POLKA THEATRE EXPANDS SCHOOLS PROGRAMME TO REACH THOUSANDS MORE CHILDREN ACROSS LONDON AND SURREY
POLKA TO PROVIDE 10,000 FREE THEATRE TICKETS TO CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS IN LONDON AND SURREY IN 2026/27, FOLLOWING ALMOST 17,000 REQUESTS FROM SCHOOLS LAST YEAR
SUCCESSFUL CREATIVE CONNECTIONS AND TALKING TALES PROGRAMMES EXPAND TO MORE SCHOOLS, SUPPORTING CREATIVITY, ORACY AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS
NINE NEW SCHOOLS TO TAKE PART IN WRITE HERE WRITE NOW PROGRAMME DURING THE NATIONAL YEAR OF READING
POLKA TO TOUR NEW PRODUCTION, REBEL, REBEL, DIRECTLY INTO LONDON SCHOOLS FOR FREE, AND MARKS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR HELEN MATRAVERS’ DIRECTORIAL DEBUT FOR POLKA
Polka Theatre’s Artistic Director and Joint CEO Helen Matravers, Executive Director and Joint CEO Lynette Shanbury, and the whole team at the Wimbledon venue today announce an expansion of Polka’s schools programme for the 2026/27 academic year. The expansion will enable thousands more children across London and Surrey to experience live theatre and take part in Creative Learning programmes, developing literacy, communication, confidence and creativity.
Polka will increase the reach of a number of its schools programmes over the coming year, responding to growing demand from schools and providing more opportunities for children and teachers to experience live theatre, develop creativity and build confidence. This has been made possible thanks to the very generous support from The Garek Trust and other funders.
Polka’s annual Curtain Up! programme, which provides free theatre tickets to children who may otherwise be unable to experience live performance, will increase from 9,000 to 10,000 free tickets in 2026/27. More than 100 state primary and special schools across London and Surrey will benefit, helping to ensure that cost is not a barrier to children experiencing live theatre. The expansion follows significant demand during 2025/26, when Polka received 16,749 requests for free tickets.
One teacher from a Curtain Up! partner school said, “Most of the children had never been to a live theatre show until experiencing Polka Theatre.”
Following the successful completion of its two-year Talking Tales pilot, Polka will now roll the programme out to 10 additional schools, supporting more teachers and children to develop their oracy, communication and presentation skills.
The pilot worked with teachers from six partner schools, exploring how drama and storytelling can be used in the classroom to help children become confident communicators. Feedback from teachers and school leaders showed that Talking Tales has become more than a programme of activities, acting as a catalyst for lasting change in teaching, learning and school culture.
One teacher said, “The structure of the training has been completely unique. In Talking Tales, we had CPD and then direct support to move that into the classroom. At first our Polka Practitioner modelled the sessions with our children, and then he shifted into more of a mentoring role. I don’t know of any other training like this.”
An English Lead at a Talking Tales partner school added, “Talking Tales is the kind of project I’d tell any school or senior leader to grab with both hands.”
The need for programmes supporting children’s communication skills continues to grow. Research shows that 31% of children are now starting primary school without the expected communication skills for their age, rising to 47% among children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Children who struggle with language at age five are also significantly more likely to fall behind in reading and writing later in primary school*.
With oracy set to become part of the new National Curriculum from 2028, Polka’s work with schools is increasingly focused on helping children build the confidence and communication skills they need.
One headteacher said, “Children who never put their hands up now go into the middle of the circle, speak loudly and are coming up with ideas that I would never have thought of.”
Polka will also continue to expand Write Here Write Now, its creative literacy programme supporting children to develop confidence, language and creative writing skills through storytelling.
Over two terms, children from partner schools take part in weekly creative workshops with Polka practitioners, developing their own stories before seeing them brought to life on Polka’s stage by professional actors in front of their families, friends and peers.
The programme has delivered particularly strong outcomes for children experiencing low confidence or literacy challenges. In the previous year, teachers reported that 90% of pupils became more creative with their ideas, 86% improved their language and vocabulary, and 86% improved their creative writing skills.
With 2026 marking the National Year of Reading, Write Here Write Now will work with nine new schools during 2026/27, continuing Polka’s work to help children discover the joy of storytelling, reading and creative expression.
One teacher described the impact on a child who initially lacked confidence: “When X began, he was quiet and lacked confidence. Over the 20-week programme, X transformed in confidence, becoming an enthusiastic contributor and willing to step into the spotlight. By the end, he had transformed from one of the quieter children into one of the boldest voices in the group and has a strong sense of his voice in the world.”
Furthermore, Polka’s Creative Connections programme will also expand, growing from six to eight schools following a successful pilot year. Working with whole school communities, the programme provides in-depth opportunities for children and teachers to engage with theatre while supporting schools to develop a lasting culture of creativity.
The 2025/26 pilot received an average satisfaction rating of 9.5 out of 10, with schools particularly highlighting the impact of giving drama a higher profile across the school and creating “a buzz about going to the theatre”.
One partner school said, “The children have experienced moments of pure joy and have lasting memories - so important when you come from a disadvantaged background and do not experience life beyond home, school or the local area.”
Polka will also tour a production directly into schools across London for free for three weeks, reaching around 2,000 children who may otherwise face financial or logistical barriers to visiting the theatre.
Following a studio run at Polka in the new year, Rebel, Rebel, written by Nessah Muthy, will tour to schools across the capital. The production marks the directorial debut of Polka Artistic Director Helen Matravers and explores the impact of the Suffragette movement through the eyes of a mixed-race, working-class young girl in 2027, whose own activism is making her a target for bullying at school.
It is the third consecutive year that Polka has toured a production directly into schools, ensuring that children who may otherwise be unable to visit the venue do not miss out on experiencing live theatre.
Polly Simmonds, Director of Creative Learning at Polka Theatre, said: “Building on the evidence and learning gathered through our programmes, we are delighted to be extending the reach of our schools programme in 2026/27. We want to strengthen our partnerships with schools and continue to demonstrate the transformative role that theatre and the arts can play in children’s education, creativity and confidence.
“We are incredibly grateful to all our funders for their generous support. Their commitment is making it possible for thousands more children and teachers to experience the power of theatre and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to be creative, find their voice and experience the joy of the arts.”
Lynette Shanbury, Executive Director and Joint CEO at Polka Theatre, said: “As we start a new school year, we know that demand from schools for our work is higher than ever. With plummeting A level and GCSE entries for drama and arts, we have to pay attention to the start of children’s time at school.
“It is vital to embed the arts with children and the teachers who inspire them from the very beginning of their learning lives - it is where theatre begins. That first experience of visiting a theatre, and bringing drama into the classroom, can be the launch point for a life of confidence, creativity and achievement. That's why the expansion of our schools work is so important right now.”
Polka Theatre opened its doors in 1979 as the UK’s first theatre venue dedicated exclusively to children. It is one of just a handful of dedicated children’s venues in the UK, presenting a year-round programme of shows produced by Polka and from visiting companies. Last year over 125,000 people visited Polka’s venue in Wimbledon, with a further 45,000 reached through touring shows, in-school projects and community programmes. Polka’s sector-leading artist programmes includes the biennial Polka Playwriting Award and Catapult artist development scheme. Polka’s facilities include flexible rehearsal and workshop spaces along with two performance spaces: the Y C Chan Theatre has a 300-seat capacity, and the Adventure Theatre can seat up to 90.
Polka also offers a full programme of Creative Learning activities. Last year over 27,000 children and young people took part in these Creative Learning activities, and Polka worked with 269 schools, including distributing over 9,000 free tickets to schools through their Curtain Up! Scheme, with a further 10,000 free tickets committed to distribute this academic year.
Polka is a community hub and vital resource, open 6 days per week, 50 weeks per year at a challenging time to be a sustainable public venue. It offers step-free access, free-to-access play spaces and a cosy and welcoming café and shop.
*Source of Data: National Literacy Trust
