotional needs and would benefit from therapeutic support.