There is something rather magical happening at Tūtira Ashgrove School in Rangiora.

A carpet is getting ready to fly; a lamp is becoming magical; students are stepping into character and Agrabah is coming to life.

While classrooms across Aotearoa are busy navigating a changing education landscape, with a strong focus on ensuring our tamariki receive dedicated time for reading, writing and mathematics, there is also another kind of learning happening at the Rangiora school.

It is all part of Tūtira Ashgrove School preparing to stage a production of Aladdin, involving the whole school from Years 0 to 8 — more than 400 students.

The production is under the directorship of Tumuaki Leon Van't Veen, Anya Galbraith and Georgia Dunn and their team.

Mr Van’t Veen says Aladdin is more than putting on a performance.

“It is about what happens when children are given the opportunity to discover what they are capable of.

“Our lead performers have been working incredibly hard, refining lines, developing and exploring their characters, learning choreography, singing, harmonising and learning how to perform for an audience.”

Behind those lead roles are hundreds of other students who are equally important to the story.

There are dancers, singers, actors, backstage helpers, students creating atmosphere, students learning technical skills and whole classes preparing their own performances.

Every student has a part to play.

Genie . . . Olive is preparing for her role in Tutira Ashgrove School's production of Aladdin. Photo: Supplied

“And that is where the real magic lies,” Mr Van’t Veen says.

As educators, we know reading writing and mathematics are fundamental.

“They are the building blocks that allow our young people to access the world around them.

“But we also know that children need opportunities to create, collaborate, communicate, problem solve, take risks and discover who they are,’’ he says.

“A production like Aladdin brings all of those things together.”

There are costumes being created and fitted, sets being built, lighting being designed and technology being used in ways our students will not expect.

The technical magic behind the production is being created by people who have worked on major theatre productions, while our vocal coaching is helping our lead performers take their singing and performance to another level.

“It is a huge team effort.”