Shakespeare Week, the annual, national celebration of Shakespeare for primary school children, is returning from Monday 24 to Sunday 30 March 2025. Children and teachers will be treated to an exciting programme of activities inspired by the iconic female characters found in Shakespeare’s works.
From Titania to Lady Macbeth, pupils will explore complex emotions and feelings through cross-curricular activities, inspired by one of the world’s greatest writers, as the largest festival of learning of its kind returns for its 11th year.
Since its inception over a decade ago, Shakespeare Week has positively impacted millions of children, sparking curiosity and nurturing creativity through specially created and curated educational activities and resources provided by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT). The celebration has also supported thousands of teachers and educators to help them engage positively with a subject that is often seen as challenging.
Shakespeare Week has become an influential event in schools and with families across the UK, bringing the iconic playwright to life, and providing a solid foundation for teachers to help bridge the gap between primary and secondary school education through access to free high-quality resources.
“Shakespeare Week offers us the opportunity to work across subjects, classes and year groups to explore the otherwise daunting heritage of Shakespeare - it presents different and novel ways of approaching texts to make Shakespeare's work relatable, relevant and entertaining to younger pupils.”
Commented a teacher from Westbourne School.
In 2024, as the SBT marked 10 years of Shakespeare Week, around 2 million children in UK schools took part in celebrations and 664 new UK teachers and 124 new international teachers registered for the SBT’s free digital resources.
‘’Following the brilliant response to our 10th anniversary celebrations earlier this year, we are excited to be back for another Shakespeare Week. For 2025 we will be exploring emotions and feelings, often inspired by powerful female characters found in Shakespeare’s plays.
Shakespeare’s timeless works explore complex characters and emotions including friendship, fear, passion and jealousy – emotions that we all feel. Exploring these emotions through creative outlets, such as drama, dance and art can help young children understand the world around them, boost self-esteem and develop empathy, vital skills for entering secondary school and adult life.’’
Commented Sally Gray, Shakespeare Week Project Manager at the SBT, the organisers of Shakespeare Week.
This focus on the female characters is part of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s three-year project ‘The Women Who Made Shakespeare.’
Exploring Shakespeare’s Characters
Leading up to and during Shakespeare Week, organisers have promised a vibrant programme of events planned in Shakespeare Hub regions across the country, as well as free family-friendly activities in the playwright’s home of Stratford-upon-Avon.
To empower primary school teachers, home educators and parents with the confidence and expertise to teach Shakespeare, and explore the theme in fun, innovative and accessible ways, the SBT will also be publishing free cross-curricular resources exploring emotions and feelings and broadcasting a series of special events in the run up to and during the week.
New resources for 2025 include Volume IV of the SBT’s popular Will’s Word Warrior series. Volume IV will explore Shakespeare’s words and phrases linked to emotions and feelings and provides ways for children to talk about their own experiences.
The SBT will also be exploring Shakespeare’s female characters in new videos, online assemblies and video resources, including a new poetry workshop from Michael Rosen. More details will be announced soon.
‘’With the array of free high-quality events and cross-curricular resources, closely linked to the National Curriculum, Shakespeare Week provides an excellent way for teachers to bring Shakespeare to life in the classroom.’’
Added Sally.
The new Children’s Folio will be at the heart of activity, with 10,000 copies distributed in the first year of publication to schools and libraries across the UK, making Shakespeare’s works accessible to thousands more children.
Produced in partnership with Walker Books, the Children’s Folio retains Shakespeare’s original language whilst distilling the essence of each play to make it easily performed by small groups of children.
Shakespeare Week 2025 runs from Monday 24 to Sunday 30 March 2025. Teachers and home educators are encouraged to visit Shakespeare Week to register for free resources and stay updated.