London, UK – 28th January 2020 – A collaboration between the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Welcombe Hills School (Stratford-upon-Avon), and Samsung Electronics UK, has scooped a top prize at this year’s BETT awards. Winning the ‘Collaboration With A School’ category, the accolade was awarded for a two-day Romeo and Juliet school takeover on the 10^th and 11^th June 2019 delivered by the school and RSC Education using Samsung technology.

The BETT awards recognise excellence and innovation in the use of technology in the classroom and the winners were announced at the prestigious ceremony at the Troxy in London (Wednesday 22^nd January 2020). The judges were particularly impressed by the impact that the project had on the whole school, with over 180 students at Welcombe Hills participating in the two-day event. The pupils are aged between 3 and 19 years and have a wide range of additional needs including complex Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD), Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) and Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Welcombe Hills has a long history of working with the RSC and is the Lead Special School in the RSC’s Associate Schools Programme

https://www.rsc.org.uk/education/associate-schools-programme

Samsung Gear VR and Gear 360 cameras and the use of multi-technologies transported the children directly into the world of Romeo and Juliet. Students designed costumes on the interactive Samsung Flips, created their own soundscapes on Samsung Galaxy tablets and participated in a stage combat masterclass. Different areas of the school were transformed into Friar Lawrence’s apothecary, a bustling marketplace and the tomb where the main characters meet their tragic end. As well as extracts from the text, a series of touch switches, props and interactive projections throughout the school allowed the students to physically explore the play’s language, themes and setting through site, smell, taste, touch and sound.

Other activities included converting the climbing frame into Juliet’s balcony; designing promotional short videos or trailers for their own versions of Romeo and Juliet; pizza making; mask-making; and creating invitations for Capulet’s ball.

Jo Bradley, Assistant Headteacher, Welcombe Hills School, said, “Shakespeare’s plays are timeless and the extraordinary storylines and powerful characters naturally appeal to our young people. The school was buzzing with excitement. The pupils were challenged and inspired. Teachers found new, creative approaches which could be used across the whole of the curriculum and we demonstrated how we could use Shakespeare as a catalyst to progress in all other curriculum areas.”

Jessie Park, Head of CSR for Samsung Electronics UK, said, “We are honoured to be recognised for our work with the RSC and Welcombe Hills School at the prestigious BETT Awards. It was rewarding and humbling to see our technology open up opportunities for all of the students to engage in the activities and we’re grateful for everyone’s passion in making this programme possible.”

Images of the project: https://images.rsc.org.uk/images/assetbox/8684f28b-5773-4a53-8ab1-fc4a1cb1646e/assetbox.html

Welcombe Hills School is the first Lead Special School in the RSC Associate Schools Programme, powered by Samsung. The Associate Schools Programme – involving 246 schools, almost 1000 teachers and nearly 140,000 students every year – aims to widen access to Shakespeare’s work, live theatre and theatre-making.

Over two days in June, over 180 students at Welcombe Hills participated in a wide range of immersive and multi-sensory experiences in order to explore the themes, characters and key scenes in Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the activity innovative technology was used to tailor the experience for each student depending on their needs. With the support of RSC Education Associate Practitioners, every student was able to take part in sessions that enabled them to explore Shakespeare’s text through the use of technology and engage in the world of the play through the eyes of different characters.

Samsung Gear 360 cameras were used to help students film moments from the play that were being explored by their peers and then put themselves in the heart of the action through viewing the footage on the immersive Gear VR headsets. Students were also invited to take part in a creative digital costume design activity on the Samsung Flip – taking inspiration from costumes used in previous RSC productions of Romeo and Juliet. Students also had the opportunity to create their very own text-based soundscapes using easy to use music editing apps on Samsung Galaxy tablets.

Staff at the school also delivered classroom-based activities to engage students in the play, including designing trailers for their own version of Romeo and Juliet, mask-making, a multi-sensory exploration of a Verona marketplace, and creating invitations for Capulet’s ball. Students even took part in Romeo and Juliet activities in the hydrotherapy pool.

After the visit from Samsung and the RSC in June, Welcombe Hills Schools then joined 536 Associate Schools pupils from across the country in early July to present their interpretations of Romeo and Juliet on the RSC’s Swan stage.

Aleyne Johnson, Director of Government Relations & External Relations, Samsung UK said, “We are proud to support the RSC’s fantastic outreach programme enabling children and young people across the country to engage with vital cultural experiences that enrich our lives. It’s been rewarding to see how technology can play a role in widening access and tailoring learning for students at Welcombe Hills and we hope they had a memorable time.”

Georgia White, RSC Regional Associate Schools Manager, said, “As the only Lead Special School in the RSC’s Associate Schools Programme, Welcombe Hills continues to demonstrate a wonderful range of creative ways of introducing Shakespeare to all of the students at the school, adapting activities to meet the different needs of their students.

“The two days were a fantastic opportunity to bring Romeo and Juliet to life for 181 students in a way that was vivid, accessible and enjoyable for all. Staff at the school worked extremely hard to ensure that the students were engaging in activities that introduced or developed their understanding of the text, themes, characters and key scenes in the play. The different uses of technology in each of the activities really helped to immerse the students in the play, offering experiences that could be adapted for all.”

Jo Bradley, Assistant Headteacher, Welcombe Hills School, said, “Our long-standing relationship with the RSC has enabled our students to bring Shakespeare to life through multi-sensory approaches. Pupils have enjoyed playing with the language and exploring the themes of many of Shakespeare’s plays throughout their time at school. The Romeo and Juliet takeover was a true collaboration where we were able to explore how technology can play a part in engaging pupils with Shakespeare’s work. Pupils of all ages and abilities were immersed in the world of the play: each classroom became a different setting in the play, and actors and teachers worked in role. It was a truly memorable experience which saw an increase in pupil engagement and communication.”