Drama

Drama gives students the opportunity to nurture and develop their creativity, confidence and discipline. The curriculum is offered across both key stages is wide-ranging and challenging. The subject equips students with skills that are essential to the real world; from simply working in a collaborative and supportive manner, to creative problem solving, project management, meeting deadlines and resolving disputes.

Students will develop their performance, design and technical theatre skills, through a variety of topics and themes. Key Stage 3 offers students the opportunity to explore a broad range of skills and techniques, which they can then apply at GCSE in a more focused manner. Students rehearse for several performances and in addition to this, they complete written assessments, where they must describe, explain, analyse and evaluate both their own work and that of live theatre performances. There is also the chance for students to experience drama and theatre outside of the classroom – recent opportunities have included theatre visits and the National Connections performance project.

From Year 7 students’ work will be assessed in-line with the new GCSE specification and students will be given regular feedback using the marking criteria for both practical and written work. The aims of the course of study are:

• to develop students’ creativity, confidence and discipline through explorations of stories and themes.
• to extend knowledge and understanding of drama and theatre through exposure to new styles and genres.
• to realise artistic intentions in live performance.
• to develop skills transferable to the wider world.
• to analyse and evaluate personal work and the work of others.

KS3 

Students explore key performance skills and drama techniques through a varied range of practical and theoretical work; these key skills and techniques underpin effective characterisation skills. Students will study a range of performance genres and develop their skills in relation to these. They will cover the key components of Drama throughout Key Stage 3, which forms good preparation for GCSE Drama. These components include: scripted performance; devised performance, which enables them to creatively develop their own storyline; theoretical work such as analysing and evaluating performances of live theatre and exploring other aspects of Drama productions such as staging, set design and costume.  

KS4

Students can opt to study AQA GCSE Drama. This course is a continuation of the skills and knowledge students develop at KS3. Students will continue to develop their acting skills through scripted and devised performance work. They will also continue to analyse live theatre performances, as well as further exploring set, costume, lighting, sound and puppetry. They will also study a set play, which is currently Blood Brothers, in detail exploring this practically and theoretically. The course consists of three components:

• Component 1 – Understanding Drama (written exam on drama and theatre, including the study of a set play and analysis of live theatre)
• Component 2 – Devising Drama (devised performance and logbook)
• Component 3 – Texts in Practice (scripted performance of two extracts from a play)