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SEND and SEMH Schools

An image of school students exploring different textures used in theatre design, as part of the NT Shirling Backstage Walkway

SEND and SEMH Schools

At the National, we make world-class theatre that is entertaining, challenging and inspiring. And we make it for everyone. Therefore, we know we need to adapt, develop and be responsive to the needs of all the people we work with. 

The opportunities listed here can be adapted to enable you and your students to gain the best experience possible. We have previously adapted our learning programmes in different ways which we hope will be useful examples for you. If you’d like to discuss how you can be involved in any of our work and how we can form an effective creative partnership, please get in touch. 

This page will be updated as and when the NT building reopens for Learning activity, but in the meantime we are continuing to deliver a programme of work online, so do contact us for more details. 


New Views

New Views encourages students to write their own play and has been created with students at every secondary school and further education college in the UK in mind. Past adaptations have included bespoke writing resources, partnering with playwright mentors with a specific skillset and additional support staff or resources for sessions or when visiting the theatre.  


Connections

Each year the National Theatre commissions ten new plays for young people to perform, bringing together some of the UK's most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow. The plays are produced by 300 youth theatres and drama groups who between them cast over 6,000 young people from every corner of the UK. To make our productions accessible we have a collaborative process for adapting and abridging the plays to support the different needs of groups, along with providing additional support during the rehearsal process and for the transition to the Partner Theatre festivals. 

NT Collection

The National Theatre Collection makes the best of British Theatre available worldwide to libraries, schools, universities and the wider education sector. Our unique collection presents high quality recordings of 30 world-class productions, giving you the best seats in the house whenever you want. 

NT Collection is free to UK state schools, all the plays are captioned and there are additional learning resources alongside each play. It may be appropriate to use extracts of plays such as Treasure Island, Peter Pan and Romeo and Juliet with young people exploring performance.  


Let's Play

Let’s Play provides state primary schools across the UK with everything they need to create outstanding theatre and performance and to embed creative learning across the curriculum.  

Let’s Play consists of: 

  • CPD courses for teachers delivered by professional theatre artists in all aspects of theatre-making and creative learning, designed to support everything from end of term productions to short performances for assembly. 

  • A portfolio of plays specially commissioned for children at KS1 and KS2 to perform. 

  • Teacher toolkits and digital resources bursting with ideas for how to build creative learning into teaching practice across the curriculum. 

Previouscollaborations with SEND/SEMH schools have included working to adapt and abridge plays to support specific needs of groups and CPD on inclusive practice in theatre making.