Finish This... Secondary KS3 | English National Opera

In 2025-26 our KS3 strand of Finish This is paused; we look forward to taking this opportunity to review and rework the format and pilot a new approach and scheme of work to accompany our new Opera Plant This Seed by Elif Karlidag, using teacher feedback and recommendations from the pilot to further develop the lesson and resource material, ready for a relaunch in 2026-27.

The Finish This… team will be running the pilot in Autumn 2025 with a limited number of secondary schools. If you are interested in taking part and supporting the development of our Secondary strand of Finish This…, please do get in touch on [email protected] – we’d love to hear from you.

Otherwise, we hope to hear from you next year when we resume our secondary KS3 strand with a national relaunch. Complete our Expression of Interest Form to be the first to hear all about it!

The English National Opera’s FREE* music making programme for schools nationwide; bringing a fusion of opera, film and animation into your classroom, as a creative springboard for composition work. Co-created with teachers and Secondary specialists and aligned with the KS3 Music curriculum.

*Finish This… is free to state schools. It is charged at £200 per class for independent schools.

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Why sign up?

Pupils will…

Develop composition skills, learn about musical concepts and experiment with different instruments including the voice
Develop performance and presentation skills, including the use of animation
Develop more self-confidence and creative skills to confidently express themselves and their ideas and stories
Work collaboratively to create a new music response piece

“A unique project that has high expectations of the students as musicians which gives them confidence. They were engaged and inspired.”

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Teachers will…

Access high-quality digital teaching resources and training materials, co-designed by Secondary specialists, artists and teachers
Increase confidence in delivering whole-class composition work
Be inspired and supported to explore and deliver new creative and student-led approaches to composition
Further develop skills and creative music practice

“Students really enjoyed the unit and it was very well put together in terms of planning and building on their skills and learning. As a teacher the resources are very high quality and made the delivery of the project really supportive for me.”

Schools receive:

A short film especially commissioned for young audiences, presenting the opera piece ‘Blue, Red, Yellow….’
Teacher pack, with quick-glance lesson plans and resource pack of musical activities
Student facing films to play in the classroom
ENO Composer workbooks for your pupils
Downloadable resources to support lesson delivery
An online Project Briefing session for teachers, led by a Secondary Learning Consultant, introducing the opera piece and the activities & resources
A Celebration Package including: ENO certificates, DIY Animation tool, and a congratulatory video message

Timeline

As mentioned at the top of the page, we are not running Finish This… for KS3 classes in 2025/26, the following is an indicative timetable of how we run the programme.

Booking: Booking opens in April/May each year. Schools apply for places for the number of classes they want to run the project with. To date, we have been able to accommodate everyone who applies.

Toolkits & Online Resource access: Physical toolkits are sent out to arrive in schools for the start of the Autumn term along with the link to the online hub to access digital resources.

Online project briefing: Teachers are invited to attend our online ‘Project Briefing session’ held in the first or second week of the autumn term. This briefing introduces teachers to each stage of the project, and runs through each lesson giving examples of how resources can be used, whilst providing a flavour of the creative activities, ultimately supporting teachers to feel confident delivering the project to their classes. The session is recorded and made available to be watched back at any time during the year.

Submitting your composition: compositions can be submitted by one of three deadlines, either just before the Christmas break, before the Easter break, or towards the end of the summer term.

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Sharing & Celebrating

Participating classes receive a celebratory package including: ENO Certificates; a video message from the Composer; and a pack full of ideas to share the work within your school. Each music submission will be showcased and available on our ENO SoundCloud and Interactive Map.

In addition, the Composer and Finish This… team will select up to 80 music submissions and bring these to life with a special bespoke animation that responds to the students’ music; showcasing and celebrating the breadth of musical work and talent from across a range of schools. Explore this year’s celebration of Finish This…

Example music piece

“Volcano Death Song” by Class 8.6, Northgate High School, Ipswich

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Take Part

The secondary strand of Finish This… will be on hold in 2025/26 while we pilot a new scheme of work to ensure that our secondary offer is of the highest standards.

If you are interested in taking part in the pilot, please email [email protected] for more information.