Panel Talk: An Artist in the Classroom: AP Edition
Join us for a conversation with Amy Smith, Director of Education for the Inclusive Education Trust and Vice President of PRUsAP; Andre Bailey, Principal of Arco Academy; Professor Helen Nicholson and Actor Nkechi Simms (Death in Paradise, Top Boy, PRU) as we explore what is unique to artists, creatives, and arts organisations; what is unique to AP settings; and what happens when we bring them together for the benefit of young people, teachers, the settings themselves, and the arts.
Friday 23 May, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (with refreshments at 5:45 PM)
This event is open to all—from teachers, support staff, and education professionals to emerging theatre-makers, established artists, and anyone interested in how the arts can support learning in Alternative Provision settings. To attend, please sign up here.
Amy Smith
Amy Smith is the Director of Education for the Inclusive Education Trust (IET), an Alternative Provision (AP) Trust based in Surrey. Between May and June 2024, she successfully led all IET schools through Ofsted inspections, with each school maintaining their Outstanding judgements.
Before assuming her current role, Amy served as Head of School at Wey Valley College, which is now part of IET. Under her leadership, the school achieved an Outstanding judgement across all areas in 2018.
With over 13 years of experience in the AP sector, Amy has held a variety of leadership positions in provisions across London, Cambridgeshire, West Sussex and Surrey. Notably, she was part of the team that established the TBAP Residence through the Department for Education’s (DfE) Social Innovations Fund. This pioneering initiative supported some of West London’s most vulnerable young people, particularly those on the edge of care or involved in the youth justice system.
Amy's career began in mainstream education, where she led several Outstanding Performing Arts departments in schools across London and Surrey. Her background in the arts informs her innovative and therapeutic approach to behaviour management, which emphasises creativity, inclusivity, and individualised support for all students.
In addition to her work with IET, Amy is the Vice-President of PRUsAP, the national organisation representing Pupil Referral Units and Alternative Provisions. Her leadership in this role reflects her unwavering commitment to advocating for the needs of vulnerable learners and driving systemic change in education.
Amy’s passion for inclusion and her expertise in alternative provision make her a respected voice in the sector. She continues to champion creative and therapeutic approaches to education, ensuring that all young people have the opportunity to thrive.
Nkechi Simms
Nkechi recently filmed guest lead roles in Red Planet returning series Death in Paradise and in Eastenders for BBC. She can now be seen as a lead in independent feature Tell No Lies directed by Dylan Vox. Other television credits include the lead role of Sienna in BBC3 series Pru, Keziah in Top Boy S4 for Netflix and a guest lead role on BBC’s Doctors. Prior to this, Nkechi appeared in short film Did You Get The Milk Then, directed by Ed Skrein. Theatre credits include lead roles in Mission, Rat a tat and The Ballad of Corona V for the Big House Theatre Company.
Helen Nicholson
Helen is Professor of Theatre and Performance at Royal Holloway, University of London where she specialises in theatre in educational and community settings. A former teacher, Helen worked at the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Education where she led the first Initial teacher education course in drama and English to be graded Oustanding by Ofsted. Helen moved to the creative enviroment of the department of Drama, Theatre, and Dance at Royal Holloway where she has been researching and teaching drama for the last 25 years. She has held leadership roles in the University including Vice Principal for interdisciplinary research. Helen is a passionate advocate for research collaborations with people and organisations outside universities where research can change lives.
Working with the Young Vic’s Taking Part programmes is a career highlight. Helen appreciated the opportunity to lead research for their their schools’ programme, INNOVATE, with Dr Yvonne Robinson. She has also undertaken research with the National Theatre on their Public Acts programme, the Royal Opera and Ballet’s leadership programme for schools, with Age Exchange on the arts in dementia care, and with many theatres across the country. She hopes that her research will help to create a more inclusive theatre sector where everyone – whatever their age and abilities – will find a place to learn and belong. Helen is the author/ co-author of several books, including Theatre & Education, Applied Drama: the Gift of Theatre; Theatre in Towns . In her currrent research project, Local Theatres: Participation, Inclusion, Imagination she is interested in how theatres and communities – including young people –link creativity with contributory justice.