What the charity pays for and the school registration fee

The total cost to SSF for each school's participation is £1,918 and we ask state schools to contribute just over half of this - £979 + VAT.  SSF makes up the difference through rigorous fundraising, selling tickets to each performance and through the souvenir merchandise we sell. We ask independent schools to pay closer to the unit cost - £1,575 +VAT, and again we make up the rest.

We believe the Festival is incredibly good value. With a maximum of 35 participants per school it works out at about £28 per pupil for a state school. We also know that it’s important to understand exactly what a school can expect for the fee. Here is a comprehensive list of everything included.

Support and Training

• A Teacher-Director CPD Workshop, led by our creative associates - experts in directing Shakespeare with young people.
• An additional CPD workshop for special school teachers on inclusive practice.
• A half-day drama workshop for your students, hosted outside of school and led by industry professionals.
• Technical resources & support to add light and sound to your show.
• Regular contact with a dedicated regional Coordinator, and on-going support from everyone in the SSF office- no question is too small!

Resources

• A Teacher-Director Handbook: a step-by-step guide to the Festival process
• Access to the BackStage area of our website. Here you’ll find your Festival schedule, important reminders and a resource library chockablock with scripts, workshop notes, digital games, video clips, marketing resources and much more.
• Access to the Green Room where you can share tips and ideas with other Teacher-Directors.

Schemes of Work

• Primary School Citizenship scheme based on Hamlet.
• Secondary School English scheme based on Shakespeare’s language.
• Special School classroom activity set.
• Primary, Secondary and Special school Democracy scheme based on Julius Caesar.

The Performance Day & Experience

• Hire of your local professional theatre for your performance, including box office, theatrical technicians, lighting, sound, and marketing.
• Support with the promotion of the performance night, including posters and personalised marketing flyers for each school.
• Professional photos of your cast by partner Splaat Media. Photos are charged separately, and are available for parents to purchase on the performance night.
• Recognition! You’ll get a live appraisal on stage from a theatre professional after the performance, a written appraisal emailed to school and certificates of achievement for each Teacher-Director
• The experience of a truly exhilarating performance in a professional theatre in front of a paying audience.

We'd love to talk you through our work. Please do give us a call on 020 7601 1800.