Lucy's blog

I was chatting with a friend of mine today about her new job. She's now a "Play Specialist" at a Central London Hospital. The role has many different responsibilities but her major focus is on using "play" to prepare children for treatment, distract...

Having set up Perform almost 12 years ago now, I often get asked questions by other Mums who are looking to set up something of their own like ?How did you get the idea to set up the business?? and ?What was your business background?? This type of question always makes me...

Darling, look at Jane when she says hello to you! Does that sound familiar to you? Have you ever said it to your own child? I know I have! I've always been passionate about helping children make eye contact, especially when they meet new people or talk to adults. I...

Because of my background as an actress, I've always mixed with people who are pretty confident speaking on their own in front of large groups of people. It wasn't until I started Perform and attended courses in Child Protection, First Aid and various other...

When we train our teachers for Perform classes, one of the sections we spend the longest time working on is their voices. I'm not talking about their singing voices here; they are, after all, trained actors and singers and wouldn't get to the training stage if they...

No, this blog post is not about the toe-curling anti-drugs eighties-fest that is the Grange Hill Just Say No video (though it's worth having a look if you fancy a nostalgia-based giggle). It's about a much more prevalent problem in primary school at least -...

Before I start, I'd like to say that I'm not an expert in autism by any means. However, over the past 15 years, I have taught a great many children on the Autism Spectrum so I have seen firsthand how autistic children can benefit from the kind of games and exercises we...

Like everyone else, I was shocked and saddened to read about Amy Winehouse yesterday. With hindsight, looking back at that footage from the Belgrade concert a few weeks ago, it was pretty clear that something was definitely not right - even more so than over the past few...

On January 8th 2000, I opened my first Perform class. Me, a teacher and four children. It went pretty well - all things considered. But, afterwards, when I was talking to the parents about my plans to eventually open Perform all over London, one of the mums said that my...

Louisa was five when I first met her a year ago. She turned up looking small and terrified. In fact, I'd never seen a child so nervous before. Children often get a bit teary at their first session but Louisa was distraught. Her mum was in a similarly panicked state...