Preparing to transition to secondary school is a big moment for many students, and it deserves to be marked like any special occasion. But, before they go, it’s important that they get the chance to say a proper thank you and farewell to the school that has seen so many of their ‘firsts’ in life. So, how can teachers make their leavers’ last days at primary school extra special? We’ve put together some brilliant Year 6 leavers’ ideas to make their departure unforgettable.

Finishing primary school marks a significant milestone for your year six pupils, and they will undoubtedly be feeling a mix of emotions. A leavers' assembly can address this moment perfectly, with so many different ways to include every student and help them say goodbye. At the School Musicals Company, we believe the best goodbyes for year six students include meaningful primary school leavers' songs.

Nervous and excited to make the leap from primary to secondary school, Year 6 students will undoubtedly have buckets of energy to burn come the end of the summer term! Putting on a Year 6 leavers' musical is a great way to say goodbye as a community and keep their minds focused in the run-up to starting ‘big school’. 

As World Book Day approaches, we’re celebrating classic literature through the joy of music. In this blog, we cover World Book Day activity ideas and provide free resources, like songpacks and a lesson plan, so your students can learn about these much-loved stories.

As an event filled with happy memories, leavers' assemblies help Year 6 pupils end their primary school journey on a high before starting their next schooling adventure.

Discover a lesson plan that could be applied to any of the script-samples provided. This World Book Day lesson would work for upper key stage 2 or Year 7 pupils to introduce an ambitious, high-quality text to your classroom, no matter the age or ability

For National Storytelling Week, we’re encouraging schools to tap into the rich tradition of storytelling through music. In this blog, we explain how musicals are feasts for the mind as well as for the eyes and ears, and perfect activities for National Storytelling Week in the UK.

Singing is one of the most joyful activities anyone can participate in, especially children. Whether they’re belting out some musical show tunes, nativity songs or assembly songs, your children are guaranteed to feel the benefits of singing! In this blog, we’ve listed 12 reasons why children should sing to their hearts' content, in the classroom and outside of school, too!

Many schools incorporate singing and music into their assemblies, but why? Well, singing songs in school assemblies can build a sense of community and belonging among students and teachers alike, while boosting self-esteem and offering a creative means of self-expression.

There’s nothing like a song or two to add a bit of pizzazz to a school assembly, especially when there’s already excitement brewing around an upcoming celebration! There are so many events in the school calendar, from Easter to Christmas, and just as many opportunities to warm up those vocal chords with seasonal songs. We’ve done our best to whittle down our favourite seasonal songs to a list of eight.

Performing in a school musical, whether that be a fairy tale or an adventure is a rite of passage full of fun for students, parents and teachers alike! It’s not only a creative outlet and educational tool for primary school leavers and secondary school students, but also a great way to work on essential skills like confidence, speaking and teamwork.

Everyone’s mental health is as important and unique as their physical health, but past stigma has limited people’s understanding. Raising awareness about the significance of mental health involves teaching new generations about what good mental health looks like and how to ask for help.

Putting an eccentric spin on the traditional nativity play, Camel-Ama-Ding-Dong is a show unlike any other you’ll see staged this Christmas! Told from the perspective of a pack of party-loving camels, with witty dialogue and seven original songs from seasoned nativity storyteller Niki Davies, this is one of our funniest nativities for primary schools and a perfect way to round off the first term for younger students.

Performing in the nativity is a rite of passage for children worldwide and has been part of the English evangelical tradition since the medieval period. While the spiritual importance of the nativity is as true today as it was hundreds of years ago, being involved in the nativity has become an integral part of our annual Christmas celebrations, while facilitating social and emotional development in young children.

School life never stops moving or adapting, especially when it comes to creative pursuits and extracurricular activities. In this blog post, we reflect on the ways in which school musicals are changing and offer tips on putting on your own production from our Founder, Tom Kirkham.

Bringing the Christmas story to life for a brand new generation, Hushaby Nativity is a charming take on this traditional tale that is sure to instil some excitement in your younger students. Told from the perspective of the barn animals that witness the birth of baby Jesus, this gentle nativity for primary school children has singing stars, snoring sheep, and a lovely lullaby to round off the performance.

Looking to create a memorable harvest assembly? Whether you're planning for KS1 or KS2, we've got plenty of fun and educational ideas to help you celebrate the season and make learning about harvest exciting and meaningful. Check out our tips and resources to get started!

There’s no better way to celebrate World Environment Day than with a sustainability assembly packed with engaging activities and thought-provoking songs. With youth icons such as Greta Thunberg making a stand against climate change, children are more eager than ever to contribute to a sustainable society, but how do we broach environmental issues with primary school students? In this guide, we will offer our advice for creating an effective and appropriate sustainability assembly, from our ideas on what to include and how to structure your assembly, to suggestions of school musicals with sustainable themes as an alternative to an eco-assembly.

From historical and religious elements to a sense of community, here are four harvest celebration activities and ideas to enjoy.

Sometimes, it can be tricky to come up with fresh drama workshop ideas. Anyone who has ever developed a primary school musical or a youth production for a drama club will know that rehearsals tend to follow a rather standard format: warm-up, practise songs, work on the staging and movement of songs, block a scene, and finish with another song.

Adapted from Lewis Carroll’s iconic children’s novel, Wonderland the Musical will take your audience on an absurd adventure that will ignite the imaginations of children and parents alike. Follow Alice as she falls down the rabbit hole, takes part in nonsense games and frustrating tea parties, and narrowly avoids losing her head! Capturing the illogical brilliance of Carroll’s original text and featuring eleven original songs composed by our contributing writer, Kate Belcher, this article dives into discovering when your students would love Wonderland the Musical as their next summer show!

Inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s original fables, The Jungle Book School Musical is an energetic, entertaining, and evocative adaptation of this beloved literary classic. Experience the adventures of Mowgli, Baloo and Bagheera as you have never seen them before, as they confront tigers, jackals, monkeys and members of their own wolf pack in an effort to return order to the jungle. Packed with witty dialogue, exhilarating action scenes and nine original songs to boot, read on to discover why we think The Jungle Book School Musical would make the perfect summer show for younger and older students alike!

Auditioning for a school musical can be an exciting and rewarding process. It is the first opportunity for children to hear about the story being told, the characters they could play and the songs they will sing. So, why are auditions often so stressful for teachers and pupils alike? 

As a leavers musical, there cannot be many to rival Pantastic for sheer joie de vivre. Tom Kirkham and Matthew Crossey’s exhilarating adaptation of the adventures of Peter Pan, Captain Hook, the Lost Boys and Tiger Lily has been delighting schools and youth theatres all over Europe since its publication in 2016. So, what’s the secret? What makes it such a great leavers musical, and why do children, in particular, love it so much?