Chickenshed Theatre Achieves Centre of Excellence

January 2, 2024

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Chickenshed Theatre has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.

Opportunity to Perform and Create

Chickenshed is a theatre company that offers education courses, performance training and school and community outreach projects. Its curriculum is based around three offerings: BTEC level 3 in Performing Arts Practice, Foundation Degree in Inclusive Performance and a BA Hons Inclusive Performance Top Up Degree.  The organisation has 65 students on roll for their Inclusive Level 3 Further Education and 75 students on role for their Higher Education Foundation Degree and BA.  

Founded in 1974, on the belief  that everyone should have the opportunity to perform and create, Chickenshed began as a theatre company with its first permanent premises in a disused chicken shed (hence the name).  By 1994, they had established their permanent premises in North London at the Rayne Theatre.  Since 1997, they have been delivering performance arts education courses from their current site.

The site has a main theatre building and several separate classroom buildings as well as an outdoor amphitheatre.  Inside the main building there is large main auditorium, a café which doubles as a practical space and three studio rooms with relevant projection and lighting.  It is a fantastic set up which gives learners the opportunity to engage with the performing arts in a highly professional and well-resourced environment.  The environment is clean, very well maintained and clearly well looked after. 

Part of the Community

Tutors explained that as students feel like they are part of a community here, they respect their surroundings and look after them.  Students explained that they felt privileged to work in such a professional learning environment with one saying, “We care about the community here and our surroundings.  I know they believe in me here and I feel cared about.  We care for each other and the place as well.” 

Chickenshed describes itself as a ‘theatre company for everyone.’  They explain that ‘We create bold and beautiful work from our limitless belief in each other…celebrate diversity and inspire positive change.’ 

They proudly state that, ‘We succeed together or not at all.  This is our vision of how the world should be – a society where everyone can flourish.’  Inclusion is therefore at the heart of what Chickenshed offers to their students and the wider community. 

All staff and stakeholders echoed the sentiment that Chickenshed fervently endeavours for inclusivity of all; as the Executive Director of Education Training explained, all aspects of the curriculum and extra-curricular activities are delivered through an inclusive filter where, “Inclusion is the tool we use to challenge ourselves – it’s the creative process.”  Through this creative process everyone is given value and everyone is seen to bring something of value: Chickenshed’s mantra is, “We create wonder out of chaos and challenge out of change.” 

Give Everyone Value

Through their offer they are developing an inclusive, non-exclusionary future within the vehicle of performing arts, which transcends performing arts and can be translated into all aspects of life.

In relation to this, one of the tutors explained that at Chickenshed, “Learners and students are given opportunity – where we don’t just accommodate but give everyone value…we celebrate the humanity in each person, celebrate what they can do and develop this.  We empower people so that they can enjoy their time here, learn and then go and challenge the world and how it works.” 

It is evident that Chickenshed does not simply want to deliver learning with a highly inclusive lens, it wants to develop people who view the world constantly through this inclusive lens, so that they can become agents of change and inclusivity.   

Chickenshed prides itself on its adaptive methods of curriculum delivery.  Importantly, sessions are delivered in teams, ensuring there are enough adults to meet and to respond to learner needs.  Adaptation supports students to overcome any barriers they face, whether these be learning difficulties, physical difficulties, mental ill-health or socio-economic hardship. 

One parent explained that because of their child’s needs, they were concerned that this child would not be able to continue in further education; however, Chickenshed has proven this is not the case: “Chickenshed gave my child the opportunity to keep learning and developing.  His tutors and mentors accept him for being him.  He feels part of the group.  He has no GCSEs, but he is accepted here because he has a passion… they adapt the course to work with him.  He does not talk but signs and writes and they accept that.’ 

Another parent explained that because of the individualised adaptation offered, their child could also continue to access further education: ‘My child is dyslexic, dyspraxic and has global development delay… she could not access any other course like this at this level… they let the children come in with whatever they have and meld what they bring together to create an incredible calibre of work.’  

Excellence Without Exclusion

Alongside meeting the children’s educational needs, the school also ensures the positive mental wellbeing of its learners.  Children are provided with mentors for guidance and counsellors are on site to work therapeutically with individuals.  One student explained: “This place is a support system as a whole… There are people we can see to for deep issues, but as a whole, everyone is here to help…It’s like a second home.” 

The organisation believes in excellence without exclusion.  In the academic year of 2022/2023, the cohort of second year BTEC students consisted of a large proportion of children with significant barriers to success.  For example, 52% of this cohort had EHCPs due to a variety of needs and 67% of this cohort had not achieved more than four GCSEs at grade 4.  Despite this, 93% of this cohort completed the BTEC qualification and 87% of this cohort progressed onto the foundation degree. 

One student explained that “They see past our disabilities… they see what we are capable of.”  Another student said, “There are no labels here – we are just people under the banner of performance arts.”  It is clear the students at Chickenshed feel included and valued as part of a community. Whatever their background, they bring value and are taught that if they were not previously successful in their learning, this does not matter here, they bring with them life-experience that can help them to creatively flourish. 

Accordingly, one of the tutors who had previously been a student at Chickenshed explained, “My school told me I would never go to university.  The academic stressed me out… then I came here and I was asked about me.  I was given the freedom I deserved.  I was pushed to the max to learn more about me, to be better and to learn more about people as well.”   

In 2023 Chickenshed was awarded a Higher Education Teaching Excellence Framework Award based on Student Experience, Student Outcomes and Educational Gains.  This is further evidence of its high-quality educational offer.  It is evident that Chickenshed sees the potential in all people and brings the best out in them, academically, socially and personally.  

Inclusive Accessibility

All areas across the setting are set up for inclusive accessibility, not just for participants and learners but also for anyone coming as an audience member of the shows they create.  On the day of assessment, our Assessor had the opportunity to see the Christmas show, ‘The Toymaker’s Child.’  The calibre of the show was outstanding both in performance and production values. It was also incredibly diverse, in terms of its cast and the accessibility of its presentation.  The show itself makes up a large part of the BTEC and degree courses and, as a result, all students are involved in its production. 

Alongside this, all the performers from the Young Company (around 700 young people), which is the extra-curricular community offering of Chickenshed, are involved at some point (in shifts). This ensures that the cast represent a wide range of backgrounds and abilities.  The show is presented at all times using sign language; the signers are integral parts of the show, on stage and performing, alongside the other actors. 

At times they run captioned (subtitled) performances for visitors with hearing impairment.  Hearing impaired visitors can also utilise induction loops, stethosets and infrared hearing systems to enhance the sound during the performance.  Visually impaired and blind visitors can access the show using touch tours (allowing blind and visually impaired audience members the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the set, costumes and props, ahead of the show), or using headsets that provide audio descriptions of the action between dialogue. 

They offer a variety of different performance types so all can access the show based on their sensory needs; for example, shows with house light levels increased are put on to allow for audience members to move around as necessary.  This inclusive production is intertwined with their inclusive education offering, teaching the learners how to involve everyone, at all times.  On the day of assessment, it was fantastic to see everyone involved in the show and to see some of the learners our Assessor had met during the day perform. 

This show was evidence that despite their significant barriers, learners could collectively overcome these barriers and produce an outcome that was exceptional and worth paying for!  On that note, Chickenshed ensures the cost to visitors watching the show is not prohibitive and also offer, at points, free performances. Needless to say, the price of admission is worth it! 

Incredibly Positive Force

Chickenshed is an incredibly positive force in the local and wider community.  As well as its Young Company, which allows young people in the local area to take part in performance arts, it delivers an intergenerational project called The Space Between. This project unites people of all ages to collaborate and perform together.  Chickenshed also provides space and coaching for a community choir with the aim of harmonising diverse voices.  As well as its membership groups, there are weekly drop-in sessions for children and adults to workshop in performance arts, helping them to develop confidence and engage in a variety of skills.  

Nationally, Chickenshed delivers an outreach programme to schools, where actors perform shows that explore challenging issues for young people such as county lines. Practitioners also deliver training to organisations based on inclusive practice: they understand the importance of inclusivity and how it creates better outcomes for all and want to actively share this practice.  

Internationally, Chickenshed has also set up other ‘Sheds’ worldwide (as well as ‘Sheds’ in the UK), for example in New York and Helsinki.  These sheds are run with the same inclusive ethos as Chickenshed, offering inclusive life changing opportunities, promoting a catalyst for inclusive positive change for all.  

One student, who is currently studying for a BTEC but has previously attended clubs and the Young Company wanted to express how they felt about Chickenshed and this was what they had written:  “I have been coming to Chickenshed for 11 years and they have shown me that I can make a real difference. I feel I can fit in with my peers and can bring to the table a different outlook… I have never felt my disability has held me back or made to be felt different.  By embracing difference, we are all making the point that every individual contributes to the whole story.  Our team at Chickenshed is actively involved with a range of perspectives and experiences to create an environment where people feel seen and heard, with their stories deeply integrated into the bigger picture. Chickenshed shows us we can build strong happy communities by accepting diversity.  Every person here is valued for the unique characteristics they bring. When I consider the major impacts of inclusion, I am reminded that it is more than an idea to be discussed.  It is a concept to be lived and more organisations should be taking up this ethos.” 

In correlation with this prose, the Head of Education at Chickenshed said, “We shatter the stereotypes of education, of what people can do and achieve, and create amazing outcomes.”  It is therefore evident that the inclusivity of this organisation is not just visible but luminous: Chickenshed is a bastion of opportunity for all. 

Find out more about the IQM Inclusive School Award

If your school is interested in obtaining the IQM Inclusive School Award or you wish to talk to a member of the IQM team please telephone:

028 7127 7857 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm)
or email: admin@iqmaward.com for further details.

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