Curriculum Intent

Drama offers a unique contribution to the curriculum. It has a value as a cross-curricular subject and as an art in its own right. The Drama classroom provides an opportunity for students to develop skills in communication and empathy, whilst supporting students in understanding concepts and characters in other subjects. We aim to give learners the opportunity to be creative, foster independent thought and build confidence. Drama exposes students to a range of scripts and develops the enjoyment of theatre and live performances. Our students have the opportunities to explore all facets of the theatre, including devising, producing and critically exploring text and performance.   

Curriculum Outline

Key Stage Three Drama

Key Stage 3 drama focuses on introducing students to key performance skills whilst creating fun and engaging pieces of work. The curriculum throughout KS3 builds the foundations of what students will need to continue with drama in KS4 while also building and developing transferable skills such as teamwork, communication, public speaking and creativity.

In year 7 Drama, students are introduced to and develop key performance and characterisation skills over 2 units. Firstly, students will explore the Ancient Greek myth, Theseus and the Minotaur, all the while developing their understanding of characterisation, freeze-frames, physical theatre and mime. The students use the story as a stimulus to explore one skill per lesson and ultimately create their own retelling of the story. In the second unit, students are invited to delve into the Mystery of Darkwood Manor and further embed the skills they learnt in unit 1 as they create a performance in the most haunted mansion in Britain.

In year 8, students use performance skills to bring the page to stage and explore the play ‘Private Peaceful’. Students explore and develop key skills, such as utilising features of physical theatre, creating opportunities for flashbacks or thought-tracking and scripting narration in their own performances. They aim to effectively stage scenes from a script and build foundational performance skills such as levels and proxemics. In the second unit, students create their own Theatre Company and devise a performance from a stimulus using their knowledge of performance and characterisation skills to create a completely new and unique piece of work. Have a look at the video below, for more information on the Year 7 and 8 Drama Curriculum.

Year 7 & 8 Drama Curriculum Overview

Drama students in year 9 will collaborate in response to a stimulus based on the theme of Documenting Disasters where they create their own original performance. Students develop their understanding of performance styles and different theatre practitioners during their exploration of different disasters through history and in current news. The second half of year 9 drama introduces students to the play adaptation of Noughts and Crosses. Here, students build their understanding of the playwright, characters, themes and context by performing extracts from the script using all their knowledge of performance, characterisation and key skills over the 3 years.

Year 10 Curriculum

Throughout the study of GCSE Drama, students will be given opportunities to participate in and evaluate their own and others’ drama pieces. Firstly, learners create and develop ideas to communicate meaning in a devised theatrical performance in response to a given stimulus. Next, students of Drama explore a whole text, ‘Blood Brothers’, developing an understanding of the playwright’s intent and analysing the theatrical elements of the play in performance. Finally, students get the opportunity to look at texts in practice through application of theatrical skills to realise intensions in a live theatre performance. Students will explore a range of scripts to conduct their own research and develop their own understanding of characters, theme and plot in order to enhance their own interpretations and performances which engage and encourage appropriate emotional reactions from the audience.

Year 11 Curriculum

In year 11, students of Drama continue their preparation for their GCSE. Firstly, students develop their understanding of texts in practice through application of theatrical skills to realise intensions in a live theatre performance. Students will explore a range of theatrical skills, especially how to use their voice and body to convey meaning and portray understanding of characters, theme and plot, in order to enhance their own interpretations and performances which create a convincing performer-audience relationship. Students also have the opportunity to further develop knowledge and understanding of the characteristics and context of a whole play (their set text- Blood Brothers) and explore ideas to show understanding of Drama and how a play may be interpreted practically. Students do a live theatre review based on a visit to watch a current performance to analyse and evaluate the work of others.

Extra-Curricular

We are really excited to welcome a new partnership with Curve Theatre. This will provide students with many opportunities throughout the year, such as Drama Club, workshops, theatre visits and other exciting events.