Secondary Schools

At Highly Sprung, we use our expertise and unique approach of physical theatre to explore a range of secondary curriculum topics, and to enhance GCSE and A-Level Drama and Dance.  We offer a selection of ready-to-go workshops, delivered by artists in your school. We also offer bespoke workshops, residencies and performances to suit the needs of your students and empower their learning. 

2025 Secondary Workshops

Workshops are available to book for a half-day or full-day, with one artist per 30 students. 

 

Devising Workshop 

Kick-start your GCSE or A-Level devising module with practical devising tasks from the Highly Sprung rehearsal room.

This physical theatre-led session fosters creativity and collaboration. Building confidence, it will leave students feeling energised, brimming with ideas and with the power of possibility! Sessions can be inspired by a stimulus of your choice, and will equip and up-skill students with innovative tools for devising performance work. 

Physical Theatre Introduction 

An exciting introduction to Physical Theatre.  Students will learn to create impactful performances through our methodology, and will explore the 3 C’s: Contact, Chorus, and Characterisation.

This immersive, ensemble-based experience encourages students to think outside the box, building creativity and courage to convey powerful messages through movement. 

Choreographic Process 

This workshop supports GCSE and A-Level Dance choreography. It provides a springboard for ideas and develops choreographic toolkits.

Students will be guided by a Highly Sprung artist to explore the creation of original movement and choreography. They will be supported to develop movement ideas into exciting and creative choreographed pieces, for solo or group work.

Young people wearing all black are smiling.

“Working with Highly Sprung my students have learnt how to explore and develop their own voice through fun and engaging physical theatre practice.

And this in turn has deepened their understanding of their subject, developed their critical thinking skills and for many, improved their final GCSE grade.”

Teacher 

Performance Making

Turn your class into a performance company. Work intensively with a Highly Sprung artist in an exciting 2+ day residency.  Students will create an original piece of performance, inspired by a a theme, story, historical figure or subject of your choice. The piece can then be used in-house for your assemblies, school shows, a sharing… it’s your call! 

Play-in-a Day

Transform your students into theatre makers in just one day! This is a fast-paced, focussed session across one day, where a year group or multiple groups collaborate in making a piece of theatre from start to finish. 

A group of Highly Sprung artists can work with a whole year group or a variety of groups. Our artists will lead students to collectively produce a piece of original performance, that can then be shared with the wider school community.  

You could also focus our artists’ attention on a specific group of young people, such as a GCSE group, gifted and talented or pupil premium cohorts… See how far they can fly!

Young people wearing all black are smiling.
A group of children are all wearing monotone colours and standing in a clump together. The room is lit with purple lights. The children are all reaching to the left, with varying amounts of height.

Ready to book a workshop? Simply fill out our form below. 

The Physical Fellowship

The UK’s only festival of physical theatre for young people, established over fifteen years ago by Highly Sprung.

This vibrant programme takes place annually in the summer term, culminating in our festival week each July at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry. 

11 to 19-year-olds are invited to dive into the world of physical performance through devising, masterclasses, workshops and performances. It often provides further opportunities to work behind the scenes through a Young Producers Collective.

A dark stage, with a blue-lit backdrop and an image of the sun. On stage are 2 young people reaching their arms up towards the sun.

2025 SEN Workshops 

Workshops are available to book for a half-day or full-day, with one artist per 30 students. 

Story-telling, Story-exploring 

An engaging sensory workshop which dives into students’ favourite books, celebrating the power of storytelling with movement. Explore characters, themes and storylines through movement and creativity. Uncover the deeper meanings behind the words and bring the pages to life, in a dynamic, collaborative environment.  

Movement and Me

Embark on a journey of self-discovery through movement. Designed to celebrate individuality, this session guides students through varied, engaging and embodied exercises, encouraging them to explore their unique ways of moving. Students will then create their own dance pieces either in groups or individually. Fostering creativity, expression and collaboration.

Ready to book a workshop? Simply fill out our form below. 

“Our students, who are autistic, really engage with this. Especially the idea of expressing themselves through the use of movement.”

Teacher

Residencies 

Transform your school and inspire creativity with a Highly Sprung residency.

Our workshops and activities foster creativity, collaboration, and confidence among students. With a proven track record in primary and secondary schools, we support teachers in enriching their curriculum, creating an inspiring environment where students thrive and express themselves through performance.

We can tailor a bespoke residency programme for you and your school. This could range from artists coming in to deliver weekly workshops, to Highly Sprung looking after your entire school performing arts provision. 

Get in touch to discuss your needs and to see how we can support your school.

“Highly Sprung have been working in our school for the past 4 years…Their work has contributed to a cultural change within the school and created an environment where students are much more tolerant of each other… through their brand of physical theatre.” – Deputy Head, Coventry

A group of young people dance in a rehearsal room, standing in a line.
A group of young performers on stage, lit up in pink and blue. They are holding several large piece flowing pieces of blue material.

Live Performance 

Be inspired by the magic of live, professional performance… in your school!

Highly Sprung’s award-winning productions fuse aerial artistry, storytelling, physical theatre and circus. Our shows captivate students, uniting STEM and the arts while fostering creativity and excitement in young minds. Our performances can be seen by up to 500 audience members at a time and can easily fit into one of your school’s lessons.

We have a range of live performances tailored to different age groups, themes and curriculum areas.  

Get in touch to discuss your needs and to see how we can support your school.

“Most of our kids will have NEVER been to the theatre. This has probably been their first ever arts experience and it will have a massive effect on them moving forward.”

Teacher at our 2024 Accelerate tour 

There are 2 women and a man against a pink background, wearing white wigs and colourful costumes. The man has his arms out to the sides and is looking shocked, while a woman listens to his heart.
An outdoor performance. In the middle of a square, there is a tall aerial rig and a woman wearing a long dress made of rubbish and plastic bags.

Book Your Workshop

Let’s go! Fill out our form below to book in your school. 

 

For tailored workshops, residencies or live performances in your school, please email schools@highlysprungperformance.co.uk

We’d love to talk to you, hear more about what you need, and make sure we can create something that is just right. 

A line of people are holding each other around the back of the neck. There is a person from of them lunging forward with their arm stretched out.

Want to know more?

Read more about the unique methodology that informs our work with children and young people, or explore our offers for Primary Schools. 

How we work

 

With over 20 years experience working with children and young people, our signature approach and methodology sits at core of each of our educational programmes. 

 

Primary Schools

Our Primary School workshops and residencies get children out of chairs and into the classroom, using embodied learning and movement to help them experience and understand the curriculum from a new and fun perspective.