Noises Off: Children are missing out on the stage. It's up to us all to ensure they don't

The summer holidays will soon yawn before hundreds of thousands of children. Yet one of the few things they will not consider doing is going to the theatre.

It used to be the norm that children would automatically go to the theatre at school. There used to be a time when that would be a child's first experience of theatre. There are still some theatre groups that go into schools, but they are becoming rarer. An increasingly restrictive national curriculum puts teachers under more pressure than ever. That, together with the red tape over school trips, makes it harder for children to experience theatre.

Yet it's important that they do, and in a way that isn't necessarily connected to the national curriculum or because they may want to become actors. An engagement with theatre sparks children's creativity and imagination; it improves their social skills, sense of teamwork and confidence – all necessary for whatever career they may want to pursue, yet skills that are not gained by sitting exams.

It is no good saying the Government should do this or that; it has to be a partnership. It is a cultural challenge and we need to make it as easy as possible to engage with schools and access their pupils directly. We do have a real battle on our hands, though, to make the theatre more affordable and accessible.

We have a wonderful theatre business in this country that brings in £1bn of business across a variety of shows. That is why the Society of London Theatre will be launching Kids Week next month, when children can visit the theatre for free when accompanied by a full paying adult.

They can go behind the scenes and take part in workshops: this year we have puppet workshops with Avenue Q and dance workshops with Chicago, and last year a record number, 36,000 families, took advantage of that.

This year they will be able to see shows as diverse as Billy Elliot, The Lion King, The Sound of Music, Wicked and Mamma Mia!. Other shows include The 39 Steps, Stomp, Into the Hoods and Brief Encounter.

We also have to make it easier for schools to bring children to the theatre – parking coaches in London can be very difficult. That is why we are launching a website aimed at teachers to advise them on what kind of help is available to them. And there is a lot.

For example, there is the Mousetrap Theatre Project, which in April took more than 2,000 schoolchildren to see The Sound of Music and we'll be taking them to see Rain Man this autumn. Its Family First Project targets children who can't afford to come to London theatre. It gives families taking their children to the theatre for the first time the best tickets for a fiver.

The experience of going into a theatre and being quiet and understanding that production is important, and not because they are studying the play on the national curriculum. Every child has a right to experience that once – even if they decide they don't like it. It would be wonderful if we could make that happen.

Kids Week runs 15-29 August. www.kidsweek.co.uk. Emma De Souza is development manager at the Society of London Theatre

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