Shakespeare Week, a national annual celebration giving primary school-aged children opportunities for enriching and enjoyable early experiences of Shakespeare, kicks off from tomorrow.

Coordinated by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Shakespeare Week, which runs from 16-22 March, offers cross-curricular resources and activities to educators and families, inspiring them to explore Shakespeare in creative and cross curricular ways. All participating teachers and home educators can access hundreds of resources covering the breadth of the curriculum.

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust say: “Shakespeare is a named author on the curriculum in 65% of countries, studied by around half of the world’s schoolchildren every year. He has been hailed as the UK’s greatest cultural export, and the foremost reason why people are proud to be British. Yet many British children encounter Shakespeare only in their teens as a mandatory subject studied for exams. Many grow up to regard Shakespeare as difficult, and not for them, and in turn are very unlikely to introduce their own youngsters to his works.

“Shakespeare Week opens the door to Shakespeare and ensures that children are given a chance to have a great first experience with one of the world’s most famous playwrights.”

Shakespeare Week provides the tools for schools, home educators, families and cultural organisations to offer children across the UK enriching and enjoyable early experiences with Shakespeare.

While some Shakespeare Week events have been cancelled in the wake of concerns about the coronavirus, some local events in libraries are taking place. Families and home educators can also register to access free resources on the Shakespeare Week website.

Shakespeare Week