Delivering inspiring GCSE revision workshops with Shakespeare’s Globe

Recently, our Oxford Revise team worked with expert practitioners from Shakespeare’s Globe to deliver dynamic, performance-based GCSE revision workshops to bring Shakespeare to life and boost student confidence.

Over 450 schools across England entered a competition to win one of these bespoke workshops, designed to make Shakespeare and revision more accessible. 11 schools were selected as winners and received a tailored workshop, Oxford Revise goodie bags, and study resources.

Becki Bradshaw

Head of Revision and Test Practice

“We are delighted to work with Shakespeare’s Globe to make revision more accessible and bring English Literature set texts to life through these interactive workshops. We know how daunting revision can be, and together with the expert practitioners at Shakespeare’s Globe and Oxford Revise’s three-step approach, we hope that students will be able to sit their mock and future exams with confidence.”

Our award-winning Oxford Revise revision guides aim to give learners the knowledge and confidence they need to sit their exams across Key Stage 3, GCSE, and A Levels. To achieve this, we have combined the experience of our subject and revision experts with research-backed cognitive science strategies.

The workshops were built around the three pillars of Oxford Revise: Knowledge, Retrieval, and Practice. Students took part in activities, such as choral pairing and retrieval practice, all aimed at boosting confidence and refining their exam technique.

Led by experts from Shakespeare’s Globe, the sessions explored Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet—set texts on the GCSE English Literature syllabus in the UK—through the lens of performance and equipped students with practical strategies to strengthen their revision.

Jo Dovey, English MAT Lead at King Edward VI Academy Trust Birmingham, said:

“The Shakespeare’s Globe workshop was an opportunity for pupils to actively engage with the text by considering Shakespeare’s choices through practical activities. Our pupils thoroughly enjoyed the session because it allowed them to explore the text in a different way and really think about the impact of Shakespeare’s use of language and structure.”  

Charlie Withers, Senior Learning Manager at Shakespeare’s Globe, said:

“We are proud to work with OUP to deliver these sessions to schools across the UK. We feel this is a powerful combination: our drama-focused approach brings Shakespeare’s plays to life for young people in a way that is truly memorable, while the cognitive science which underpins Oxford Revise provides students with tools to consolidate their learning over the long-term. We are delighted with the initial response to these sessions and can’t wait to hear from students and teachers about the long-term impact of this partnership later in the school year.” 

You can learn more about Oxford Revise here.