ENO welcomes the Curriculum & Assessment Review

Thu 6 Nov 2025

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ENO warmly welcomes the independent Curriculum & Assessment Review published yesterday, which recognises the vital role creativity and the arts play in helping children and young people to thrive.

Through ENO Engage programme, we work with schools across the country to bring the power of opera into classrooms.

Over the years, we’ve seen first-hand the transformative impact that this work can have – building confidence, collaboration and a love of creative expression among thousands of children and young people.

ENO looks forward to continuing to collaborate with educators, policymakers, and artists to ensure that creativity remains at the heart of education.

Learn more about ENO Engage and our work with schools

Children from St Joseph’s School performed on stage with ENO in La bohème in 2024. James Stacey Head of St Joseph’s comments:

Fantastic opportunities like this have many positive, tangible benefits for the children. Their horizons are broadened; they are encouraged to dream bigger and consider areas of The Arts that may have been relatively unknown to them before. The effect on their self-esteem, confidence and self-belief is can be transformational.

After performing with the ENO, they know that ‘they can’. They develop a greater resilience and ‘growth mindset’ (which we value and foster at school). In fact, the impact this can have on their future is almost immeasurable as the legacy of their involvement in such a wonderful project stays with them far past the time we wave them off to secondary school.

The impact of being involved in a project like La bohème is wide ranging; positive, encouraging ripples are felt by the whole school community. There is an increased excitement in the air felt by the children, staff and families. There are regular ‘wow’ moments of awe and wonder shared in assemblies and through our school newsletters and Instagram. These moments inspire. Staff and children feel a great sense of joy and a gratitude too.

It is hard to describe; the whole school feels lifted to another level throughout the journey. From audition to final night, there is a collective feeling of pride, wonder, appreciation (and a little magic) and it is a real joy to be a part of.