Frieda Jackson, Wakefield City council LEA

Dear Steve
Thank you so much for the tremendous session you did for the Headteachers’ Conference last Wednesday. The enthusiasm and energy you gave the session was truly infectious!

Frieda Jackson, Wakefield Primary Deputy Head Teachers Conference, Wakefield City Council LEA

Gordon Hamilton, Headteacher Mosborough Primary School, Sheffield

“Steve Rivers from Unbeatable Energy recently organised and ran a staff INSET day for us using African drums to develop musical activities with children. This was as a result of Steve coming in and working with our children during a music and dance week which we had organised the term before. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves and very quickly picked up the necessary techniques needed to use the drums effectively.
During the INSET day all the staff (teachers and support staff) learned how to use the drums and introduce the children to different beats and rhythms.
We now have drumming going on throughout the school from reception to Y6. Using the drums is a very good way of quickly introducing the children to lots of different aspects of making and performing music and both the children and the staff love it!
I can highly recommend Steve and the African drums as a very effective way of introducing both adults and children to the joys of music making.”

Gordon Hamilton, Headteacher Mosborough Primary School, Sheffield

Dearne Valley College, Rotherham

“Just wanted to say thank you for organising such a creative and fun teambuilding end to yesterday’s staff training and development day – Unbeatable Energy were fab!”

“I thought it was a fun way to end the day and left everyone in our staffroom still singing (or at least making silly noises) until we went home. A real feel good factor!”

“It was certainly an exercise where you had to concentrate all the time on what you were doing and at the same time making you aware what everyone else was doing.It was a good team building exercise not too long and not too short.I thought it was fun.”

“I really enjoyed this part of the day. I think the message was that it is possible to work together in perfect harmony! I liked the moral that you may need to rely on people to keep things rhythmic, i.e. ticking over, getting the job done. I also liked it because we were doing the same thing irrespective of our college role.”

“What can I say – it was definitely different. I enjoyed the session, had a good laugh, definitely relieved stress and also I understood the concept of communication which we definitely had during this time.”

“I thought it was a fun way to conclude the day. The activity had an important message to us as staff within the College about working together and this was an innovative way of communicating this.”

Comments following annual staff conference event, Dearne Valley College, Rotherham

Sheffield Head Teachers Conference Planning Group

“On behalf of the Sheffield Primary Headteachers’ Conference planning group, we would like to thank you for your contribution to the event this year. The whole conference was very well received and we felt that we had achieved a good balance of ‘excellence and enjoyment’ for all! Thank you once again for the hard work that you put in to planning, preparing and delivering your contribution to the conference.”

Sheffield Head Teachers Conference Planning Group, Sheffield City Council LEA