Festival Fridays: A Joyful Year of Creativity, Connection and Confidence
Festival Fridays at Chichester Festival Theatre has once again celebrated a remarkable year of growth, creativity and transformation. Now in its sixth year, this inspiring alternative education programme continues to offer Year 5 pupils a joyful space to reconnect with learning through imagination, play and meaningful relationships.
Designed for students who may be at risk of disengaging from school, Festival Fridays gives young people a creative curriculum that nurtures confidence, communication and curiosity. Spending one day a week at the theatre, children step into a world where storytelling, drama, music, movement and hands-on making brings learning to life. For many, it becomes the day they look forward to most and becomes twenty percent of their year 5 learning journey.
The team at CFT work closely with teachers and families to ensure every student, including children with a diverse range of needs, feel understood, supported and ready to thrive.
A newly developed creative curriculum has helped strengthen links with classroom learning, while still placing imagination at its heart. Children explore history through Viking adventures, build puppets, develop circus skills, and improve their speaking and listening through poetry and performance. One highlight of the year was the introduction of individual LAMDA exams. Every single student achieved a Distinction—an extraordinary accomplishment that deeply boosted their self-belief.
Feedback from students, parents and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive. Children reported feeling braver, happier and more able to focus and teachers noticed increased resilience, confidence and teamwork. Parents spoke movingly about improved attendance, reduced anxiety and the joy of seeing their children shine.
With exciting plans for the year ahead, Festival Fridays remains a powerful reminder of what young people can achieve when they are given space to be creative, courageous and completely themselves.
Festival Fridays is a unique creative learning programme which has been running since 2019, (with an extended pause during the Covid pandemic) at the Chichester Festival Theatre (CFT). Festival Fridays equates to twenty percent of each participant’s learning over the course of the year, is Ofsted approved and follows National Curriculum guidance across the majority of required subjects including History, Art & Design, Physical Education, Writing, English and Oracy.
CFT are especially proud to be prioritising a yearlong creative learning programme that empowers young people to flourish creatively, whilst enabling them to develop confidence, self-esteem, decision making, and practical, social & communication skills. One of the keys aims is to equip young people with the tools and strategies to become more resilient, particularly as they approach the huge transition from primary to secondary education.
Feedback from parents
You have transformed my child’s life. I know how important this has been for them, and I will forever be thankful. You have no idea what it has done for them at home, school, and with making new friends. I wish everyone could do this.
This has been the highlight of their week and has indeed been a life changing experience. Providing this holistic approach to learning and creativity is a unique gift that would be of benefit to so many more children and hopefully will continue. Thank you so much for the incredible opportunities through Festival Fridays.
I must tell you how fortunate we feel to have had the opportunity of Festival Fridays. These sessions have given our child a real sense of connection and an outlet for creativity. As the weeks have passed, I have watched them become increasingly engaged in the theatre workshops and find a new social independence as their confidence grows.
It has been really good to have such positive male role models for the boys and girls... sadly life doesn’t always bring this to their lives. Although confident in some areas, my child was a nervous wreck in class assemblies, speaking alone, and similar events in Year 4, and now what a transformation!!
Feedback from teachers
We identified the children who were going to take part in the project as those who would really benefit from an opportunity like this. For example, one has an EHCP for ADHD and this was discovered during Year 3. They try incredibly hard with learning but are significantly behind in all areas that require them to write and record any responses. They are incredibly articulate and have a brilliant mind – particularly for science and technical areas of the curriculum. They find learning hard, and a busy classroom can be a very difficult place for them to navigate. We knew we wanted to provide an opportunity for them to build self-esteem and belief in themselves, and when this opportunity came along it seemed to be perfect!’
Thank you so much for allowing us as a school to be involved in this project. We really value it, and it has made a tremendous difference to all the children who have been involved. I think they are incredibly lucky to have had such a wonderful opportunity!
Pupils haven’t faltered from wanting to attend the sessions, and haven’t ever said they don’t want to go! They talk about friends made through the project and very happily indeed about the experiences there.
Everyone in school was very pleased that they were shining brightly in experiences at the theatre. They came back each Monday and were happy to share with us what was happening. They have now got a secure group of friends in school who they are able to connect with and spend time with at break.
