There’s no such thing as a naughty child – Just a child whose needs aren’t being met. If you already agree with this statement, you will want to see Tangled Feet Theatre Company’s latest production, A Class of Your Own. And if you either disagree with, or are unsure about this statement, you need to see it. We are firmly in the former camp, being both big fans of Tangled Feet (see our reviews of their previous productions, Need a Little Help and Belongings) and adoptive parents with an insight into the problems that mainstream education poses for children with additional needs.
The fourth production Tangled Feet’s series of therapeutic work for young people focuses on children who have been excluded from school. Using Tangled Feet’s therapeutic theatre model, the show was created in partnership with a group of 16-18 year old Creative Advisors with a shared history of attending Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) in Croydon, Merton and Sutton. Over the course of 18 months, their reflections and ideas helped shape what would ultimately become A Class of Your Own.
Aimed at ages 8-12, the show focuses on 11 year old Bailey (zanni CT (they/them)). We first meet Bailey in the middle of the story, during an explosive telling off from their headteacher which ultimately sees them excluded from school. Rewinding three months to the first day of secondary school, we experience what got them into this position, then fast-forward through their 60 day stint in a PRU. Between Parts 1 and 2, the same trio of actors (Tobias Adetula (he/him), Farrell Cox (she/they) and Emily Eversden (she/her)) transform from Bailey’s well-behaved year 7 classmates and teacher, into their PRU peers Tye and Michelle, and trusted adult (but definitely not a teacher), Deb.
It’s a trademark Tangled Feet production that cleverly balances humour with pathos, playfully exploring how it feels to be a square peg trying to fit into the rigidly round hole of the mainstream school system. (We could write an essay about why school behaviour management systems don’t actually work – They may help teachers to control a classroom but if it’s always the same children getting sanctions, is it really the child that’s the problem? Not to mention all the children who appear “fine” at school but explode as soon as they get home due to the pressures of having to hold it together all day.)
Like those around them, we don’t initially know why it is that Bailey finds secondary school such a challenge, but it’s apparent that things don’t come easily, despite their evident enthusiasm and curiosity. And things rapidly go downhill, as Bailey sees themself trapped in a never-ending spiral of sanctions for breaking rules they don’t understand. While it seems that Teacher Campbell is initially sympathetic, she too is constrained by the oppressive system and ever-present threat of Ofsted inspections. So she has no choice but to try and convince Bailey that it’s impossible to learn unless you’re sitting up straight in your chair, with your tie tied smartly around your neck.
When a child is constantly labelled with negative terms such as “disruptive”, “defiant” and “disobedient” (cleverly projected onto Bailey here using magnificent lighting design by Gillian Tan), it’s little wonder that they start to believe it themselves. And so, following a classroom incident that leaves their teacher hurt, Bailey finds themself excluded from school and sent to the PRU. There, they learn to explore and express their emotions, tentatively opening up to those around them and shaking off the shameful labels they have been living with for far too long.
Like its Tangled Feet predecessors, it’s a moving production that offers a voice to a group of young people who are so often misunderstood. Accessible for the intended age range, it explores the issues in an age-appropriate manner, without ever talking down to the audience. Bailey’s story is sensitively told, giving us a real insight into their challenges (and performed so convincingly by zanni CT).
Tye and Michelle, who could easily be caricatures, are also well-rounded characters, played brilliantly by Adetula and Cox, who demonstrate real range when transforming from their Part 1 to Part 2 roles, and then peeling away the labels of “dangerous” and “stupid” to see the real children underneath. We see two sides to all the children at the PRU, ultimately giving us an understanding of how they got there, and what might be next for them. Similarly to Belongings, the ending is hopeful but not rose-tinted. These are children who have faced extreme challenges in their lives, and the therapeutic approach adopted in the PRU is not a magic wand that will automatically return them all to mainstream education, even if they want to be there.
The messaging is powerful, and undoubtedly there will be children (and probably some parents) leaving the auditorium with a newfound empathy for the “naughty” children they may have experienced in their own lives. Mission very much accomplished in another exceptional piece of work from Tangled Feet.
A Class of your Own premiered at Polka Theatre on 3 and 4 October 2026. It is due to tour in Spring 2027. We received a complimentary press ticket to the afternoon performance on 3 October.
Image credit: Greta Zabulyte