Yesterday, the Royal Opera House welcomed almost 2,000 school children and 230 teachers for a special performance in Covent Garden. Participants from 33 schools sang together in the auditorium, accompanied by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and three Royal Opera House singers, celebrating a partnership between ROH and The Elliot Foundation Academies Trust (TEFAT) that has delivered a year of vital arts-led learning to educational settings across London, East Anglia and the West Midlands.

The project is part of TEFAT’s wider Partnership Investment Programme – a collaboration with Festivals Bridge, AND, and Arts Connect, which has worked over 3 years to support teachers as they plan, implement and deliver creative projects that improve children’s language and communication skills. Only recently, all participating schools took part in Create & Sing and Create & Design, meeting Royal Opera House artists, and drawing inspiration from Mozart’s The Magic Flute to create their own versions of scenes from the opera.

The partnership will continue next year, offering a specially tailored programme of ROH Cultural Champion Training for Arts Ambassadors in each school. Schools will be invited to take part in Create & Dance, and the Royal Opera House’s annual Create Day, building on the successes of this year and strengthening the strategic approach to arts and culture across the Trust.

Jillian Barker, Director of Learning and Participation at the Royal Opera House, said:

‘It is vital that children across the country are given access to world-class art. Through partnerships like this one, we are able to inspire the creativity of young people, build their confidence, and share the joy of dance and music with schools far from London. It was a privilege to see the event yesterday.’

The partnership is only one part of the Royal Opera House’s wider National Schools’ Programme, Create & Learn. Split into three disciplines – Create & Dance, Create & Sing, and Create & Design – the programme works to fully embed cultural learning at the heart of the curriculum, make a sustained impact in schools and communities, and improve access to quality cultural learning in communities from Cornwall to Cumbria. Last week alone, 390 children in Rotherham took part in mass performances inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, 540 children in Exeter took part in Create & Dance workshops, and 150 children in Doncaster came together for the Doncaster Cultural Education Partnership and Literacy Hub’s summer Storytelling Festival. This week, events have taken place in Essex, Rochdale (in partnership with Rochdale Music Service), Blackpool (in partnership with Blackpool & Fylde College and the Blackpool Grand Theatre) and online. The programme is completely free to state-funded schools, and no previous experience of opera and ballet is needed.