Background Final-year children’s nursing students evaluated the content of their course and there was strong evidence they would benefit from supplementary teaching of safeguarding before qualification.

Aim To explore the potential for the arts to enable children’s nursing students to think critically and reflectively about the safeguarding of children and young people.

Method An action research approach was used, recruiting final-year children’s nursing students in one university in the south of England. Questionnaires containing open and closed questions were used to collect data after a field trip to see Matilda the Musical, followed by discussion boards.

Findings Data analysis indicated the use of the arts was a departure from traditional pedagogy, which was relished and described by the students as an interesting and exciting way of learning. Students highlighted how ‘seeing’ Matilda aided them later on the discussion boards to identify categories of abuse and correlate this with the effects of abuse.

Conclusion The use of musical theatre and discussion boards was beneficial to acquiring knowledge and bonding when delivering safeguarding teaching to final-year children’s nursing students.