This week, pupils in our Junior School have been celebrating Shakespeare Week, bringing his words to life through an informative and entertaining assembly and practical English and Drama workshops.
On Wednesday, all pupils took part in an introductory assembly run by Bigfoot Theatre, followed by Year 3 workshops analysing some of the bard’s most famous plays. Pupils in Year 4 and 5 enjoyed a series of sessions run by West End in Schools with focus on A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth.
Shakespeare Week is an annual national celebration organised by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, giving primary school children a chance to have a great first encounter with Shakespeare – his characters, stories and language. This is done through a variety of rich and enjoyable experiences that weave Shakespeare’s works, life and times across the whole curriculum.
The pupils took a lot away from the various workshops and activities, as expressed by some Year 5 pupils below:
‘After today’s assembly, I think I have learnt a lot more about Shakespeare than I have before, and I have really enjoyed this experience.’ Soha
‘I really enjoyed the workshop and I liked how Adrian from Bigfoot Theatre engaged with the audience.’ Millie
‘I loved today’s Shakespeare workshop as it was funny, interactive and it showed all the key points about Shakespeare.’ Gabriel
‘Adrian showed his comical and amazing side telling us about how decisions like Macbeth’s are human, because Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets are ultimately about us. That is the main message I took away from the workshop.’ Alessandro
