Schools who participate perform half-hour abridged versions of Shakespeare's plays in local, professional theatres all over the United Kingdom.
The Festival culminated in a Gala night at the West End's Duke of York's Theatre, which was attended by Cherie Booth QC and the Secretary of State DCMS, Tessa Jowell, who called the evening “one of the year's cultural highlights”.
Embarking on a three-year cycle to cover the whole of England and Wales, the Festival was launched nationwide at a reception hosted by Cherie Booth QC at 10 Downing Street.
Three schools were picked to perform at a private reception for the Washington state visit in Downing Street, in front of an audience which included Tom Stoppard and Philip Pullman.
The year started with a fund-raising performance at the West End's Peacock Theatre in the presence of the Prince of Wales and Festival Patron, Kwame Kwei-Armah.
Schools performed in theatres from the Shetland Isles to Bodmin, from Enniskillen to Margate and set the model for the Festival to become fully UK-national.
As part of the European Capital of Culture year SSF worked throughout Liverpool, with young companies from the Shakespeare Youth Festival performing in 33 venues and locations from museums and cathedrals to parks and bombed out churches.
NT directors and actors such as Carl Heap, Dominic Hill, Adrian Lester, Phyllida Lloyd, Hattie Morahan joined Nicholas Hytner in giving master classes for teachers.
In July 2011 SSF held one of its more unusual fundraising events, putting Romeo on trial for the murder of Tybalt at Gray's Inn.
SSF patrons Philip Pullman and Jenny Agutter took the witness stand in the roles of Friar and Nurse.
Also in 2011 SSF ran audition workshops for 2000 young people across the UK for BBC Learning's project Off By Heart Shakespeare.
In 2012 SSF was invited by the British Museum education department to run workshops for secondary school students visiting the Shakespeare: Staging the World exhibition.
The event was largely improvised by the actors and lawyers involved, but based on a framework written by Jonathan Myerson.
SSF staged performances at 10 Downing Street, in Westminster Abbey and a West End Gala and at the Queen's 90th birthday.