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Shakespeare does not belong in the classroom, and should be��left off the English curriculum entirely, according to the actor Sir Ian McKellen.

Sir Ian, known for playing films, is��one of the country’s leading Shakespearean actors. But��he insists��that the Bard belongs in the theatre, rather than in��school.

“Almost any story that people tell you about Shakespeare in the classroom is negative,” he tells��TES, in an interview to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death today.

He also recites��a few lines of Shakespeare to illustrate his point, exclusively for TES readers:

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This is an edited version of an article in the 22 April edition of��TES. Subscribers can read��the full story��. To subscribe, .��To download the digital edition, Android users can����and iOS users can��.��TES��magazine is available��at all good newsagents.

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