Willy Russell's new (2009) version of his classic play is guaranteed to engage a whole new generation of readers. This edition features extensive classroom activities designed to raise achievement and develop critical thinking, making it ideal for KS3 and 4.

This revised version of Willy Russell's much loved play won rave reviews when it opened in Liverpool in 2009. Slightly updated and featuring more songs, it retains all the humour and appeal of the original.

This educational edition in Methuen Drama's Critical Scripts series has been prepared by national Drama in Secondary English experts Ruth Moore and Paul Bunyan. Building on a decade of highly effective work and publications endorsed by national organisations and supported by teachers and consultants across Britain, each book in the series:

• meets the new requirements at KS3 and GCSE (2010)
• features detailed, structured schemes of work utilising drama approaches to improve literary and language analysis
• places pupils' understanding of the learning process at the heart of the activities
• will help pupils to boost English GCSE success and develop high-level skills at KS3
• will save teachers considerable time devising their own resources.

Mrs Kay's Progress Class are off to Alton Towers - until Mr Briggs gets on board. The destination might have changed in this new version of Willy Russell's classic play, but mixing humour, lively songs and the poignancy of the original, this drama of a class day out to remember is ideal for Year 9 and above.

"'Willy Russell's big- hearted musical... never loses sight of the social problems that beset the children at its down-at-heel Liverpool comprehensive.'" - Sam Marlowe, The Times, 10.09.10

"'Willy Russell's hilarious, high energy musical'" - Chris Riches, Daily Express, 10.09.10

"'It's an endearing tale of growing pains and the gloomy realism of kind- hearted class teacher Mrs Kay'" - Chris Riches, Daily Express, 10.09.10