SHAKESPEARE
Banking on Shakespeare
Vanessa Brown has
Spooks Code 9 on television) in the title role of Juliet, school students and rubbed shoulders with some of
and James alexandrou (who played martin Fowler in them who were the groundlings, as they made their
engaged her students in
Eastenders) as Romeo (both pictured, right). entrances and exits.
When the letters of invitation were issued to our year Our students were absorbed: they laughed and
9 students, their reaction was swift – the permission enjoyed the kisses between Juliet and her Romeo, and
Shakespeare with the help
slips were handed back more quickly than I have ever were engrossed by the bawdy banter and gestures of the
experienced. Nurse and mercutio when they met.
of the Globe Theatre and
the difference in class readings of the play has In 2009, I am happy to report that Shakespeare
been immense – the pupils even consider the effect of a is still reaching out to the younger generation by
its Deutsche Bank schools
punctuation mark in their delivery of a line. entertaining them and warning them not to “press
Basically, the Globe theatre/Deutsche Bank before thy father to a grave” – a timely plea now as it
project. She explains how it
initiative has helped the students to bring the play ever was all those years ago.
to life. I really do get a sea of hands when I ask for I will leave you with some of my students’ thoughts
volunteers to read. on the production itself.
all worked
the year 9 students are keen to respond to activities, “the ways in which the actors used the stage and
like giving advice to the actor/actress playing a role, moved were good.”
and their confidence when speaking Shakespearean “Costuming was excellent as there was a contrast
ES, I know that banks have not got English has significantly increased. between the old and new styles of fashion.”
Y
the best of images in these “credit Lest I forget, teachers were also catered for – I “mercutio was funny.”
crunch” times, but one at least is received, alongside colleagues from other schools, “Juliet’s party costume was that of a swan to
putting its money back into state a whole training day of drama-based activities at show us that she is graceful.”
education to good effect in tandem Shakespeare’s Globe run by Bill Buckhurst, the director “I thought it was excellent.”
with Shakespeare’s Globe. of the Globe Education Romeo and Juliet production. “the actors’ body language was perfect.”
Due to Deutsche Bank’s Not only did I thoroughly enjoy the training day, many thanks must go to: the Globe team
funding and the Globe Education programme, our but it also made me revisit my approach to the teaching – Beth, Bill, Keren, Chris and Yolanda, and
year 9 students have received free professional acting of Romeo and Juliet – truly a case of teaching an old the Deutsche Bank for its continued funding
workshops run over a number of weeks and free “dog” (of the House of montague) new tricks. over the years of this highly beneficial
tickets to see the Globe Education production of When the day of the actual performance dawned, it programme. Now back to the essay
Romeo and Juliet. was perfect – the weather was bright and best of all dry writing… SecEd
the difference made has been tangible – the students (ideal for viewing a play at the Globe).
see Shakespeare’s play of the “star crossed lovers” as a there was a real sense of excitement and enjoyment • Vanessa Brown is head of English at The
living, breathing drama and not just as a text which as mercutio (Shane Zaza) paraded around the stage in his Ravenscroft School in north London.
they have to write essays on as part of the national party costume (a Superman outfit with the underpants, of
curriculum. course, worn on the outside), while Juliet quite literally
Further information
the workshops run by the delightful and charismatic “swanned around” dressed as a pure white swan. Shakespeare’s Globe has created a website to
Keren (a Globe theatre practitioner) were inventive, the lively nature of the company of actors really support the Deutsche Bank project, which has sections
funny, practical, and well structured. endeared them to perhaps the toughest of audiences on language, character and motivation, themes and
all the students were catered for and they did mock – a full house of adolescents. the fight scenes were issues, and text in performance. access the site at
finger fencing, freeze frames, learned voice control (pitch energetically presented and the sense of loss was www.playingshakespeare.org
and tone), learned to show emotions through actions, and palpable. the National Strategies has recorded this
interpreted lines in a variety of ways to name just a few the set in particular complemented the characters, performance of Romeo and Juliet to make a podcast.
of the many activities. with Juliet’s bed adorned with her teddy bears and You will be able to download this for free from
Every student who attended the workshops was then dollies which conveyed to the audience her extreme april. the National Strategies also has a teaching
invited to see the production of Romeo and Juliet at the youth. Shakespeare area on its site and teaching resources.
Globe theatre with Lorraine Burroughs (who was in the actors made constant eye contact with the visit www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/nationalstrategies
Notes and jottings Independent thinking
Charity never faileth Let’s talk real education
I’m at Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School in is doing some of his/her development in another WHatEvER HaS happened to education? In recent However, to return to GCSE science – this is
Canterbury – not the loveliest school building I’ve educative setting as well as ours. weeks the media have been overflowing once again the same course that a well known headteacher was
ever been in, but I’m not here for the architecture. Go and look at what goes on in your local part- with stories, debates and criticisms about school able successfully to prepare his students for in a
I’m not here for mainstream, weekday work time performing arts school if you don’t believe me. examinations, as though schools were all about 90-minute intensive session. One has to ask what are
either. It is Saturday morning and the place is If my experience is anything to go by, you will be examinations and not about educating children and these examinations intended to test? they seem more
thrumming with the sound of music – and dance made very welcome. young people in a much wider way. like driving tests, short answers based on superficial
and drama. these stories have also implied that there is an knowledge and a hurdle to be jumped, rather than a
this is one of the 600 franchised branches I attended a funeral recently at which the late woman’s ever-increasing rift between the state-maintained and real test of deep learning or understanding. are these
of Stagecoach theatre arts, which teaches daughter movingly read aloud that startling, famous independent sector. I suppose that “schools of examinations fit for purpose?
performing arts skills to four to 16-year-olds. passage from 1 Corinthians 13, “charity never different sorts getting along just fine together” Surely we are working in schools
Each weekend Stagecoach at Canterbury faileth…” and so on. is not news. Nor is it news that more than to educate children, to open their
works with nearly 200 children. I sit in I hadn’t read it for a while so I 90 per cent of independent schools take minds to exciting possibilities and
on several classes. heard it afresh and it set me thinking GCSE and a levels or that only a tiny to inspire passion for subjects or
It’s jaw-droppingly impressive. the about assessment and Einstein’s handful of independent schools have activities rather than just to prepare
teaching – Lorna Robinson directing wonderful comment: “Not moved entirely to International GCSE, them for some examination or
a group of 11 to 13-year-olds in everything that can be counted International Baccalaureate or Pre-U. other?
drama and Pete moody getting them counts and not everything that Recent headlines have announced I have had a very good day
to sing music theatre numbers with counts can be counted”. I have that candidates can resit GCSE science today – among the meetings with
real panache, for example – is of the latter on my study wall and, 45 times. this figure is reached by individual parents and staff, the
the highest quality. Staff-student if I were secretary of state for adding up all the individual modules emails and letters, I have watched
relationships are excellent. and the education, I should require it to be and multiplying them by the number of 36 children aged five perform Eddie
youngsters are astonishingly confident, displayed on every classroom wall in opportunities during the years of study to take the Penguin Saves the Planet. Later
but with high levels of self-discipline the country. the examinations. Interestingly, when modular while I was teaching Latin to year 9
and commitment. Whether it’s St Paul’s charity – by a levels appeared with their unlimited we discussed (unplanned, I confess)
Yet, as the man who runs all this, former which he meant love, of course – all numbers of resits, many commentators how the Romans used the Latin word
comprehensive school deputy head alan those Einsteinian unquantifiables, wrote about declining standards and less connected with “breath of life” for their
Goodwin, points out: “this is not – or Shakespeare’s “quality of demanding examinations, but no-one beloved, while we use “heart-throb”
emphatically not – about producing the mercy” which “is not strained”, the pointed out that if you can resit as often and this led us to French “chou” and
next Darcy Bussell, Keira Knightly, or most important things in life are as you like and reject any grade which English “sausage”, “sugar” or “honey”
Lee mead. immeasurable. So what price all those you do not wish to keep, you are virtually and food’s connections with love…
“It’s a supplement to all-round trivial government statistics, league bound to end up with a 100 per cent pass this afternoon, teaching year 11
education which teaches teamwork, tables, and fuss about levels? rate and increasing proportions of higher citizenship we enjoyed debating whether
develops self-assurance, and a sense of It’s far more important for teachers grades. Britain really was a democracy and how
can-do which readily transfers itself to to develop thinking, feeling, well- Now, the number of resits has far we the people actually ruled.
other things.” rounded human beings with an informed been limited and retaking is positively Finally, just to wreck the stereotype of
He also says that, incidentally, it widens thirst for learning and an educated urge to discouraged by many universities. However, hostility between the sectors, after school I
cultural knowledge. If they sing a bit of My make a difference to the world. But you can’t in order to discriminate between the many a attended a meeting with colleagues from our long-
Fair Lady they get to hear about Pygmalion measure it. grade candidates we are to have an a* grade at running Southwark state-independent partnership,
and George Bernard Shaw. meeting Kiss Me Did you know, incidentally, that when, every a level and universities are now announcing whether planning a conference on “pupil voice” for pupils
Kate leads back to Shakespeare’s The Taming of three years, PISa (the Programme for International they will make offers expecting an a*. from eight local schools in June.
the Shrew. Student assessment) tests attainment across 400,000 Basically, an a* means achieving over 90 per cent meanwhile, in another part of our school, pupils
It is all too easy for we mainstream teachers 15-year-olds in 54 countries, Finland always comes in a2 modules – I have never quite understood why from our neighbouring comprehensive were listening
to undervalue – or even criticise – out-of-school out top? and yet it is the only country in Europe we need grades when we have precise numbers, but to a visiting history lecturer on the issues of Indian
pursuits (max or Evie should be at home doing my which has no national testing at all until the age of that’s another story. meanwhile, this year our students independence in 1947. Perhaps education is alive and
maths homework, not cavorting about all weekend). 18. testing does not raise standards. have already received offers from Cambridge to well after all, but no-one seems to be talking about it.
actually, I think we should be warmly read science which demand four a levels all with an
encouraging about activities such as Stagecoach, • Susan Elkin is a freelance education journalist and average of over 90 per cent at a2 – the much vaunted • Marion Gibbs is headmistress of the independent
because indirectly it makes our job easier if a pupil former teacher. forthcoming a*aa offer pales beside this! James Allen’s Girls’ School in London.
SecEd • March 26 2009 
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