Thurrock Trailblazer Cultural Catalogue 2019-20

NATIONAL
THEATRE
At the National Theatre, we make world-class theatre that is entertaining, challenging and
inspiring, and we make it for everyone. The work the National Theatre produces appeals to the
widest possible audiences with new plays, musicals, re-imagined classics and new work for young
audiences. Our extensive Learning programme offers talks, events and workshops for people of
all ages, and reaches nationwide through programmes such as Connections, our annual festival of
new plays for schools and youth theatres.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Let’s Play is an ambitious creative learning
programme that has the potential to transform
theatre-making in primary schools. The
programme aims to inspire children across the
UK, and encourage schools to position
theatre making at the heart of how they
facilitate learning, creativity and play.
The programme commissions new plays for
children to perform and supports teachers in
leading classes of children aged between 4 and
11 years old through an exciting theatre-making
process, inspiring learning across the
curriculum and involving the children in all
aspects of creating a production.
It includes:
• Specialist theatre making courses for both
KS1 and KS2 teachers, led by professional
theatre artists.
• Access to specially-commissioned scripts
(and performance licenses).
• Musical scores and backing tracks for
original songs.
• Access to curriculum-linked lesson plans.
• A Toolkit, a series of short films and
guidance for teachers on how to direct and
stage their plays.
• The opportunity for children to gain an Arts
Award.
SUITABILITY
KS1 and KS2
KS1
KS2
DATES, LOCATION & FORMAT
Schools taking part in Let’s Play are able to
sign up to start the programme at the start of
the autumn term and will have access to the
programme for one academic year.
The programme is designed to be flexible
enough for schools to use as they see fit
throughout the year.
The only fixed points in the year are the
teacher CPD courses, which run for two
consecutive days in the run up to October,
February and May half terms.
The CPD courses take place at the National
Theatre on the South Bank, London.
If a significant number of schools sign up in
the Thurrock region, we may be able to run
a bespoke version of the CPD specifically for
Thurrock schools at High House Production
Park, Purfleet.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
LET’S PLAY
Students will:
• Be empowered to contribute to every
aspect of the process of staging a play and
have some agency of the work, developing
pupil voice and helping facilitate a sense of
pride and self-esteem.
• Engage in a high quality process that offers
a them range of opportunities to achieve
and exceed.
• Have their social, moral, spiritual and
“I was really excited about putting my new knowledge of theatremaking
into practice after the CPD. I felt much more confident about
approaching the rehearsal process as a result of it.”
cultural education in a creative and holistic
way.
• Engage with an experiential learning
opportunity that lends itself to a wide
range of learning styles and explores crosscurricular
topic based learning, embedding
knowledge and understanding through
extension and repetition.
• Have a space to develop valuable
transferable skills and attributes such as
empathy, teamwork and leadership.
CROSS-CURRICULAR LINKS
Teachers will gain access to a specific section
of the National Theatre’s Teacher Toolkit called
‘Let’s Explore’.
Let’s Explore is collection of cross-curricular
activities designed to support teachers to use
the world of their chosen play to teach across
the curriculum.
Subjects covered include:
• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Geography
• History
• PE
• Design Technology
• PSHE and SMSC
TEACHER COMMITMENT & TRAINING
Teacher CPD and development is at the heart
of Let’s Play. We are committed to working
closely with teachers to design and deliver a
CPD course that stretches, inspires and
enthuses; and that offers teachers tangible
tools to use in their school play rehearsals and
that also informs their wider teaching practice.
Our teacher CPD is designed to offer teachers
that return year on year a progression route,
supporting them to build skills and confidence
in theatre-making and creative approaches to
the curriculum.
Teachers also receive ongoing online and telephone
based support from both National
Theatre staff and the wider community of
teachers participating in Let’s Play across the
UK.
WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END?
A key function of the embedded teacher CPD
is for teachers to leave feeling confident in
their ability to create rich learning experience
for their pupils through the school play.
The structure of the programme allows for up
to 8 teachers to attend CPD over the course of
the year, meaning that there is a school wide
understanding of making the school play in a
way that is inclusive, holistic and supports
children’s broader learning. The intention is to
leave a lasting legacy that is led by the
teachers themselves.
OTHER RESOURCES & SUPPORT
Participating schools have access to:
• A portfolio of plays and music
• Instructional films on how to approach
specific areas of a rehearsal process with
pupils
• A Teacher Toolkit and Directors Guide
• Ongoing support from National Theatre
staff and peers in other schools
• The opportunity for pupils to gain an Arts
Award.
Let’s Play schools are also encouraged to sign
up to On Demand In Schools; our FREE on-demand
streaming service that allows schools to
have National Theatre productions streamed
directly into their classrooms. Productions are
suitable for Key Stages 2 to 4 and are
accompanied by age-appropriate learning
resources.
Please note, On Demand in Schools is available
free to all schools, even if they choose not to
sign up to Let’s Play.
COSTS
£350 for the full academic year.
RECOMMENDED
This offer could complement the following:
• Design & Make Primary: Swan Lake
• Rendered Retina: Timon of Athens
• Rendered Retina: Form
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