New data from TES Resources reveals that Macbeth tops the list of the 10 most widely taught Shakespeare plays.

The research was released by TES’ parent company TES Global as it launched a new digital project that aims to transform the teaching of Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death.

The Teaching Shakespeare project, run in conjunction with the Royal Shakespeare Company, V&A, British Museum, BFI and Into Film, will bring together more than 400 Shakespeare resources, including many authored by teachers.

Teachers have shared nearly 10,000 unique pieces of Shakespeare content through TES Resources since the very first one - a Romeo and Juliet mini-project - was uploaded in May 2006.

The data also reveals that the most popular plays, according to the volume of resources created, swapped and sold by teachers, are Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest.

Teaching Shakespeare is the second project to have come out of an ongoing cultural pilot, which was launched by Ed Vaizey, minister of culture and the digital economy, together with the Arts Council England, to help put the arts at the heart of the classroom and support the teaching of the core curriculum with a variety of world-class cultural and digital materials.

Mr Vaizey said: “This digital project is a fantastic way for teachers to keep Shakespeare alive in the classroom. As one of our greatest cultural exports he has influenced modern society around the world, and this innovative programme will continue to help inspire students and generations to come.”

Teaching Shakespeare can be viewed at www.tes.com/teaching-shakespeare

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