The Drama Department provides every student with a safe and creative space in which they can develop their passion for performance and explore their practical skills. Lessons within the department allow students to flourish in the subject, become experts in their knowledge of theatre styles and techniques and explore in depth how to communicate meaning on stage with ambition and flair. 

As a department we ambitiously encourage students in KS3 to develop an extensive range of basic and necessary performance skills, including thought-tracking, physical theatre and split stage techniques, building a solid foundation on which students will grow in their acquisition of more complex skills.

We use verbal formative assessment in every single lesson, allowing students to make excellent progress. In year 9 we expect students to take their existing skills and explore them within larger projects, facilitating them as mini-theatre companies who create, rehearse, perform and respond to an array of projects. 

In KS4, students collaborate in their completion of three projects, which are both externally and internally assessed, starting with an original devised piece based on a stimulus and performed in a particular theatre style. Throughout their time on the course, students will perform to an audience on various occasions, boosting their passion and self-assurance in their ability to communicate in a public setting.

Students will also have the chance to watch live performances as part of theatre trips, as well as participate in workshops led by experienced practitioners. In the finalisation of all three projects, the second of which includes performing a scripted play to an examiner, students will have developed essential life skills, such as interpersonal skills, decision-making, problem-solving, creative thinking and critical thinking. These vital skills will allow our students to enter into their chosen career with confidence and resilience, making them easily adaptable to anything the working world throws at them.

Students who have enjoyed the subject and are passionate about further exploring their Drama skills and knowledge should enrol in the KS5 Drama & Theatre A-Level course, which is an in depth extension of the GCSE course and includes 3 performances and the study of 5 set texts. This course is an excellent platform for future degrees in a range of subjects, as well as apprenticeships etc. as it not only refines theatre making skills but also allows for the mastery of the life skills needed to access many different job roles.

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Implementation