PUPILS at a Litton Cheney school have been getting into the Shakespeare spirit as part of a range of activities to celebrate National Shakespeare Week.

As well as dressing up as characters from Shakespeare’s plays, pupils from early years through to year six at Thorners Primary school have been learning more about the world-famous playwright and his works.

Students have been looking at the Bard’s plays in detail during class, and this Thursday groups of children will perform their own version of a scene from either Shakespeare’s Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Romeo and Juliet, in front of parents.

Elaine Marshall, literacy co-ordinator at Thorners, said both parents and pupils have been supportive of the project which is coinciding with the school’s book week.

She said: “It’s something very different to what we usually do, and I think the children are going to get a lot out of it so they are familiar with the text and the language.

“It’s designed to immerse them in it, hopefully in an accessible way for them." because they will have been immersed in it.”

Mrs Marshall said the children and parents have gotten stuck in with the activities and seem to be enjoying it, mentioning how many people used ears on the fancy dress day to dress up as Bottom from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

She said: “I’m doing Shakesperian insults with my year three and four pupils, which I thought they would enjoy, and we looked at some of the sayings he created too.

“Also, on March 23 Blue Sky theatre company is coming to do a workshop on The Tempest.”

She said the activities were important for capturing the children’s imaginations and getting them interested in reading and performing Shakespeare for fun before they have to study it for exams in secondary school.

“Hopefully the children have a really good time - it’s to introduce them to Shakespeare’s language, teach them about his world in his time, and take them back to the past to show them what it was like.”