In-Schools Touring

Bringing high quality arts experiences into your school through performances and workshops

• Animate Arts Company - The Cardboard Castle

  Explore an installation of a castle made from cardboard, full of creativity and joyful pageantry.

  About the show

  “Welcome to our most noble Order of the Art-er in this beautifully decorated Great Hall in the Cardboard Castle. This is a special gathering of pupils, teachers and artists, who will be honoured and receive prestigious acknowledgements for their individual achievements, good character and creativity. Let the ceremony begin!”

  Built in your school hall, the Cardboard Castle is a life-size art installation, made entirely from paper and cardboard. Pupils and teachers are invited to decorate the castle’s Great Hall ready for a colourful ceremony, which will celebrate everybody’s place in the castle community in full pomp, pageantry and kindness.

  Key Stage / Year Groups:

  KS1, KS2 and SEND

  Relevant areas of the National Curriculum:

  • Art and Design
  • PSHE
  • Improving health and wellbeing
  • Developing a growth mindset
  • British Values - Democracy

  Watch the video:

  About the pupil workshops

  Before visiting the Cardboard Castle, pupils and teachers will design and create their very own heraldry shield, inspired by their character, talents and achievements. In this crafty workshop participants will explore the brilliant materials of cardboard and paper, with the support of professional visual artists from Animate Arts.

  Their hand-made creations will be essential preparations and decorations to bring along to the Cardboard Castle installation as they will play a part in the performance experience.

  Teacher twilight CPD

  The makers of the Cardboard Castle will share their knowledge, expertise, tips and tricks with teachers to help create extraordinary interactive environments for your classrooms and school. In this after-school workshop, staff will develop skills in cardboard sculpture and displays, and inspire all classes across the school to get involved in the Cardboard Castle project.

  This is a fun, practical, hands-on CPD workshop, encouraging staff to be imaginative, problem-solve and work together to build and create their very own castle installation to use as a book corner/role-play area in the school.

  This CPD can accommodate the whole staff team.

  Apply Now

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  About Animate Arts Company

  Animate Arts make high-quality, inspirational art projects that creatively engage people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Nurtured by a team of professional artists, performers, and creatives, our projects bring people together through art. We build teams who work collaboratively together to create extraordinary things – often from paper and cardboard!

  

• Arvon - Creative Writing Day

  Fun and inspiring creative writing workshops led by professional writers, suitable for all abilities.

  About the show

  Arvon is all about encouraging people to see themselves as writers. We believe writing creatively supports children to grow in confidence, improve writing skills and boost wellbeing. Your school will be partnered with professional writers for the day, who will perform their own work and support pupils to develop and perform theirs. The show will inspire pupils by lifting their written words off the page and bringing the year group together to celebrate their writing. It will take place after pupil workshops, bringing all pupils together for a final celebration, with spoken word performances from the professional writers followed by pupils taking to the stage to share their written pieces authored in the classroom workshops.

  Key Stage / Year Groups:

  KS2, SEND

  Relevant areas of the National Curriculum:

  • English, especially writing and speaking
  • Wellbeing
  • Developing a Growth Mindset
  • Enrichment activities
  • Raising attainment in speaking and listening

  Watch the video:

  About the pupil workshops

  Professional writers will lead creative writing workshops with your chosen classes. These workshops will offer your pupils the chance to try their hand at writing prose and poetry, with the writers ensuring that there are multiple points of entry for pupils of all abilities.

  Teacher twilight CPD

  Working with experienced creative writing facilitators, teachers will gain insight into teaching creative writing outside of the restrictions of the curriculum. You will come away with useful tips and resources for encouraging creativity in your pupils.
  

  This CPD can accommodate up to 15 members of staff.

  Apply Now

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  About Arvon

  Arvon is the UK’s leading creative writing charity dedicated to nurturing writers of all ages. Since 1968, we have been running residential writing courses and workshops with schools and individuals. Writers Helen Mort and Lemn Sissay are among those whose passion for writing was first awakened at Arvon.

  

• Clowns Without Borders - Piranhas and Bananas

  Sharing Laughter, Sparking Change: Elevating Pupil Voice.

  About the show

  Piranhas and Bananas is a joyful interactive show that was developed with Rohingya children in Bangladesh in 2019. It’s filled with playful storytelling, physical comedy, silly walks, and even sillier noises. Flip Flop is working at Flannagan’s Fish Sanctuary. She has great ideas for the vegetarian piranhas, but no one listens. Flip Flop enlists the help of her friends in the audience, proving that even unexpected heroes can make a big difference!

  Key Stage / Year Groups:

  Reception, KS1, KS2 and SEND

  Relevant areas of the National Curriculum:

  • PSHE
  • British Values
  • Creativity
  • Wellbeing
  • Healthy Lifestyles
  • Environment
  • Developing a Growth Mindset
  • Pupil Voice

  Watch the video:

  About the pupil workshops

  Flip Flop is inspired by the imaginative ideas of children. They really help her out of some tight spots! She believes the world would be better if children were listened to more.

  This lively workshop immerses children in playful storytelling and physical comedy, encouraging them to recreate moments from Flip Flop’s adventure. It explores who gets to make decisions, what it feels like to be listened to, and how we can listen to one another to help all voices be heard. We’ll finish by showcasing the children’s ideas on how their voices can be better included in school.

  Teacher twilight CPD

  Express Your Selfie: This practical CPD guides teachers through creative exercises to boost pupil voice in and out of the classroom. Based on our work with children and insights from our board (ages 6-11), it focuses on engaging children to creatively share their thoughts, challenges, ideas, solutions, and aspirations.

  Working with games, stories and movement, teachers will gain a deeper understanding of how to create more meaningful and engaging pupil voice experiences for the children and themselves.

  This CPD can accommodate the up to 20 members of staff.

  Apply Now

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  About Clowns Without Borders

  Clowns Without Borders UK shares its trademark physical comedy, creativity and chaos to champion children’s rights. With whole-hearted participation, their joyful performances and workshops are designed to engage, inspire and delight. With a presence in 20 countries, they’ve brought laughter to more than 120,000 children.

  

• Conductive Music - Mindful Landscapes

  Interactive eco-music experience for Key Stage 2 and SEND pupils, fostering creativity and musicality.

  About the show

  Mindful Soundscapes fosters creativity and mindfulness among pupils through an artistic installation on climate change, upcycling, and environmental awareness. The interactive performance features a live plant set connected via TouchMe and MakeyMakey technology. Three trees, representing the Three Gods, narrate a story partly generated by pupils and inspired by Greek, Norse, and Southeast Asian mythology. The stage setup includes found materials and upcycled props, integrating mental health and mindfulness themes through tactile and sensory experiences and deeply engaging pupils in environmental sustainability.

  Key Stage / Year Groups:

  KS2 and SEND

  Relevant areas of the National Curriculum:

  • Music
  • Science
  • Art & Design
  • Computing
  • Physical Education
  • Mental Health and Wellbeing
  • Developing a Growth Mindset
  • British Values
  • Raising attainment in speaking and listening

  Watch the video:

  About the pupil workshops

  In the workshop, pupils create an immersive environment by experimenting with MakeyMakey technology, blending creativity and scientific understanding. They build interactive bio-sculptures from tin foil and other materials, contributing to different parts of a story. These bio-sculptures form a garden orchestra, triggering natural sounds like birds, wind, and water. Movement activities involve mimicking natural shapes and contributing to the narrative, fostering physical engagement and environmental connection. Pupils recreate the environment through group storytelling, enhancing their collaborative skills and creative thinking.

  Teacher twilight CPD

  Our teacher twilight CPD session aims to boost non-specialist teachers’ confidence in delivering the National Plan for Music Education. It integrates creativity, music-making, and environmental awareness into teaching practices. The session includes vocabulary-building story games, soundscape design, and introductions to digital tools like Google Arts and Culture and Sampler Apps. These activities enhance storytelling and vocabulary skills, provide practical experience in music technology, and familiarise teachers with digital tools for creative projects.

  This CPD can accommodate up to 30 members of staff.

  Apply Now

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  About Conductive Music

  England’s only music-led STEAM company, Conductive Music integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics through music. Recognised by the Department for Education for best practice in Music Technology, we offer unique STEAM workshops, generative AI experiences, CPD for teachers, and inclusive education for SEND and marginalised pupils.

  

• Embracing Arts - Roll Up, Roll Up

  An inclusive, interactive sensory circus adventure LIVE in your school!

  About the show

  Embracing Arts welcomes you to the big top – except we’ve lost all of our performers! We need YOUR PUPILS to entertain and show off their circus skills! Dazzle at our daring lion tamers, become tenacious tightrope walkers, show off your stealth as strong men and women, be amazed at acrobats who will throw themselves through a ring of fire! Cry with laughter at crazy, clumsy clowns. Let’s make this the GREATEST SHOW your school has ever seen!

  Key Stage / Year Groups:

  Reception, KS1, SEND including KS2 in SEND settings

  Relevant areas of the National Curriculum:

  • Arts and Creativity
  • Mental Health and Wellbeing
  • Communication
  • Speaking, listening and engagement
  • British Values - Individual Liberty

  Watch the video:

  About the pupil workshops

  Through the workshops, we delve deeper into sensory exploration and creating sensory theatre, as well as giving each pupil an opportunity to access all the sensory props featured in our show. Pupils are encouraged to learn a new skill such as plate spinning – requiring hand-eye coordination and balance. We also look at communication, and how we can include both verbal and non-verbal learners by exploring physicality, keyword signing and other sensory approaches to make learning a fully inclusive experience.

  Teacher twilight CPD

  The CPD will prepare staff for the approach that Embracing Arts uses for multi-sensory learning. There will be practical elements of using ‘everyday’ items in new ways to create an immersive, accessible learning strategy. We will explore how we can bring core subjects to life through the techniques of performance and sensory engagement. We will also give a focus to keyword signing and Social and Visual Stories to show how we, and the staff, can prepare learners to access this subject.

  This CPD can accommodate up to 30 staff members.

  Apply Now

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  About Embracing Arts

  Embracing Arts is a sensory theatre company with a mission to make the arts accessible for all. We produce sensory theatre shows, workshops and parties for children with special educational needs, disabilities and life-limiting illness, their families, carers and teachers.

  

• emma + PJ - The Shivers

  A high-octane thriller for young audiences about misinformation and learning to trust your gut.

  About the show

  The Shivers is a high-octane action-comedy for young audiences about spies, lies, and learning to trust your gut. A fox, a pigeon, and a rookie agent are on a mission to save the world – but everything is not what it seems. Exploring themes of trust, authority, and friendship, The Shivers is a dynamic and accessible parable about living in the age of misinformation. Blending live music, dance, video, and physical comedy, the show is a feast for the senses that pushes the boundaries of performance in primary settings.

  Key Stage / Year Groups:

  KS2 and SEND

  Relevant areas of the National Curriculum:

  • PSHE
  • Online Safety

  Watch the video:

  About the pupil workshops

  This creativity workshop led by writer/directors Emma Clark and PJ Stanley encourages collaboration, play, and self-reflection. Each hands-on workshop will feature activities bringing to life the world of The Shivers and its core themes, including:
  • World Building: designing heroes and villains, from Eye Spies to Miss Information’s minions.
  • Design: creating tin foil disguises and exploring how they make us move and interact.
  • Performance: devising short scenes, emphasising collaboration and improvisation.
  The workshop is designed to lift the lid on different types of creativity and can be tailored to the specific needs and interests of each class.

  Teacher twilight CPD

  This energetic CPD session takes the form of a creativity lab, bringing together teachers with devised theatre makers to explore a range of tools for tackling complex themes and subject matter through collaboration and play. Using The Shivers Creativity Pack as a jumping off point, teachers will respond to playful quick-fire devising prompts drawn from the world and themes of the show, getting on their feet and exploring through doing. Teachers will build confidence in using alternative approaches to enliven their classrooms, inspire the imaginations of their pupils, and think outside the box.

  This CPD can accommodate up to 10 members of staff.

  Apply Now

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  About emma +PJ

  emma + pj is an artist duo working at the intersection of theatre, installation, and live art. They create distinctive, dreamlike performances and playful, cinematic environments that invite us to reimagine our place in the world. Previously they were resident artists at the Barbican Centre and The Spring, and lead artists of Yardlings: Bigger at The Yard Theatre.

  

• LAStheatre - The Littlest Yak

  Adaptation of the award-winning book by Lu Fraser and Kate Hindley with beautiful puppets, catchy tunes & an uplifting tale of self-acceptance.

  About the show

  Gertie is great at being THE LITTLEST YAK, with the CURLIEST, WHIRLIEST wool and the GRIPPIEST of hooves for clip-clopping up cliffs. Only, Gertie doesn’t want to be the littlest. She’s in a rush to grow up and be just like THE BIG YAKS. But what if there are some things that only a GERTIE can do?

  LAStheatre bring The Littlest Yak to the stage in spectacular fashion. Join them for a dazzling adventure, into the heart of the Himalayas. A gorgeous story celebrating YOU being perfect… just the way you are!

  Key Stage / Year Groups:

  Reception, KS1, KS2 and SEND

  Relevant areas of the National Curriculum:

  • Art and Design
  • Creativity and Learning
  • PSHE
  • Wellbeing and healthy lifestyles
  • Literacy and English

  Watch the video:

  About the pupil workshops

  Our workshops for Reception and Key Stage 1 will focus on using drama games and arts activities to develop confidence and celebrate the things that make each of us unique.

  For Key Stage 2 we will cover the same ground whilst also providing an introduction to puppetry – creating simple tabletop puppets together.

  Teacher twilight CPD

  In the twilight CPD, we will explore the principals of using play in learning, as well as building on creative skills already familiar to teachers across primary to support different learning outcomes. We will also share flexible and adaptable games that we use in our creative practice and that can be adapted to energise or shake up dull or tricky topics.

  This CPD was first developed as part of Creative Connections, a collaboration between LAStheatre and schools across the Isle of Sheppey, delivered in partnership with ICON and The Royal Opera House.

  This CPD can accommodate up to 15 members of staff.

  Apply Now

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  About LAStheatre

  LAStheatre is an award-winning theatre company. We produce exceptional arts projects and theatre productions for, and with, communities across the UK. LAS is a word in the Irish language. It means to turn on or set alight. In all our work, we aim to kindle important conversations and ignite imaginations.

  

• Mbilla Arts - Routes to Rhythm

  An African and Caribbean Music & Dance Adventure.

  About the show

  Led by master drummers from West Africa and accompanied by high energy dancers, this performance explores the origins of West African music and dance styles, tracing its journey from the African Continent across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and influencing carnival celebrations in the UK today.

  The first segment delves into the roots of West African music, showcasing the powerful beats of the djembe drum. As the performance progresses, the narrative shifts to depict the movement of these musical styles showcasing African People’s Dance. The interactive call and response elements keep the young audience engaged and excited.

  Key Stage / Year Groups:

  KS1, KS2 and SEND

  Relevant areas of the National Curriculum:

  • Music
  • Physical Education
  • PSHE

  Watch the video:

  About the pupil workshops

  The supporting workshop includes an opportunity to learn to play the djembe drum and experience the interaction between the drum and the dance. For the first part of the workshop children learn basic drumming patterns on djembe drums and practice call and response with drums.

  The second part of the workshop involves step-by-step teaching by experienced dance teachers of African People’s Dance accompanied by live drumming. At the end there is an opportunity for solo performances within the group to round off the workshop in an atmosphere of carnival celebration with drumming and Soca music.

  Teacher twilight CPD

  The CPD will provide teachers with a concise, engaging introduction to West African music and dance as well as influences on dance styles in the Caribbean and UK, equipping them with practical skills and ideas to integrate into their teaching. The session will include:
  • Interactive exercise: call and response with drummer and participants using body percussion and voice.
  • Delivery of West African Dance and Soca: dance styles by experienced Dance Teacher Alison Ray with a step-by-step teaching of basic dance movements.

  This CPD can accommodate the whole staff team.

  Apply Now

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  About Mbilla Arts

  Mbilla Arts promotes the music and dance forms of Africa and the diaspora through performance and education programmes. Our experienced artists provide extensive expertise in arts education and performance.

  

• Musiko Musika - From the Incas to Silicon Valley in Music

  Exploring and celebrating diversity, history and geography though music with hands-on experiences of panpipe playing.

  About the show

  Musiko Musika’s visit to your school will start with a performance presenting a sequence of musical pieces illustrating the musical styles, instruments, and cultural history of Spanish speaking Latin America. Along the way pupils will learn about different instruments including from the indigenous ancient Incas, and the musical and cultural impact of the European colonisers and of the Africans brought to South America by the slave trade. Led by key performers from the group Quimantu, these exceptional musicians will be playing a wonderfully diverse selection of stringed, wind and percussion instruments from around the world.

  Key Stage / Year Groups:

  KS1, KS2, SEND

  Relevant areas of the National Curriculum:

  • Music

  • Geography

  • Modern Foreign Languages

  • Science
  • Raising attainment in speaking and listening

  • Art & Design

  • PSHE
  • British Values
  • Mental Health and Wellbeing

  Watch the video:

  About the pupil workshops

  The workshop will give pupils hands-on experience of some of the instruments, taking them on a journey from the Incas to Silicon Valley by introducing pupils to today’s world of music technology. Pupils learn to sing a song in Spanish and English and to play a simple melodic line using our specially designed panpipes. Based on a pentatonic scale, our unique “pentasikus” utilise the traditional method of playing panpipes, with pupils working together to play them in pairs. The final stage will integrate these ancient music making techniques with pupils utilising Andean sampled instruments through MIDI controlled music software.

  Teacher twilight CPD

  The CPD session is designed to inform teachers, prepare them for the performance and workshop visit and give them the skills and knowledge to utilise the follow-up resources effectively across the whole school. It will also familiarise staff with the background context of the musical and cultural content pupils will encounter, enabling them to engage participating classes and the wider school community with what our programme offers. Each school will be provided with four sets of pentasikus to keep and use for the follow-up activities as well as access to Musiko Musika’s digital resources.

  This CPD can accommodate from 2 to 20 members of staff.

  Apply Now

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  About Musiko Musika

  Musiko Musika uses world music as a tool to enable people of all cultures to express themselves through music and work together. We develop and deliver innovative music projects, programmes, and events with a social and cultural impact including creative and instrumental workshops, ensembles, training, family learning, and digital content.

  

• The Postal Museum - The Jolly Postman

  Step inside a much-loved story in an interactive show to help The Jolly Postman deliver the post for fairy tale characters.

  About the show

  Step inside the much-loved story by Janet and Allan Ahlberg in this lively literacy mission to help The Jolly Postman collect, sort and deliver the post. This interactive performance brings fairy-tale land to life in a series of magical deliveries. Pupils become a team of jolly posties using postal props, song, rhyme and Makaton signs to experience the magic of sending and receiving letters, parcels and postcards. The show is designed to support literacy learning and connects to topics across the curriculum.

  Key Stage / Year Groups:

  Reception, KS1 and SEND

  Relevant areas of the National Curriculum:

  • Literacy
  • PSHE
  • Understanding the World
  • Communication and Language

  Watch the video:

  About the pupil workshops

  This workshop puts the fictional story into a real-life context. At the end of the performance, the pupils receive a mystery delivery revealing their next mission. Back in the classroom, jolly posties put what they have learned into action to sort and send letters at sorting stations. The workshop introduces pupils to various kinds of post, develops reading and writing skills and understanding of writing for different purposes. At the end, pupils will write their own letters or postcards for The Jolly Postman.

  Teacher twilight CPD

  Led by Rosie Tells Tales, Schools and Early Years Programme Producer at The Postal Museum and an experienced storyteller and learning producer, this CPD provides a taster of the performance and the opportunities to link postal themes and creative literacy learning. Teachers will build a toolkit of approaches for a class topic based on the book.

  This CPD can accommodate the whole staff team.

  Apply Now

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  About The Postal Museum

  The Postal Museum tells the story of postal communication and its impact on a global society. We deliver first class learning experiences that connect to our collections and ensure stories around communication are relevant, inspiring and inclusive.