After months spent learning their cues and lines, children from a Norfolk primary school were heartbroken when the coronavirus lockdown cancelled their school play.
Year five and six children from St William’s Primary School, in Thorpe St Andrew, were due to perform their version of the Jungle Book, which they had been rehearsing since January, on Tuesday, March 31.
But, before the school had to close because of the coronavirus lockdown, the play was postponed until June.
“We knew it might not happen, and we didn’t want to keep hopes up,” said headteacher Sarah Shirras.
“And there was a lot of sadness when the school had to close.”
As the play sadly couldn’t go ahead, the school asked children and staff to film themselves speaking their lines and singing Bare Necessities.
Mrs Shirras said: “The song seems really relevant, don’t go out apart from for the bare necessities, it’s a positive message and we all sang together.
“I think anything that makes people feel they belong to a community beyond their homes is really important at the moment, we’re all in small spaces and the more we keep people connected, that’s positive.”
With more than 72 speaking lines written for the year five and six children, most of the children sent in their lines and part of the song for the heartwarming video.
“But some of the children were a bit shy. One of the mums told me her daughter was too sad about the play being cancelled to speak her lines,” Mrs Shirras said.
“But now they’ve seen their friends have done it, and staff, and even me, and we are planning to do more of these videos.”
Staff at St William’s have, like many teachers, been working hard to ensure children can still learn and be involved with their school during the lockdown.
They have been busy making craft packs to give to children at home, and pooling teaching resources for free onto their website for any parent - not just those with children at the school - to use for home schooling.
“Plays are a big part of school life. We want to keep people busy but not put any pressure on anybody, ” Mrs Shirras added.
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