Education
Education is an important strand of the wider impact work around Sweetheart: Angel of the Moor. While the film’s primary goal is to reach audiences on screen, its story also offers a unique opportunity to explore key issues with schools, universities, and community groups — including women’s voices, personal agency, coercion and control, and the impact of knife crime on individuals and communities. By linking creative storytelling to real historical events, the project becomes a powerful tool for learning, reflection, and dialogue.
Using Mary-Jane’s story to spark dialogue on justice, voice, and remembrance in today’s world.
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Curriculum Connections
The film touches on themes relevant to history, literature, film studies, theatre studies, drama, and social studies. It encourages students to explore nineteenth-century Yorkshire, women’s voices in history, and the role of folklore in shaping cultural memory. These themes support critical thinking and can be adapted for different levels of study.
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Workshops & Resources
Building on Mark Anthony’s 30 years’ experience in teaching, drama, and Theatre in Education (TIE), our team is developing talks, lesson ideas, performance activities, and creative workshops for schools, colleges, and community groups. Opportunities include linking Sweetheart: Angel of the Moor to drama and theatre studies curricula, as well as applied projects in TIE where students can use performance and discussion to explore themes of justice, coercion, and storytelling.
These resources are designed to encourage dialogue, inspire creativity, and give students a hands-on way to explore the film’s themes in both academic and performance contexts.
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Future Educational Outreach
As part of the film’s wider impact, Sweetheart: Angel of the Moor will extend beyond the screen into schools, communities, and rehabilitation settings. We are developing adaptations for Theatre in Education, site-specific performances, and prison education programmes. These strands will be delivered with education, heritage, and justice partners, ensuring that Mary-Jane Skaife’s story — a young woman’s life silenced in 1858 — continues to resonate where it matters most.
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Poster Competition
To begin our education campaign, we have created our first interactive task: the Vanishing Fairies Poster Competition 2026. This challenge invites students to imagine the fairies of Hartwith Moor and design a poster in the style of the film. It’s a way for young people to connect with the project creatively, while also exploring themes of folklore, imagination, and storytelling. Click the fairy to find out more →
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From history to the classroom, Sweetheart turns Mary-Jane Skaife’s silenced voice into a powerful tool for learning and reflection.
Secondary School Curriculum Links (England)
History.
Victorian England / 19th-century society.
Crime and punishment (links to GCSE History modules on law & order, justice).
Local history studies (Mary-Jane’s story is a direct Yorkshire case study).
English Literature / Language.
Narrative, character, and storytelling (creative writing links).
Poetry and prose connected to Christina Rossetti and Victorian writing.
Exploring voice, silence, and perspective in texts.
Drama / Theatre Studies.
Applied drama / devising based on historical events.
Theatre in Education (TIE) approaches to social issues.
Character study, monologues, re-enactments.
Film & Media Studies.
Analysing representation, narrative, and adaptation of true events.
Exploring the process of turning research into a screenplay.
Understanding impact and audience.
PSHE (Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education).
Healthy/unhealthy relationships (coercion, control, agency).
Knife crime awareness.
Justice, fairness, and social responsibility.
Women’s voices and equality.
Citizenship (sometimes taught within PSHE or as a separate strand).
Human rights, law, and justice.
Democracy and the role of media in shaping public opinion.