Our Learning work combines Shakespeare’s plays with RSC teaching approaches to raise students' aspirations and attainment while building confidence, wellbeing and a deep sense of belonging in individual children and young people, their families and across whole school communities.
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There is a huge inequality in our schools. Young people’s enjoyment of writing is at its lowest since 2005, and 46% of disadvantaged 11-year-olds are unable to write at the expected level. Dry, text-heavy teaching makes Shakespeare feel elite and irrelevant, alienating students and impacting their self-belief and self-confidence. We have compelling evidence that the combination of Shakespeare’s plays and our teaching approaches improve young people’s social, emotional and academic development.
We will give young people in areas of structural disadvantage access to our high-quality learning programmes that have been proven to have a positive impact on the life chances and choices of young people. Our programmes, such as our Associate Schools Programme (reaching 145,000 young people a year) and our Shakespeare Curriculum (which 1 in 4 state-funded secondary schools have registered for since its launch in November 2025), improve literacy, boost confidence, and build self-belief.