Stephen Mitchell

For a long time, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art examinations have often been associated with independent schools, theatre schools or families already connected to the arts. There has sometimes been a quiet assumption that LAMDA is something “other schools” do – schools with more money, more time or children who already arrive full of confidence.

I think that is a huge mistake.

In fact, the more I see LAMDA working in state schools, the more convinced I become that it may actually matter more there.

Because in many state schools, particularly those serving disadvantaged communities, communication gaps are very real. Schools are working incredibly hard to support children with vocabulary development, confidence, speech and language needs, emotional regulation and self-expression. Teachers are trying to help pupils become articulate, thoughtful young people whilst also navigating attendance challenges, SEND needs, social disadvantage and increasingly stretched services.

Against that backdrop, LAMDA can become something far more important than simply a drama qualification.

It becomes a vehicle for helping children find their voice.

What I think state schools sometimes underestimate is just how transformative structured speaking opportunities can be for pupils who may not otherwise access them. Many children do not grow up in environments where they are consistently encouraged to perform, present or speak publicly. Some children arrive at school lacking confidence in their own communication before they have even begun.

And yet those same children often thrive when given the right framework.

That is one of the things LAMDA does exceptionally well. It creates structure around communication. Children rehearse, repeat, refine and improve over time. Speaking is no longer something that happens only to the quickest or loudest children in the classroom. Every pupil is given a route into success.

I’ve seen children who barely spoke above a whisper eventually stand in front of an audience and perform with real confidence. Not because they suddenly became different children overnight, but because the process gave them safety. Rehearsal helped. Predictability helped. Performing through character helped. The expectation that improvement takes time helped.

And honestly, I think this is where state schools have so much to gain.

In some independent settings, children may already arrive with significant cultural confidence. They may already have extensive opportunities for debate, performance, conversation and public speaking outside school. For many state school pupils, school is the place where those opportunities either happen or do not happen at all.

LAMDA also does something else really valuable: it raises the status of spoken communication. In many schools, writing understandably dominates because it is easier to evidence, assess and measure. But spoken language matters enormously — not just academically, but socially and professionally too. Children who can communicate clearly, speak with confidence and present themselves effectively are often at a huge advantage later in life.

State schools know this already. You can see it in the growing focus on oracy nationally. But what schools often need is a practical structure for making it happen consistently.

That is why LAMDA works so well.

It is progressive. It is clear. Children can see themselves improving. Teachers can build it gradually across year groups. And because there is an examination at the end, pupils often take enormous pride in the process. For some children, particularly those who may struggle elsewhere academically, LAMDA becomes the first formal qualification they ever achieve.

That should never be underestimated.

I also think there is something deeply important about state school children accessing spaces traditionally viewed as “elite” or inaccessible. Why shouldn’t pupils in inner-city schools study performance, public speaking and communication to a high standard? Why shouldn’t they leave primary school with the confidence to present, debate and articulate their ideas clearly?

Sometimes we accidentally lower the ceiling of what children are entitled to experience.

LAMDA exams pushes against that.

It says that confident communication, performance and self-expression should not belong only to children in privileged settings. They should belong to every child.

And when state schools embrace that idea properly, the impact can be enormous.