Students learn education rights by song and dance

Children at Heathcote Primary School in Warwick had an exciting opportunity to learn about their education rights through song and dance. Fifty schools across the West Midlands participated in a special event to understand education rights using music and dance. The Royal Opera House and Unicef's Create Day involved tens of thousands of students across the UK. They engaged in educational, fun, and interactive lessons and performances, both in person and virtually.

The workshops were led by singers, musicians, and dancers from the Royal Opera House. The Royal Opera House partnered with Unicef to use the day to teach students about the importance of the UN Convention, particularly focusing on the right to education. Jillian Barker, the director of learning and participation, said that the Royal Opera House aims to inspire creativity through ballet and opera. She mentioned that this first national Create Day brought the Royal Opera House into classrooms all over the country, connecting tens of thousands of children to their artists in a day of mass singing, dancing, and design, celebrating the creativity of the next generation.

Pupils from Heathcote Primary School embraced the events as their teacher Helen Parashar guided them through the sessions. Ms. Parashar said that taking part in Create Day enabled the children to understand topics like the rights of the child and feelings of hope in a creative way. She expressed that the children amazed them with how they took on these difficult themes and expressed themselves through dance, song, and art. She felt very fortunate and privileged to work on topics like this with professionals from the Royal Opera House. The children felt special because they knew they were part of something big and special.

Pupils at the school shared their enjoyment of the events. Anaya said she really liked that they could express themselves with the music and loved the actions. Madhav mentioned that it gave them a chance to express themselves and to sing, dance, and design, allowing them to be themselves. Skye said she strongly agreed with the UN rights of a child and asked how one would feel if their rights weren't being met. The Royal Opera House confirmed that Create Day 2025 will take place, following the success of this year's event, which saw more than 30,000 students participate nationally.