Crash, Bang, Wow! Learning About Life as a Stunt Performer

This morning, we were incredibly fortunate to welcome professional stunt performer Annabel Canaven to our school. As part of our PSHE unit on careers this half term, the children have been learning about a wide range of jobs and professions. Following our visit to Kingston Maurward on Monday, where we explored different career pathways, Annabel's visit gave us a fascinating insight into a truly extraordinary profession.

From the very first slides of her presentation, the children's jaws dropped in amazement! Annabel shared stories and footage of some of the incredible stunts she has performed throughout her career. She has been set on fire, hit by cars, thrown from the back of moving vehicles and even jumped from buildings. Watching the videos and seeing the photographs of these daring feats left us all astonished.

Annabel explained that becoming a stunt performer requires dedication, determination and years of training. To qualify, she worked hard to develop a wide range of skills, including earning a black belt in Taekwondo, becoming a strong swimmer, mastering horse riding, developing climbing expertise and building spatial awareness through trampoline training.

The children were particularly excited to discover that Annabel has worked on many well-known films, including: Wonka, Nanny McPhee, How to Train Your Dragon, The Little Mermaid, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, The Batman and Skyfall. She also showed clips from her work on the television programmes Hollyoaks and EastEnders, where she performed dramatic motorbike crashes and vehicle collision scenes.

We also learned about the clever camera techniques and filming tricks used to help stunt performers double for actors and actresses on screen. The children were fascinated by the skill, strength and precision required to make these scenes look realistic while keeping everyone safe.

To finish the session, Annabel shared props from some of the productions she has worked on, giving us an exciting glimpse behind the scenes of film and television making. The workshop was both entertaining and inspiring, and it opened our eyes to a career that combines athleticism, creativity and courage.

A huge thank you to Annabel for taking the time to visit us and share her experiences. It was a truly unforgettable morning that left us all SPEECHLESS!

Super Stunt Performer