The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, a charity that is responsible for the success of Shakespeare Week (18-24 March 2019), has created a network of Shakespeare Hub Schools in England. These schools use Shakespeare to enrich and deepen the arts experiences of primary school children.
There are six hubs across the country, with 40 schools from the North East, Merseyside and Nottingham among the first to be benefited. Each hub, consisting of 6-8 schools, is working with creative practitioners across a range of disciplines to offer children a great introduction to Shakespeare. These include Bollywood dance renditions of Romeo & Juliet to clay sculptures of characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Arts Council England provide free access to the scheme for schools. There will be 12 hubs in the country by 2021, offering opportunities for more than 20,000 children to create their own Shakespeare-inspired creative work. It provides a platform for children to share their experiences with peers, Continuing Professional Development sessions (CPD) for teachers, including special training by artists, support in working with arts organizations, and delivery of Arts Awards.
Jacqueline Green is the head of learning at Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. She stated that children’s ability to connect Shakespeare’s stories to their lives and experiences can prove to be a powerful learning tool. Participation in the arts by young people is essential for their creativity, imagination and social skills. We believe Shakespeare is available to all and not just the few. We are able to offer new and exciting ways for children to learn about the stories, works, and heritage of Shakespeare by working with creative practitioners.
Many hub schools will showcase their work during Shakespeare Week (18-24 February), and this year’s national celebrations focus on language and literacy.
Evidence is mounting* that young children suffer from a lack of vocabulary. This is limiting their ability to learn and can have long-term consequences for their communication, creativity, critical thinking skills, and confidence. Shakespeare can be used to help children identify their words and improve their language skills.
Jacqueline said that “More must be done to address word gap in primary schools. While our language is constantly changing, the vocabulary of the next generation is shrinking. We encourage children to participate in KS2 Shakespeare workshops to become ‘Will’s Word Warriors’. Shakespeare’s inventive and imaginative language can ignite young minds and inspire a love for language.
Nick Gibb, Minister for School Standards, stated that Shakespeare Week was an opportunity to expose the great works of Britain’s most famous writer to primary school students. These creative hubs will bring William Shakespeare alive for a new generation.
“Being able read Shakespeare’s works is a key to unlocking the world of imagination and discovery. The primary school’s focus on reading comprehension and phonics is helping children to discover the joys of reading the written word. This will allow them to enjoy Shakespeare in secondary education and their future lives.
Shakespeare Celebration
More than 2 million primary school students across the country will celebrate Shakespeare’s stories and language during Shakespeare Week, which runs from 18-24 March. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust runs the free program for primary school children and their parents.
Over 6.5 million children took part in Shakespeare Week since its inception in 2014. This week provides teachers and home educators free tools to bring Shakespeare into their classrooms, and gives them the opportunity to explore Shakespeare beyond the classroom.
Highlights from this year’s celebration are:
Will’s Word Warriors is a series of challenges and activities that Professor David Crystal, a leading linguist, has developed. They explore Shakespeare’s Forgotten Words which are words from Shakespeare’s lifetime but are not commonly used today.
Walker Books and National Literacy Trust supported the Big Shakespeare Book Hunt in 154 communities throughout the country
William Shakespaw, a 2-year-old Golden Retriever, will visit selected schools to show children how Shakespeare’s Forgotten Words can be found.
Online challenges from Kids’ Zone for children to complete at school or home, including drawing comic strips, poetry writing and retelling Shakespeare’s plays
Storytelling sessions at libraries throughout the UK and craft activities at select Waterstones stores
There are many family-friendly, free activities at Shakespeare houses in Stratford-upon-Avon. You can participate in activities like weaving a web from Will’s words, making a carnival mask for Romeo and Juliet’s ball, and dancing in the Tudor workshops.
There are over 150 resources available for home educators, teachers and families. Teachers will also find new resources to help them improve their debating skills, including a video of Michael Rosen celebrating Shakespeare’s language and chairing a children’s Shakespeare debate.
