SSF for Special Schools

The Shakespeare Schools Festival (SSF) is an inclusive, non-competitive festival. Four schools a night perform 30-minute plays in their local professional theatre.

We provide the scripts, resources, training and framework you need to direct Shakespeare with your students. This is our 13th annual Festival, and promises to be the biggest and best yet.

SSF proactively seeks the involvement of Special Schools, offering a unique opportunity to take part alongside mainstream schools. SSF’s workshops and performance days are fully inclusive and supportive.

In addition to the National Theatre CPD day, and to ensure that the specific needs of Special Schools are met, SSF provides an extra full-day training workshop which explores different techniques for approaching the project, and shares best practice from experienced teachers.

Special Schools often use the festival as a method of learning through play. Students relish the opportunity to interact with other schools, and rise to the challenge of performing Shakespeare in front of an audience of parents and friends.

It costs SSF £1600 per school to run the Festival, each school pays £730 (+VAT) and we raise the rest.

The SSF Package:

Scripts and Resources:
21 abridged Shakespeare plays at Secondary level and 7 abridgements at Primary level as well as rehearsal resources to take your production from the page to the stage.

Workshop for Special School Teachers:
This full day CPD workshop explores techniques for approaching this project according to the needs of your students.

Workshop for Teacher Directors:
SSF is for all teachers regardless of their experience in directing. The CPD day with the National Theatre focuses on directorial techniques and is a great opportunity to meet the other teachers who will be at your theatre.

Workshop for Casts:
The cast workshop brings your school together with a mainstream school and includes confidence building, ensemble skills, physical theatre and voice techniques.

Professional Performance Day:
Each school has a half day technical and dress rehearsal with professional technicians before performing on a professional stage alongside 3 other local schools in a celebratory finale to the Festival.

Vocational Skills:
Schools can have teams of marketing and technical students who will get a unique insight into the workings of professional theatres, from lighting design to PR.

What SSF offers Special Schools

•  The freedom to adapt an SSF script to cater for specific students
•  An opportunity for students to explore emotions, relationships, motives and consequences
• A unique language-learning experience, helping students to find greater articulacy and communication skills
• Contribution to academic accreditations including GCSE, A-Level, BTEC and Arts Award