Dame Sheila Hancock at the People’s History Museum, with Kim Farrall, Head of St. Luke’s CE Primary School, Rochdale.
Inset: Lisa Vyas, Executive Head of Ladybarn, Cringle Brook and Green End Primary Schools, Manchester.

In July 2019, in the time before Covid-19, actor and author Sheila Hancock visited Manchester with the DigiSmart project team to support schools using the DigiSmart Reading programme and develop educational links with museums and libraries. During meetings with the People’s History Museum and The John Rylands Library, both of which were showing excellent exhibitions to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Peterloo, the theme of protest was palpable and richly supported by historical and contemporary resources.

These visits triggered the idea of a new development for DigiSmart, extending the core reading programme to embrace higher level comprehension skills.

In February 2020, on a further visit to Manchester, we and Sheila met with wonderful headteachers Kim Farrall and Lisa Vyas to discuss the idea of an extension to the DigiSmart programme, showing them our initial plans. Their enthusiasm was heartening and spurred us on. The finished work, DigiSmart Comprehension: Protest & Power, owes much to their subsequent input and support.

We would also like to thank the People’s History Museum and The John Rylands Library for their generosity with time and willingness to engage so fruitfully. Freely open to the public, they produce learning resources and accommodate school and group visits. Both are amazing institutions with fascinating collections, offering regular exhibitions.