Review: A Class of Your Own, Polka Theatre

One in every twenty-five children is suspended or excluded from school every year in the UK – 900,000 children in total. Persistent disruption is the most common reason for exclusions, and research shows that around 90% of pupils who experience alternative provision or permanent exclusion have been identified as having special educational needs at some point during their school career. Long-term outcomes for these students can be bleak, with pupils who experience permanent exclusion being substantially less likely to be in sustained education or employment in early adulthood. The data is harrowing to read, and A Class of Your Own brings these important themes to life for a young audience.

At the start of the play, we meet Bailey (zanni CT), a young person starting secondary school. They quickly bond with two of their classmates, June (Farrell Cox) and Jack (Tobias Adetula), and show an enthusiasm for Geography, taught by their form tutor, Teacher Campbell (Emily Eversden). Bailey is happy in their new world, but it soon becomes clear that Bailey’s natural curiosity for learning does not fit the mold of the secondary school classroom. After Teacher Campbell becomes agitated by an incoming Ofsted visit, she loses patience with Bailey, setting off a catastrophic chain of events which leads to Bailey becoming violent, being excluded from school and sent to a PRU.

Lighting and sound are used to great effect throughout, with the most striking element being the words used to label Bailey and their classmates at the PRU, projected onto the back of the set. Some words are cut off by the height of the whiteboards used as part of the set, but as this is a preview, this is easily fixable. The costuming is also excellent. In the first half, red balls are stuck onto Bailey’s costume as negative words are said about them. In the second half, all three PRU pupils wear hoodies with red tape arranged artfully across their shoulders and hips, giving a clear indication that labels stick.

There is some beautifully light humour throughout the performance, including references to the Headteacher being an actual monster with an office in the basement. Due to the theme of the play being so serious, this is a welcome relief. At the end of the first half, when Bailey is violent towards their teacher, Cox, playing a new character, acknowledges this and leads the young audience in a short movement break.

The performance runs for an hour and fifteen minutes which, even with the movement break, appears to be too long for the young audience, who become fidgety. Some moments go over the heads of the children watching, and one child is audibly heard asking their parent, ‘What is a PRU?’ This was explained at the start of the show but, considering A Class of Your Own is aimed at ages eight to eleven, it might be prudent to repeat explanations of unfamiliar terms.

A Class of Your Own is a beautifully written piece of theatre that handles sensitive themes delicately and at an age-appropriate level. Young people will come away from the performance understanding more about their peers with complex needs and that, even if mainstream education doesn’t work for them, there are places that will support them in the way that they need.

Directed by Nathan Curry
Assistant Director: Louise Rose
Dramaturg & Writer in the Room: Shireen Mula
Design by Amanda Mascarenhas
Composed & Sound design by Guy Connelly

A Class of Your Own has finished its run at the Polka Theatre.