RSC to train teachers in ‘rehearsal room’ techniques to boost pupil outcomes

A new research programme led by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) will see the theatre company train teachers in a bid to improve pupils’ writing skills.

The research is one of 11 initiatives funded by the Education Endowment Fund (EEF) to assess how different approaches can improve children’s writing or maths skills.

The Rehearsal Room Writing project builds on the success of previous RSC research – Time to Act – which demonstrated a link between RSC ‘rehearsal room’ approaches to teaching Shakespeare and improvements in children’s writing and language skills.

Between now and June, the RSC is calling for expressions of interest from Year 5 primary school teachers across England. Successful applicants will be split into two randomised groups – one intervention and one control group.

Intervention teachers will attend five training sessions at the RSC’s Stratford-upon-Avon base, where they will learn how to use rehearsal room techniques such as games, freeze frames, soundscapes, character profiles, images and choral readings to explore Shakespeare’s plays.

These techniques will then be applied to their own teaching for 20 hours over the 2026 spring and summer terms.

Both control and intervention groups will ask students to develop a series of written responses, which will be independently analysed by researchers from NFER and the University of Exeter to assess the impact of the intervention on children’s attainment and writing skills.

A final report from EEF will assess the effect on pupils’ writing ability, their belief in their writing ability, and their enjoyment of writing, alongside their teachers’ perception of their ability to teach writing.

RSC director of creative learning and engagement Jacqui O’Hanlon said: “We know from the research we’ve conducted that when children embody the action and language of Shakespeare’s plays, they make significant progress in oracy, communication, language acquisition and writing.

“For many educators, constraints on time, funding and resources prevents them from trying new ways of teaching. EEF-funded research provides impartial, trustworthy evidence about teaching approaches that transform young people’s learning.”