The 66 schools listed below are the most dedicated Shakespeare Schools: our Gold Schools. Over at least 7 years of Festival participation, our Gold Schools have given thousands of young people a unique opportunity to explore Shakespeare's stories. We want to thank them warmly for their continued commitment to arts in schools.

Ainthorpe Primary School, Hull

Ark Academy, London

Arnold House School, London

Ashcroft High School, Luton

"Do it! Take a chance, pick a Shakespeare play you love and share that with the students! Get them excited about his stories."

- On what you would say to a teacher thinking of taking part in the Festival

Ashmead Primary School, London

Bensham Manor School, London

Blacon High School, Chester

Bridgewater High School, Warrington

Bygrove Primary School, London

Caistor Yarborough Academy, Market Rasen

Clare Mount Specialist Sports College, Wirral

Colegrave Primary School, London

Coombe Girls' School, New Malden

Cranford Community College, Hounslow

Croydon High School, Croydon

Curwen Primary School, London

De Aston School, Market Rasen

Denbigh Primary School, Luton

Elmhurst Primary School, London

Freethorpe Primary School, Norwich

Gosforth Central Middle School, Newcastle upon Tyne

Greenfields Primary School, Northampton

Grimsargh St. Michael's CE School, Preston

Guiseley School, Leeds

"So many to choose from! I love being able to reimagine and interpret the plays so they are fresh, relevant and fun for the performers. Our production of A Midsummer Night's Dream set in the 80s with Ghostbuster mechanicals, punk rock fairies and a Madonna-esque Titania has to stand out for me. What always strikes me every year is how my students arrive on performance day as 'ugly ducklings' and by the time they exit the stage after their performance they have become majestic swans!"

- On a favourite Festival moment

Hadrian School, Newcastle upon Tyne

High Close School, Wokingham

Icknield School, Andover

Ivybridge Primary School, Isleworth

Kennet School, Thatcham

Langley Green Primary, Crawley

Larmenier and Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, London

Leicester High School for Girls, Leicester

Manor House School, Leatherhead

Medina College, Newport

"Many of our students have benefited from working in the Festival but one in particular changed his goal in life to become an actor through joining Shakespeare shows. He is now at Bristol university studying an Acting Degree."

- On a young person who has particularly benefitted from the Festival

Osborne School, Winchester

Our Lady's RC Primary School, Prescot

Overton CE Primary School, Basingstoke

Park Primary School, London

Peters Hill Primary School, Brierley Hill

Priestlands School, Lymington

Priory School, Lewes

Putney High School, London

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee School, Horsham

Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet, Barnet

Ranelagh Primary School, London

Redmoor High School Academy Trust, Hinckley

"If you enjoy inspiring your students, being creative, performing and Shakespeare there is no better option than the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation projects. From the opportunities for yourself, your school and the students to the smile on the students faces when they have achieved so much in a short space of time, this is an experience that will last with you and your students for a lifetime!"

- On what you would say to a teacher thinking of taking part in the Festival

Rokeby School, Kingston, Kingston upon Thames

Rosebank Primary School, Leeds

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School and Nursery, Southend

Sherbourne Fields School, Coventry

St Cuthbert's RC Primary, Durham

St John's College School, Cambridge

St Peter's School, York

St Swithun's Prep School, Winchester

St. Alban's Catholic Primary School, Cambridge

St. Stephen's CE Primary School, Bradford

Stebon Primary School, London

Sunnybank School, Aberdeen

Tettenhall Wood School, Wolverhampton

The Beaconsfield School, Beaconsfield

The Heathland School, Hounslow

The John Warner School, Hoddesdon

Upton Heath CE Primary School, Chester

"I was stood in the wings of the stage during performance night. We were half way through our performance and both the stage and the wings were buzzing with enthusiasm and adrenaline. The play, A Midsummer Nights Dream, was reaching it's trickiest scene - the play within the play. The children had struggled with this scene for weeks during rehearsals because they felt pressured into getting a laugh from the audience. I could see the group of children in the scene gearing themselves up in the wings; with a quick thumbs up from across the stage, they went for it. Everything that could've gone wrong did: someone forgot their line, a prop wasn't brought on, someone who should've walked onto the stage didn't and a lighting queue was missed.

It had the potential to completely throw the children and ruin the performance, however as I buried my head in my heads, the children remembered everything that they'd been shown and taught by the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation staff and navigated their way around all of the hiccups. It was so seamless, that the audience hadn't even noticed that anything went wrong: they were in stitches because of the children's comedic performance! The scene finished and lots of the children came off stage and met me in the wings: the sense of achievement and pride that they had was indescribable. Fist bumps, air high-fives and silent dancing filled the wings as we celebrated their achievement. It brought a tear to my eye seeing how confident the children were in knowing the play and also how comfortable they felt on stage. I don't think any of us will forget that feeling."

- On a favourite Festival moment

West Jesmond Primary School, Newcastle upon Tyne

West Lea School, London

White Hall Academy, Clacton-on-Sea

Ysgol Cwm Brombil, Port Talbot