Ava Hunt Theatre have been creating theatre and drama workshops to support year 5/6 pupils to prepare for transition to secondary school, and how to manage friendships and wellbeing at a time of change.
Our first tour Journeys of Destiny performed to almost 3,000 pupils and families, winning The Arts & Culture Award. 58% of children said working on Journeys of Destiny made them feel more confident. During the post Covid years, we worked closely with headteachers creating bespoke workshops addressing conflict within relationships, and the role that social media/whats app groups contributed to isolation and mental health issues. Children said: “they have taught me ways to feel better“, “preparing for all the stuff that’s gonna happen” and “... new things to relax”.
There is significant research to suggest that transition from primary to secondary school can be stressful and impact negatively on the children’s wellbeing. Transition, or the “middle years”, contributes to rising rates of anxiety and depression among this age group (the74million.org). This is reflected more widely by levels of anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts for young children increasing across the UK (Newlove-Delgado et al., 2021) with one in seven primary-aged children experiencing a mental health disorder in the UK (NHS Digital, 2021).
Drama can contribute to managing our feelings, providing valuable opportunities to express our thoughts and emotions safely without judgement in a safe, empowering and creative space. In August 2025 a new study by D. Barlow et.al said as a result of drama children identified they felt more confident and had gained a sense of agency. Pupils noted that drama workshops “helped them by reducing fear (e.g. ‘Not as scared of big school as talked about it in class’) and helping them prepare for secondary school”.
Children said: “It has helped me improve”, “Be kind to others” and “I feel confident and happy and great!” “friends are more important than coolness”
Teachers said:
“It helped them to understand that not everything is as we see it –
communication is key in any relationship”
“Made the children think about their and others’ emotions. Use of drama to explore feelings and language Not enough opportunities for drama”
“Lovely mixture of joy, sadness, fun and humour brought with music, song and dance. Excellent.”
In the summer of 2026 we produced an abridged version of Way Too Cool, with songs, scenes, and drama all integrated into a 75 minute participatory workshop. Working with only 30 pupils at a time, this version could be delivered in a small classroom or school hall, giving allthe children opportunities to develop their critical thinking/reflective skills and practising resolving conflict within friendships. The workshop enabled even the quietest pupils to participate, teachers said: “It was really nice to see a pupil who struggles with academic work engaging so much with the material and having a great time! The children clearlty enjoyed it very much!”
Please contact us about our Wellbeing & Transition Drama Workshops in Summer 2027 – enabling more children to access inspiring theatre/drama work to address and contribute to greater compassion and wellbeing not just at a time of transition to secondary school, but skills that will support them to navigate change into young adulthood.https://www.youtube.com/embed/2q2nFMj_eaE?start=2&feature=oembed
Supported by funding from Crich Parish Council, Amber Valley Small Grants, Foundation Derbyshire and individual donations the workshops were accessibly priced allowing the smallest of rural schools to be able to receive this high quality educational arts experience.
