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Each year, as part of the syllabus, schools in the Northampton Primary Academy Trust (NPAT) study a different Shakespearean play; learning about the story, language, and historical context. In addition, all children in year 5 work with the Silhouette Youth Theatre to learn scenes from the play, culminating in a performance at The Royal Theatre in Northampton.
As part of this the schools' team at St Peter’s Church, worked alongside the school reflecting on the themes within the Shakespearean plays and considering the Christian values represented.
In 2023 this was done through sessions of collective worship, as well as some Sunday afternoon sessions, looking at the story in Romeo and Juliet. Whilst in 2024, prayer stations were created to consider the themes of the Merchant of Venice.
These prayer stations were designed with the different ages of the school children in mind; with more direction and movement for the younger children and more space for reflection for the older children.
In 2025 the school chose to consider Henry V over a two week period which saw the team initially work with the children exploring the themes then invite them to visit prayer stations. This enabled them to bring faith and the themes of the play together and reflect on the play but also their own lives too. They considered how we can pray for, and be, people of peace; how we discern God’s will for our lives, including by praying the Lord’s Prayer; how we use the power we have and its effects on other people, and how we face our fears.
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The prayer stations were then moved to the church where children aged between seven and ten years old, from nine different schools, visited across a week.
The majority of the children had not been into a church before, and so time was made at the beginning and end of each session to tell the children about the church itself and what Christians do. They were fascinated to discover that they were in a building that was already 300 years old when Henry V fought at Agincourt, and to learn the name of the rectors during the time of Shakespeare.
In order to make all this happen a team of 24 volunteers was needed. The St Peter’s team were grateful to be joined by volunteers from St Benedict’s, Hunsbury, and Emmanuel, Northampton, as well as being joined by the Director of Lighthouse Trust Northampton.
The Revd Beverley Hollins of St Peter’s, Weston Favell said ‘the project was greatly enjoyed by the children and their teachers, as well as by our volunteers, and we’ve already arranged for one of the schools to make a return visit.’
The project has been discussed on the Growing Faith Foundation podcast, and in due course the stations will be made available via the Prayer Spaces in Schools website.