Drama

performing arts overarching vision

The performing arts teach us to be creative, reflective and resourceful in what we do, they enable us to speak with confidence in front of others as well as develop our emotional intelligence and empathy. 

Arts and culture help tackle social injustice - theatres, museums, galleries and libraries are the beating heart of our towns and cities. Not only do they bring prosperity, they bring communities together and make life worth living. - Arts Council for England

Through the Performing Arts our young people within all LET schools are able to express a range of emotions within the safety of the classroom or studio. They are able to develop holistically and gain insights and experience into different ways of life. They can push boundaries and move beyond the safety of the familiar and conventional. To put it simply the arts matter.

“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being”. – Oscar Wilde

drama curriculum

The drama curriculum consists of three areas; creativity, performance and evaluative work. This inspires a growth in the students’ sense of self and an ability to recognise their own potential. Students work is valued in many ways, such ways are performance opportunities every lesson, audience feedback and self and peer assessment activities, to ensure that all students have the opportunity to discuss and recognise their own strengths and weaknesses and the strengths and weaknesses of their peers.

Through collaborative work, students are encouraged to understand and identify with others, recognising right and wrong in terms of issues/topics whereby effecting the development of their creative work in drama. Schemes of work at KS3 and KS4 cover a diverse range of subject matter activities which are used as stimuli for students to not only understand the issue, but also explore the themes practically through explorative strategies, mediums and elements.

intended outcome

• Confident students who are able to enjoy a lifetime connection and appreciation of the Performing Arts disciplines.
• Students who show confidence in social skills and are able to engage positively in collaboration alongside self-reliance.
• Creative thinkers who are able to independently adapt, problem solve and offer solutions.
• Resilient students who are able to face challenges within and outside the Performing Arts.
• Reflective students who are analytical and able to evaluate their own and others performances and written work.
• Metacognitive learners who demonstrate self-motivation and self-regulation.
• Motivated and determined students who are fascinated with the world around them and how the arts contribute to their everyday lives.

timetabling

• Year 7: 24 lessons per year on rotation. Split into 4 units of work.
• Year 8: 36 lessons per year Split into 5 units of work.
• Year 9: 24 lessons per year on rotation. Split into 4 units of work.
• BTEC Tech Award: 2/3 hours per week.  All single 1hr lessons.

 

key stage 3 curriculum

To ensure progression in each key stage, pupils should be able to:

• Explore and research ideas, issues, plays and other texts such as diary entries, poems, photographs, films and paintings, using a variety of drama skills and techniques
• Devise, improvise, shape and structure dramas of different kinds
• Use drama skills and knowledge to interpret a range of text, for example play-scripts, pictures or stories
• Prepare and perform both scripted and devised dramas for various audiences, using a selection of media
• Use and develop their knowledge of drama from different times and cultures, as well as classic and contemporary practice
• Reflect on, evaluate and analyse the structure, meaning and impact of their own work and the work of others as both participant and audience.

In Years 7 and 8, pupils are taught in mixed ability groups and have 24 hours of Drama lessons over the year where the aim is to provide pupils with a range of teamwork, communication and performance skills. The Drama topics in Years 7 and 8 introduce some key concepts in drama that are designed to set a foundation for development and progression during the rest of Key Stage 3 and feed directly into the course offered at Key Stage 4. We begin work in through an introductory topic where pupils are given the opportunity to get to grips with drama as a subject, practise their performance skills and undertake a live theatre evaluation. This introductory topic is taught for the first half term and is designed to best prepare the pupils for the academic year ahead.

In Year 9, pupils who have opted to continue with Drama are taught in mixed ability groups and have one lesson of Drama per week where the aim is to focus on demonstrating a greater depth and development of their practical work. The Year 9 topics provide the bridge between Key Stages 3 and 4 and are in a sense, a preparatory year for the BTEC Tech Award course offered in Years 10 and 11. The skills needed to succeed at KS4 are mirrored in our KS3 curriculum.

The schemes of work follow the same format as the units taught at KS4 level and in each section of the SoW it is clear what common skills and techniques are to be taught. It highlights challenge opportunities for stretching the most able and differentiated resources and tasks for our low ability pupils. The content is based on skills, knowledge and understanding that will be required for GCSE, but with opportunity to develop a love and curiosity about the subject. Assessments takes place at the end of each topic and data is recorded using a central mark book. All 3 skills are covered in each topic, for each year group throughout each academic year. KS3 common mark schemes are in place for creating, performing and responding. Students have copies of progress information in their exercise books so they can see their progress across each academic year, as can parents/guardians. Each assessment is cumulative so that prior learning can be committed to long-term memory. Within each topic, students perform a ‘mock assessment’ after which feedback is given to help improve the standard of work. The pupils the incorporate their feedback to improve and subsequently re-perform their work. This procedure has been noted as ‘excellent’ by Ofsted

curriculum overview

year 7 drama rotation: 2 x 12 lesson rotation
Autumn 1	Autumn 2	spring 3	Spring 4	Summer 5	Summer 6
LET SoW 1 = DEVISED (7 Lessons) Darkwood Manor Stanislavski			LET SoW 2 = SCRIPTED (7 Lessons) Chicken! Brecht + TIE
SCRIPTED (5 lessons) GNMT - Evacuation Stansilavski			SCRIPTED / STIMULI (5 lessons) Romeo & Juliet Physical Theatre/Stage Combat & Brecht

 

year 8 drama: 1 hour per week
DEVISED (6 Lessons) Key Drama Skills Performance Skills/ Mediums	LET Sow 1 = SCRIPTED (8 lessons) Blood Brothers Stanislavski	STIMULI (7 lessons) Social Media Brecht + TIE	LET SoW 2 = DEVISED (8 lessons) Curious Incident Physical Theatre	SCRIPTED (7 lessons) Detectives (Missing Dan Nolan) Stanislavski, Physical Theatre + Live Theatre

 

year 9 drama rotation: 2 x 12 lesson rotation
DEVISED (6 Lessons) Explorative Strategies Performance Skills / Mediums		LET Sow 2 = DEVISED (6 lessons) Careers + Devising Careers, Job Roles, Brecht
LET SoW 1 = SCRIPTED (6 lessons) DNA Stanislavski, Presenting Texts		STIMULI (6 lessons) Topic of Choice Verbatim Theatre

 

assessment model for Ks3 data snapshots (combination of practical & theory assessments)
attainment	year 7	year 8	year 9
Beginner (B)	7B	8B	9B
Beginner + (B+)	7B+	8B+	9B+
Working Towards (W)	7W	8W	9W
Working Towards + (W+)	7W+	8W+	9W+
Secure (S)	7S	8S	9S
Secure + (S+)	7S+	8S+	9S+

 

key stage 4 curriculum

At KS4 the curriculum follows the OCR GCSE specification. The two-year course is planned again using a spaced-learning/interleaving approach. The first year is a preparatory year where students complete trial exams in all of the units of work so that in their second year they are secure in their knowledge and experience of the exams and revisit content in greater depth. Every term students’ complete a mock paper, these papers are accumulative so prior content is being revisited alongside new content. 

curriculum overview

OCR DRAMA gcse	year 10	year 11
autumn term 1	Introduction to genre and style. Exploring Blood Brothers by Willy Russell looking at act 1. Baseline assessment on characterisation.	Completing section 2 of the portfolio and review devised pieces and writing section 3 evaluation. Introduction to Live Theatre Review- watch ‘Things I know to be true’ by Frantic assembly - Focus on plot, style, genre and context.
autumn term 2	Introduction to Presenting and Performing texts developing character and performance skills and introduction to writing a concept pro forma. Exploring Blood Brothers by Willy Russell looking at act 1 and focusing on historical/social/cultural context. Mock paper 1.	Devising drama complete portfolio. Introduction to presenting and performing texts, complete Concept Pro Forma question 1 and 2. Analyse and evaluate ‘Things I know to be true’ - focus on design aspects. Mock paper 4.
spring term 1	Presenting and performing text mock assessment and completion of concept pro forma. Exploring Blood Brothers by Willy Russell looking at act 2 and focusing on themes within the play and stage layouts and set design.	Developing presenting and performing texts, complete Concept Pro Forma question 3 and 4. Analyse and evaluate ‘Things I know to be true’ – focus on characterisation Explore in more depth Blood Brothers considering actor/designer/director roles.
spring term 2	Introduction to devising drama and the exam paper, exploring and researching the given stimuli, start section 1 of the portfolio. Exploring Blood Brothers by Willy Russell looking at act 2 and focusing on lighting and costume design. Mock paper 2.	Presenting and performing text final assessment (external examiner). Analyse and evaluate ‘Things I know to be true’ – answering the question preparation. Mock paper 5.
summer term 1	Creating and developing devised pieces, complete section 1 of the portfolio. Exploring Blood Brothers by Willy Russell looking at act 2 and sound design and how to answer the written paper.	Written paper preparation/revision.   Written paper exam.
summer term 2	Devising drama final assessment and start section 2 of the portfolio. Exploring Blood Brothers by Willy Russell looking at act 2 and focusing on key characters. Preparing for the written paper. Mock paper 3.	Course completed

 

extracurricular activities

As a creative subject, we aim to broaden and enhance student’s holistic development through exposure to a wide range of drama styles and scripted pieces they might not otherwise experience. Cultural capital is in abundance within Drama through the rich extra-curricular opportunities that are offered. Students are offered the opportunity to attend workshops with visiting artists, theatre trips, whole school productions, class sharing, options evening, open evening, transition day performances and Winter and Summer Arts Festival. We feel that it is these experiences that not only enthuse and excite students to study drama but provide a platform for our students to learn the qualities they need to flourish in our society such as leadership/public speaking/independent thinking/public performance/self-peer reflection/team work/respect.

“The arts are essential to any complete national life. The state owes it to itself to sustain and encourage them…. Ill fares the race which fails to salute the arts with the reverence and delight, which are their due” – Winston Churchill