Ilsham Church of England Academy, which is part of the Learning Academy Partnership, celebrated Shakespeare Week with a whole host of fun, Shakespeare-inspired activities.
From Reception up to Year 6, the whole school took part in the festivities. The activities ranged from re-enacting the story of `A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in a fairy garden, learning about the life of the Bard, taking part in a Shakespeare-themed quiz to writing poetry based on the famous Hamlet speech and creating abstract portraits of Shakespeare.
The literary-focused week saw the children spend their time immersed in tragedy, comedy and history-based plays, with plenty of opportunities for them to write their own stories and map their own plots. The fun didn’t stop there though as some children took part in a creativity-fuelled Shakespeare mask competition, where they were tasked with the challenge of creating their own mask of their Shakespeare character of choice.
The pupils weren’t the only ones who enjoyed the week. Staff at Ilsham shared how much they enjoyed rekindling their own love of Shakespeare’s plays and poetry, and how fun it was using their storyteller’s voices to bring the action of their favourite pieces alive.
As one of the country’s English HUBs, Ilsham takes every opportunity to read `old and gold’ or `new and bold’ books and extracts to the children, which is why this opportunity to explore the works of William Shakespeare and expose the children to some of the richest language ever captured on paper was too good to be missed. The pupils continue to develop their love of storytelling and that deeper understanding of new and exquisite words and their linguistic heritage.
The Learning Academy Partnership provides a first-class education to its pupils across the South West, and has done so since it was founded almost 10 years ago. The Trust is rated the best Multi Academy Trust in the country for the performance of disadvantaged children and in the Top 10 Trusts nationally for the progress that children make.
Dawn Ryan, Head of Academy and English Lead at Ilsham Church of England Academy, said:
“This week has given our children the opportunity to not only learn about the life of Shakespeare himself but to be immersed in his fascinating storylines and step in the shoes of his compelling characters. Shakespeare’s stories are rich in their plot and language and have some of the most engaging storylines which children can relate to just as much today as they have done since his works were written.
“It has been so wonderful to watch the pupils and staff alike enjoy the weeks’ activities, I have been so proud of everyone involved.”
