IT was curtains up for Year 3 and 4 pupils at St Paul's Primary School in Chippenham when they showcased their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream last week.

More than 30 pupils aged seven to nine took to the stage after a term of hard work, rehearsals and preparation, while parents watched.

The pupils put on productions like this annually to mark their new learning focus for the forthcoming term. Previous productions have included novels from Roald Dahl.

Headteacher of St Paul's, Sheridan Upton, said: "Everyone was so pleased with the children's performances. You could see they were really enjoying it from the energy they put into their singing and performances.

"We think it is very beneficial for the children to first look at the works of Shakespeare in this fun way, and for it to be a positive and memorable experience before they start to study it in more depth.

"It is when we do things like this we really bring out the characters of the children themselves, and uncover hidden talents such as acting, singing and comedy."

The parents were delighted with the children's performance, and many commented on their complex Shakespearian dialect.

Despite children occasionally having to fill in for one another in rehearsals, they all knew every character well and all went smoothly in their afternoon and evening performances, and they now look forward to staging their next performance.