The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and Foyle Foundation joined by leading actors, today launched the RSC Shakespeare Curriculum, a revolutionary new way of studying Shakespeare using the latest learning technology and innovation.

The Shakespeare Curriculum is the most important development in the teaching of Shakespeare in a generation and will radically change how Shakespeare is studied and taught in secondary schools across the UK and around the world. It responds to ongoing concerns from teachers and young people about the way in which Shakespeare is experienced by many in school, with the aim for 80% of all UK secondary schools to use the Shakespeare Curriculum by the academic year 2029/30.

The first resource of its kind and free to use for all state and SEND secondary schools, it distils the RSC’s award-winning teaching approaches into a digital platform that has everything teachers and students need to teach and learn about Shakespeare, immersing them in the creative world of an RSC rehearsal room. Grounded in the techniques used by actors and directors, the Shakespeare Curriculum takes students beyond their desks, unlocking language, character and themes and fostering vital skills for school, life and work.  The RSC Shakespeare Curriculum has been created with major investment from the Foyle Foundation as one of the key projects recently announced for the long-term legacy of the foundation.

Approximately 2 million young people in the UK study Shakespeare in any given year. From a 2012 study by the RSC and British Council, approximately 50% of school children in the world study Shakespeare and his plays each year. The Shakespeare Curriculum turns Shakespeare’s 10 most studied plays into a 24-part creative learning adventure, bringing the RSC’s unique blend of theatre practice, research and digital innovation into schools. Drawing on thousands of unique archive resources, and decades of world-renowned productions featuring leading actors in defining performances, it will put young people in control of their Shakespeare learning.

The platform uses the rehearsal process as the framework for teaching and learning and creates opportunities for young people to experience first-hand some of the creative decisions made by actors, directors and creative teams working in theatre. The Shakespeare Curriculum has been developed in collaboration with Charanga, a specialist provider of digital platforms and technology for music and arts education.

The RSC Shakespeare Curriculum is now live at shakespearecurriculum.com