Our Day Out: Improving Standards in English through Drama at Key Stage 3 and GCSE (Critical Scripts)

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She moves a short distance because she knows about the financial situations that the children are in. In this scene Mrs Kay shows she is understanding and in control of the children.

Here, Mr Briggs is keen to teach Digga about the area. He keeps him interested. This is a skill that is vital to being a good teacher. Mrs Kay probably wouldn’t have been able to do this. Mr Briggs is used to ‘examination classes’. He stereotypes the children in the progress class, but they are used to this, so it has no effect.This shows Andrew has to deal with an immense amount of denial and abuse at home. His mother ignores the fact that he has smoked since he was eight and his father beats him for not giving him cigarettes. He probably feels unloved at times, so Mrs Kay gives him the attention that he misses at home. His mother also has a reputation for being a prostitute. Russell makes us feel empathy for Briggs because he trusted them and gave them a chance but they have just betrayed him. However Russell also wants us to feel empathy for the children. If Briggs had understood their difficult circumstances from the start and treated them with a little respect then they wouldn’t of let him down. Whereas Mrs Kay defends and respects the children and this is reciprocated.

This again shows that she wants them to enjoy themselves. She is simple and at times, thinks as a child.In this scene he doesn’t understand the children because he does not realise that they have heard this all before and they have become resistant to what others say to them. William Russell is a British dramatist, lyricist, and composer. His best-known works are Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine, and Blood Brothers. In a completely revised version by Russell and director Bob Eaton the result is a confident, through-composed musical with street-dancing, rapping, live penguins and a llama. It's a measure of the show's ambition that not only are the vast majority of the cast local under-16s, they even filch a hoard of real animals from the zoo. Best of all, this show has acquired its sleek new look without sacrificing any of its soul… Eaton’s production feels well crafted without being manufactured; its success comes down to the energy of a young ensemble giving everything they've got”. Our Day Out" is the 16th episode of eighth season of the British BBC anthology TV series Play for Today. The episode was a television play that was originally broadcast on 28 December 1977. "Our Day Out" was written by Willy Russell, directed by Pedr James, produced by David Rose, and starred Jean Heywood, Alun Armstrong, Elizabeth Estensen, Robert Gillespie, Iona Banks, and Peter Tilbury.

Mr Briggs thinks Kay is too soft with the children, but she knows them better than he does. She does tell them off but not like Mr Briggs does because she knows that being strict isn’t going to help. Here Russell makes us feel empathy for Carol because she knows there is nothing to look forward to. Climbing the cliff gets her some attention. She has a low self-esteem and Briggs has to listen to her. Carol threatens to jump because it is a cry for help. She wants to know if anyone will notice and show they care. She has had only a small part up until this point, reflecting how she and others like her feel ignored by society and how people like Briggs drive past her on the way home. I only ever did it once, take a Liverpool coach load, they’d rob your eyes if you weren’t looking.’ (Scene 12) Ooer! Don’t be stupid, you. You wont get a husband like sir. You’ll end up marryin’ someone like your old feller.’ (Scene 7) Well… if the antics in her department are anything to go by… She always reminds me of a mother hen rather than a teacher…’

 Our Day Out Coursework                                          Victoria  Olubi

Here Russell makes the audience start to like Briggs, because his generous side is conveyed. Briggs has won the fish, but he’s giving it to carol. After the events at the zoo he knows she wanted a pet. He’s now realised she can look after things, and so he is giving her some responsibility, whereas before he never did. This conveys to the audience his strict, military style way of teaching. A stereotypical, strict teacher image is portrayed in the audience’s minds of Mr Briggs. And the audience take an automatic disliking to him. Later in the play, when they are leaving the beach. Russell wants the audience to think that Briggs has changed, as it is his idea to go to the fair. When Linda and Mr Briggs have a conversation about Linda’s uniform, Linda shows that she values Mrs Kay’s opinions more than Mr Briggs.