Building Partnerships

A 20-Year Story of Arts Impact

In 2026, the RSC marks 20 years of transformative partnerships with schools, theatres and communities across England.

Across two decades, the core principles - combining Shakespeare's plays, our rehearsal room techniques and working in long-term partnership - have remained the same. But in that time, clear lessons have emerged.

We've found consistently that power lies in local leadership, and that schools and theatres thrive when they create work that responds directly to the needs of their own communities.

Today our Associate Schools Programme is a thriving network of 280 schools and 16 regional theatres across England. At a time when national priorities focus on skills, regional renewal, growth and opportunity, these groundbreaking partnerships show how the arts - starting in schools - unlock opportunities, address inequalities and improve learning and life outcomes.

CELEBRATE WITH US | OUR WORK AND FINDINGS | THE NEXT CHAPTER

CELEBRATE THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY

Building Partnerships: A 20 Year Story is a series of events and performances taking place this autumn to celebrate the work and to set out the next chapter for partnerships between schools and arts organisations, including:

NEXT GENERATION: FACTORY

We have commissioned a new verbatim piece of theatre from LUNG, a multi award-winning campaign led arts charity. It will be performed by our Next Generation: Act Company, and supported by young trainees from Next Generation Direct and Backstage.

16-19 September

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BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS: A 20-YEAR STORY ARTS SYMPOSIUM

We will host a public arts symposium, giving colleagues from across the cultural and education sector the opportunity to share learnings from 20 years of partnership work in schools. Keynote speakers will be announced soon, and it will feature a special performance of Factory.

18 September

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FIRST ENCOUNTERS: JULIUS CAESAR

Our annual tour to schools and partner theatres will be a re-mount of Phyllida’s Lloyd’s 2012 Donmar Theatre production of Julius Caesar with Harriet Walter in the starring role. The show will vist five schools around England before coming to The Other Place.

5 - 28 November

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YOUNG CREATIVES FESTIVAL

Co-curated by the RSC’s Youth Advisory Board, this event will see up to 200 young people gather at The Other Place for an inspirational programme of workshops, panel discussions and debates, examining themes of justice, governance, leadership and the power of words to inspire and affect change

21 November

MORE INFO TO COME

OUR WORK AND FINDINGS

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What began as a centrally led programme to enrich classroom experiences of Shakespeare has evolved into a locally driven network, with schools and regional theatres collaborating in response to the unique strengths and needs of their communities.

Over 20 years, these partnerships have deepened engagement for thousands of young people, strengthened teaching practice and connected communities across the country.

This work provides an evidence-led model for devolving power and investment to local leadership, enabling schools, arts organisations and communities to come together to deliver tangible benefits and better outcomes for young people.

“I can’t remember what I was like as a teacher before I did this.
I’ve been utterly transformed.”

Teacher feedback on Associate Learning Practitioner training

OUR EVIDENCE BASE

The 20-year evidence base we have built through our partnership work with schools and theatres is irrefutable and robust. It proves the very real difference that an arts rich education makes to a child’s life and learning outcomes.

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Time To Listen (2018)

This study questioned over 5,500 state educated young people, who consistently told us that - while they deeply value the arts as a vehicle for developing agency, critical thinking, processing emotions and boosting well-being - the message they receive from others and society at large is that the arts are of little value to them.

The study also revealed that a third of the students only ever accessed the arts through school.

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Time To Act (2024)

This major research study revealed that the combination of Shakespeare’s plays and language, and the RSC’s teaching approaches significantly accelerated and improved language and writing skills.

It also positively contributed towards children’s wider social, emotional and academic development.

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DCMS Youth Survey Report Pilot (2024)

Key findings included lower participation rates in arts/cultural activities among young people in the most deprived IDACI (Index Deprivation Affecting Children Index) quintile.

Only 56% of young people in the most deprived areas participated, compared to 76% in the least deprived areas.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT
CLA Report Card (2025)

In the Cultural Learning Alliance’s second annual Report Card, findings include: where a child grows up, and their family’s socioeconomic status, are significant social determinants in whether or not they will pursue Expressive Arts options from the age of 14.

This clear socioeconomic disparity in young people’s access is refered to as an ‘Arts entitlement gap’.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT
Rapid Evidence Reviews (2026)

With the Cultural Learning Alliance (CLA), we co-commissioned Rapid Evidence Reviews (RERs) on the value of Dance, Drama, Music and Art, Craft and Design in education.

Findings suggest that Arts Education has tangible, often transformative, effects on children and young people’s skills, knowledge, identity, engagement, agency and wellbeing. However, research gaps remain.

Our RER Summary Report, written by Professor Pat Thomson, calls for more rigorous research into these vital educational experiences and the establishment of an Arts Education Evidence Hub – a digital platform for the collection, curation, and dissemination of valuable research and evaluation data related to Arts Education.

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DISCOVER OUR RESEARCH

KEY FINDINGS

Our key findings are that the arts are an essential entitlement for all children, and that all children, irrespective of background, should have an arts rich education, which offers the following lifechanging benefits:

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Improved educational attainment
Improved language development, cognitive engagement, critical thinking and creativity
Improved wellbeing, resilience and emotional literacy
Improved relationship with school and attitudes to learning
Improved self-belief and belonging
Closes the gap between children from the most advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds

We know that young people who experience an arts rich education do better at school, are more likely to go to university, get a job and become happier, healthier, more active, engaged citizens.

THE NEXT CHAPTER

Over the past twenty years, our understanding of partnership has changed profoundly.

This programme no longer belongs to the RSC alone; it belongs to the schools, teachers and regional theatres who have shaped it with us. That is perhaps its greatest strength.

Together, we have learnt a lot, and will be sharing what the next chapter looks like in due course.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

For 20 years, our extraordinary partners have shown us just what’s possible when educators and artists work together.

Now we celebrate that 20-year story and the partnerships we’ve built together.

Tomorrow is about sharing the lessons we’ve learnt and empowering more schools and arts organisations to do the same - so that every child, in every postcode, has the chance to unlock their potential and thrive.

With heartfelt thanks to every leader, teacher, theatre practitioner, artist and young person that we have worked with over the years. Without you, the last 20 years would not have been possible.

OUR THEATRE PARTNERS OUR SCHOOL PARTNERS

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