This is Circus
This Is Circus School Programme offers a fresh approach to PE classes. Over 6 weeks, KS1 & KS2 children will explore various circus skills, understand “What Is Circus?”, and discover its benefits for physical fitness, creativity and resilience.
Co-designed with local schools to inspire children to be more creatively active and actively creative, while aligning to the curriculum, the programme is ready to implement and is adaptable for other curriculum areas or as lunch/after-school activities.
This is Circus can engage students across all fitness levels
This is Circus can encourage resilience and collaboration
This is Circus can promote physical and mental wellbeing
This is Circus can develop skills in creative thinking
The impact of circus activities on young people is profound, significantly enhancing their physical and social literacy. *This is Circus Impact Survey: Strongly Agreed/Agreed responses from 944 participants Y1-Y6 from 9 Primary schools, Sheffield UK
EDUCATIONAL GOALS
Circus promotes physical activity, physical literacy, critical thinking, and reflective learning. It supports problem-solving and creative thinking, engaging young people with low motivation, low activity, transition concerns, and “fragile learners,” improving physical competence. It’s well-suited for neuro-diverse learners.
ENGAGEMENT GOALS
Circus is fun and offers various disciplines, ensuring everyone can succeed. It’s new for most, creating a level playing field. Programs can be adapted to different settings and needs, engaging people across genders, ages, cultural backgrounds, and identities.
DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Circus is motivating and non-competitive, offering individual and group challenges. It encourages ambition through personal goal setting and helps overcome negative self-beliefs. Workshops and courses can be tailored to group and individual needs.
SOCIAL GOALS
Circus boosts self-esteem, confidence, and teamwork. It fosters resilience, a “I can’t do it yet!” mindset, and builds interpersonal relationships in a cooperative, safe, and non-judgmental environment.
Circus helps grow happier healthier creative young people.
Greentop Community Circus Centre has worked with schools to co-design the programme ready for you to pick it up and run. We can adapt this programme to other curriculum areas or lunch/ after school provision and to make a more blended mix of support with circus teachers coming into school. If you would like further information please email manager@greentop.org.
This is Circus has been developed with support from National Lottery funds through Arts Council England, Circusworks Sheffield Hallam University, Create Sheffield and Beck Primary School. Delivery of This is Circus has been made possible with support from the Postcode Lottery Fund.
Sports England have developed a Primary school physical literacy framework
