Biography
DRAMA
Patrice Baldwin FRSA is Chair of the Council for Subject Associations and an internationally renowned trainer, consultant, author and speaker, in the field of ‘Drama for Learning’ and Primary Drama. She is also an Action Learning facilitator. In 2020-21, she was Oak National Academy’s Subject Leader for Primary Drama and for several years jointly delivered ‘Talk and Drama for Writing’ conferences with Pie Corbett. She is a former Primary Headteacher and Local Authority Arts Education Adviser, School Improvement Partner and school inspector and between 2010-13, was President of the International Drama Theatre and Education Association (IDEA) and was Chair of National Drama (UK) for more than a decade, (until 2015). Patrice is a national curriculum consultant and was editorial expert for Primary Drama, (for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority). She was a BBC Education series consultant and scriptwriter for Drama in schools and more recently, a TV documentary series consultant.
Patrice is the founder and Director of ‘Drama for Learning and Creativity’ (D4LC), a research based school improvement initiative, that received support from NESTA, QCA, Arts Council England, Creative Partnerships, National Drama and IDEA. It was presented at UNESCO’s 2nd World Creativity Conference in South Korea.
Patrice is a visiting lecturer at various universities and was a Cultural Leader for Brock University, Niagara. Her recent books include, ‘Process Drama for Second Language Learning and Teaching’ (Bloomsbury, October 2021), ‘With Drama in Mind,’ ‘Improving Writing Through Drama,’ ‘Teaching Literacy Through Drama,’ ‘The Primary Drama Handbook’ and others. Her forthcoming book is, ‘The Handbook of Drama Strategies’ (Routledge, 2023).
‘Patrice Baldwin is a rarity. She is one of the few primary drama experts left and quite possibly the most experienced and effective drama primary teacher. Teachers on her courses, come away feeling more confident and with a broader repertoire. Her work is excellent!’ Pie Corbett
‘Absolutely brilliant! Patrice’s course opened doors for colleagues which they would not have believed possible. In everything she does, she walks delegates through the materials, and discusses the impact this has on children’s learning. She uses drama conventions to create opportunities for pupils to secure their learning in new and deeper ways.’ Mary Myatt
‘ Patrice Baldwin is drama education expert of experts’. Sarah Lambie (Editor, ‘Drama and Theatre’ magazine)
‘Patrice is one of the world’s foremost thinkers and practitioners of Drama Education’. Assistant Professor Peter O’Connor, University of Auckland, NZ