Something rather special has happened.
My Shakespeare Ambassadors were featured in the latest 2024/25 RSC Associate Schools Programme Impact Report from the Royal Shakespeare Company.
If I’m honest, I hesitated about sharing it. Teaching is rarely about recognition — it’s about the small, daily shifts: a student finding their voice, a reluctant reader standing up to perform, a shy Year 8 suddenly leading a warm-up.
But this felt less like a personal milestone and more like a celebration of what young people can do when they’re trusted with Shakespeare.
For over seven years, the Shakespeare Ambassadors programme in Bradford has grown into something powerful. Students train together, lead assemblies and clubs, run competitions, and shape how Shakespeare is experienced in their own schools. They don’t just study the plays — they take ownership of them.
Some of the proudest moments have been watching students:
- speak confidently at the Young Creatives Convention in Stratford-upon-Avon
- take part in R&D workshops
- collaborate with visiting theatre practitioners
- lead learning for their peers with maturity and creativity
The report describes dedication and impact — but what I see are young people discovering that Shakespeare belongs to them.
That’s what rehearsal room pedagogy does.
It moves Shakespeare from page to performance.
From teacher-led to student-led.
From “exam text” to living language.
If this feature celebrates anything, I hope it celebrates that.
The arts matter in schools. Student leadership matters.
And Shakespeare, year after year, proves himself astonishingly relevant — especially when students lead the work themselves.
I’m incredibly grateful to be part of that journey.
If you’re a teacher curious about rehearsal room pedagogy or developing student leadership through Shakespeare, the Associate Schools Programme offers extraordinary support and professional development. The Royal Shakespeare Company regularly welcomes new schools into the programme, and you can find out more about becoming an Associate School on their website.
The arts in schools need champions — and the work is richer when we do it together.
here’s To strong coffee and stronger student voices.
Nicola ☕
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