Drama

Drama is taught by:

KS3

We model our curriculum on the requirements of the GCSE.

These objectives are:

• A01 - Create and develop ideas to communicate meaning for performance.
• A02 - Applying theatrical skills to realise artistic intentions.
• A03 - Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how drama is developed.
• A04 - Analyse and evaluate their own work.

Details of studies per year

Year 7 - Antigone, Macbeth

Year 8 - Medea, Hamlet

Students in years 7 and 8 will also be studying key design aspects of theatre including:

Lighting design, costume design, devising skills, acting skills.

How are they assessed

Pupils are assessed practically in lesson time through focussed assessment using simplified GCSE criteria.  This work is recorded and then loaded onto the Google classroom for evaluation and analysis.  They are assessed through 3 key areas: acting skills, devising skills, evaluating skills. 

Home learning

Home learning in KS3 includes learning and memorising lines for assessment lessons.  These texts can be accessed through Google Classroom, with notifications also posted on Satchel One.  Homework also involves writing their own scripts and planning for assessments.  We use Google Classroom extensively and all work is securely stored on the platform.

How parents/carers can support their child

Taking an interest in what your child is doing, asking them to tell you what their work was like. They can take a look at their work on Google classroom.  Give them access to high quality acting (not Eastenders) and taking them to the theatre whenever possible.

Year 9

Arts Award Bronze

Students in year 9 from September 2023 onwards will participate in the Bronze Arts Award which is equivalent to half a GCSE. This is offered and taught to ALL students in the year group and is comprised of 4 key units:

• Part A: Explore as a Participant - Students have to take part in a number of different workshops and lessons, learning key theatre practitioner techniques and philosophies.
• Part B: Artistic Investigation - As well as this they also will study a playtext in depth from the points of view of an actor, director, producer, and designer.
• Part C: Experience as an audience - They will both watch and analyse live theatre commenting on key performance skills, design choices and the impact they had on them personally as audience members.
• Part D: Passing on to others - They will plan and deliver workshops to other students on key ideas and techniques learned in their lessons for Part A.

KS4

GCSE Drama – EDUQAS

Students in KS4 cover a range of different themes, topics and issues all designed to prepare them for their GCSE assessments which take place throughout years 10 and 11. We cover play texts as well as in-depth explorations of social/political/historical issues and themes using a variety of stimuli from music and art to the written word.  The set texts for the GCSE exams are DNA by Dennis Kelly for GCSE exams for 2023 and Refugee Boy by Lemn Sissay for GCSE exams from 2024 onwards.

Year 10

• Autumn term: Component 3 - Set text exploration (preparation for Comp 3 written exam 40%)
• Spring term: Practitioner workshops and stimulus responses (devising unit in preparation for Unit 1 - devised practical performance)
• Summer term: Real devising exam Comp 1 (40%) Based around stimulus given by the exam board.  Devised practical performance 10% of total mark.  Written portfolio = 20% of total mark.  Evaluation = 10% of total mark.

Year 11

Autumn term:

• Term 1: Completion of Component 1 paperwork. 
• Term 2: Preparation and research for Component 2 - choosing and research play texts for performance (20%)
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Spring term:

• Term 3: Comp 2: Performance from a text (externally assessed performance exam)
• Term 4: Revision for Component 3 Written examination and live theatre trip.
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Summer term:

• Term 5: Comp 3: Written examination (externally assessed 1½ hour exam).  DNA and theatre review.

Students are required to show interpretation skills, design skills and directorial skills as well as practical performance skills, leadership, time management and key communication skills.

Drama

Alternative pathways at KS4

Entry Pathway

We offer a level 1 qualification  called the Drama Entry Pathway accredited by WJEC.

This is not a GCSE but pupils can accumulate credits for a range of skills - voice, movement, creating an original piece and performing as part of a group.

This can be taught alongside the GCSE and may suit some pupils better than the GCSE.

ASDAN Expressive Arts

We also offer ASDAN Expressive Arts to students on the course with significant SEN if they will not be able to complete the written examination for GCSE. This requires the students to work on a group project for an extended amount of time and runs in partnership with the GCSE Component 1 unit.

Enrichment

We offer an extensive enrichment and extracurricular curriculum alongside formal lessons.

Pupils have an opportunity to perform for an audience at the end of every term. This includes a whole school play, open to all in the Autumn Term.

We organise theatre visits at regular intervals for GCSE pupils, both for their GCSE course and a Saturday Matinee club where we book 20 tickets to different performances throughout the year in different venues which are offered on a first come, first served basis for students studying GCSE Drama. These trips are to venues such as The Young Vic, The Old Vic, The Donmar Warehouse, The National Theatre (Olivier, Lyttleton and Dorfman) Soho Theatre, Sadlers Wells and Theatre Royal Stratford East. These trips take place usually in the evening or on Saturdays to avoid missing learning time.

We have also started to take selected students in year 8 and 9 to the theatre as a praise reward visit for their hard work in drama lessons.

We have links with organisations such as Frantic Assembly, The Donmar Warehouse and English National Ballet (Sadlers Wells) as well as professional actors and directors who come in to lead workshops in school so that our pupils can extend their understanding as well as work with industry professionals.

Home learning

Year 7 and 8

Students will be expected to complete regular home learning tasks.  These will be set on Google Classroom. 

These will include: learning lines for performance, self assessments and target setting, answering key philosophical questions, lighting design, costume design and some research into practitioners or rehearsal techniques.

Year 9

Students will be expected to complete regular home learning including tasks building on the skills learnt in years 7 and 8 including: in-depth research into different practitioners and artists (Frantic Assembly, Stanislavski, Brecht, Lemn Sissay, Warsan Shire) lighting design, set design, costume, hair and make up design, workshop planning and evaluation.

KS4 (years 10 and 11)

As further development of the skills learnt in KS3, students will be expected to complete regular home learning tasks such as: learning lines for entire scenes from plays, written logs for practitioner workshops and practical devising lessons, answering exam style questions in the key areas of lighting design, set design, costume, hair and make-up design, directing and acting.

As well as this they will be required to do independent research into the themes and issues we explore in lessons. This is particularly the case in year 10 and 11. (Comp 1 Devising Ideas)

They will be expected to learn lines for practical assessments. (Comp 2 Performance from Text)

All the resources they will need to access will be available on Google Classroom.

How parents/carers can support their child

Taking an interest in what your child is doing, asking them to tell you what their work was like. Share what is being completed and recorded on Google Classroom.  Give them access to high quality acting (not Eastenders) and take them to the theatre whenever possible.