Learning

Creative Learning blog:

We are all learning and we love learning together. We collaborate with schools, usually in long term partnerships, to help them serve their students better. This work is usually made bespoke but there are favourite projects that continue to be in demand. We also help train teachers and share our experiences with university students. A small fraction of these projects are highlighted here, many more can be found in the archive (you can filter searches in all kinds of useful ways).

Free lesson offer to A level and GCSE Drama Departments

The Classroom Stage

The Classroom Stage

Teachers learn how to use Stan’s Cafe’s rehearsal room techniques to improve their teaching of English in Primary Classrooms. Supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Teacher Development Fund.

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Creativity Collaboratives

Creativity Collaboratives

Working with nine primary schools from the Elliot Foundation using artistic collaborations to help children flourish. Projects so far range from a show about the English Civil War to a school TV news programme. An Arts Council England Creativity Collaboratives project.

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Precious Emily

Precious Emily

Ten Birmingham primary schools each make their own play about the iconic weightlifters Precious McKenzie and Emily Campbell for the Birmingham2022 Festival.

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Billesley Primary School

Billesley Primary School

A journey from ‘Special Measures’ to ‘Outstanding’ via a host of artistic learning collaborations in a long term partnership.

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Saltley Academy

Saltley Academy

A long term collaboration with a secondary school that includes minor light touch interventions and projects with whole school impact.

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Maths in schools

Maths in schools

We enjoy the challenge of collaborating with schools addressing non-arts areas of their curriculum. Maths is one of our favourite subjects to tackle.




  • Five new productions in July
    In the next two weeks we open five new productions. This is a major challenge, fortunately we have four hundred and fifty students and their teachers all helping us. First […]
  • A Tour Of The Indus
    At the start of 2023 we worked with St. Matthews Primary School where children explored the Indus and learning about its people, its history and its geography. With our Associate […]
  • The View From The Stage

    The Classroom Stage has been a two-year programme with have run supported by the Paul Hamlyn Teacher Development Fund. One of the fund’s priorities is that “all those involved are positioned as learners”. This includes Stan’s Cafe Associate Artists who were partnered one to each of our ten schools.

    Here Carys Jones reflects on her own journey working as an Artist on The Classroom Stage with Years 3, 5 and 6 at St Gerard’s Catholic Primary School.

  • Birmingham Blitz: With Creative Collaboratives
    Year 4 have just made and performed Birmingham Blitz, a theatre show about World War 2 with an eye to local history, involving some design technology skills and a bit […]
  • A Teacher For Our Friends
    We are looking for a talented teacher/theatre maker who is excited by the chance to teach two or three terms of drama with our friends at Saltley Academy in East […]