A leading UK theatre for young people has voiced concerns about a decline in school audiences.

The Unicorn Theatre in London, which targets audiences aged between 2 and 21, saw a 6% decrease in attendance between August and June compared to the previous year.

Cath Greenwood, Learning Associate at the Unicorn Theatre, said: “Many young people won’t get to access theatre if they’re not coming as part of their school”.

The drop in audiences has been linked to a change in focus for schools.

Greenwood says that delivering a core curriculum for assessment means that less time and resources are spent on visits to the theatre.

The Unicorn Theatre works with teachers at partner schools to create relevant experiences and resources that can be used back in the classroom.

Cath Greenwood adds: “We have to make it easier for teachers to bring students to the theatre and we have to help them to see the possibilities and the value of such an experience.

“Because theatre is emotional, and not just intellectual, it engages your thoughts and feelings about situations outside of the context of day-to-day life.”

Schemes such as the Arts Award are working to restore theatres place in school curriculums across the UK.

The Arts Award is open to anyone up the age of 25, and aims to introduce the benefits of the arts back into teaching.

Schemes such as the Bronze, Silver and Gold courses teach the values of the arts in various schools in the country.

The Unicorn Theatre in London is a professional theatre for young audiences. For more information, click here.