A BINGLEY school marked the end of a three-year partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company with a celebration of the Elizabethan period.

In 2013 Bingley Grammar School was awarded Royal Shakespeare Learning and Performance Network Status. It meant the school became a “hub” for how the works of the world’s most famous playwright are taught locally.

Several other schools worked with Bingley Grammar, and by the end of the three year project it was estimated that around 4,000 students had benefitted from the partnership.

It came to an end at the close of the 2016 school year, but the school has said it plans to keep Shakespeare an integral part of its teaching, using what has been learned over the past three years.

Pupils marked the occasion with an Elizabethan Day at the end of term.

The day saw jousting tournaments, drama workshops, and fencing lessons so pupils could learn to replicate the swordplay that is an important part of many of Shakespeare’s plays.

It was the school’s third Elizabethan Day, they have been running since the partnership started, and was the biggest yet, with over 340 Year 5 students from local primary schools attending alongside the grammar school pupils.

One of the highlights of the partnership was a performance of Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Alhambra Theatre, featuring many of the partner schools.

The performance also feel as the country was marking the 400th year since Shakespeare’s death.

Other schools in the partnership include Buttershaw, Crossflatts Primary, Eldwick Primary and Harden Primary schools.

The schools, the RSC and the Alhambra Theatre worked together to give teachers at the schools the skills necessary to teach Shakespeare in a more active way, using techniques similar to those used in RSC rehearsals.

And the project is an award winning one - it was named winner of the Business in Schools Award at the Telegraph & Argus School Awards in March.

The Elizabethan day saw Macbeth come to life through all day drama workshops run by RSC trained staff aided by Year 8 students.

Crossflatts Primary students also worked on a project with the school’s art department, creating a large mural which is now displayed in school.

The day involved several different subjects, including history, English literature, drama and art to celebrating the era and its most famous son.

Fiona Clayton, Programme Developer for RSC Education said: “We have been working with Bingley Grammar over the past three years alongside their Regional Theatre Partner, The Alhambra Theatre in Bradford.

“Throughout that time the school has lead an innovative programme of work with its own staff and students and a cluster of other local schools.

“It’s been a privilege to work with such committed and enthusiastic teachers, senior management and students. A range of exciting work has taken place in classrooms and in performance and it’s been a great pleasure to see the project develop in Bingley and Bradford.”