What was the best arts company to visit your school in the past year?

The West Midlands Children’s Theatre Company.

How did you hear about them?

By mailshot.

What did they do?

They put on a performance of The Legend of the Golden Dragon, about the building of the Great Wall of China.

There were three actors with their own taped music, set and props and simple costumes. They performed the story very vividly and involved the children in the performance.

Did you do any preparation work beforehand?

Yes. My class had been doing a study of China as their project at the start of the session, and we talked about the visit.

Any follow-up work?

Yes. The older children wrote eviews and the younger children drew pictures.

What was so good about the visit?

Because we’re quite remote, I try to have performers in school whenever I can, to give the children something special. They really enjoyed this visit.

In a way, it was the silliness of the show that they enjoyed, but it also added a dimension to the class work they had been doing. I think it gave them the idea that they could do this kind of thing themselves. Indeed, one class is doing its own Chinese pantomime for the end of the session.

How relevant was it to the curriculum?

It related precisely to the China project, so it enhanced history, geography and expressive arts.

How much did the visit cost?

pound;180. The school fund paid.

West Midlands Children’s Theatre Company, tel 01902 491222