Drama (Y9-13)
Subject Aims
Drama at Painsley strives to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of Drama. The curriculum is driven by the statutory part of drama within English in the national curriculum and the curriculum is underpinned by the catholic social teachings that we uphold across the school. The catholic values of dignity and respect, tolerance and peace and mercy and forgiveness have guided the decisions about the drama curriculum at Painsley.
The intent of the Drama curriculum is to build confident, creative, critical, collaborative communicators. There is a deep emphasis on building students’ essential skills beyond the stage and studio. The department seeks to create well-rounded learners with transferrable skills allowing students to become successful in their adult lives, rooted in the catholic social teachings, whatever path they carve.
The curriculum plan is built on a spiral curriculum model; by following a spiral structure, the curriculum will challenge and nurture students based on the expectations for A Level Drama and Theatre key concepts and skills required. Skills of devising, script work and characterisation, study of a set text, theatre analysis and practitioner study will be featured in each year group. This is designed to raise expectations and standards from the start of KS3, to ensure that drama knowledge is being understood both practically and theoretically. It is also vital that students who leave the Drama department at the end of year 8, have achieved all of the skills set out in the intention of the curriculum, without feeling that their learning journey is hindered by not continuing to study Drama at GCSE.
GCSE/A LEVEL SUBJECT AIMS
Drama seeks to promote well rounded practitioners and individuals who thrive and succeed within our group-based classroom. We offer qualifications which are inspiring and creative, and which reflect the evolving world of theatre. We strive to promote the transferable skills inherent within the subject including team work, communication, confidence and leadership. Drama is a rigorous and academic subject, especially at the highest level, and we will continue to promote the subjects as such. There is an inclusion of a wide range of theatre practitioners within the curriculum to ensure students have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the full subject area. The 3 strands of the subject support the different styles of learns in the classroom. The combination of practical and written work allows all students to excel in different areas.
Curriculum Overview
Year 7
Autumn 1:
Introduction to drama skills- Matilda
Links to English National curriculum – improvising, rehearsing and performing play scripts and poetry in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact.
CST – dignity and compassion
Autumn 2:
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – script work
Links to English National curriculum – read easily, fluently and with good understanding/ acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language/ use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas/ are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate/ improvising, rehearsing and performing play scripts and poetry in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact.
Links to CST –
Spring 1:
Shakespeare’s Othello – set text
Links to English National curriculum – appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage/ read easily, fluently and with good understanding/ acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language/ use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas/ are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate/ improvising, rehearsing and performing play scripts and poetry in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact.
Links to CST – tolerance and peace/dignity and compassion/mercy and forgiveness
Links to PSHE – Black history month
Spring 2:
Theatre in Education – devising (bullying/healthy eating)
Links to English National curriculum – improvising, rehearsing and performing play scripts and poetry in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact/ writing their own work
Links to CST – tolerance and peace/dignity and compassion/mercy and forgiveness
Links to PSHE – Bullying/healthy eating
Summer 1:
National Theatre – Romeo and Juliet – live theatre analysis
Links to English National curriculum – appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage/ read easily, fluently and with good understanding/ acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language/ use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas/ are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate/ improvising, rehearsing and performing play scripts and poetry in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact.
Links to CST – tolerance and peace/dignity and compassion/mercy and forgiveness
Summer 2:
Stanislavski and characterisation – practitioner study
Links to English National curriculum – improvising, rehearsing and performing play scripts and poetry in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact
Links to CST – tolerance and peace
Y9-11 drama overview:
- Component 1 – Devising – 40%. Students will explore stimuli and create a performance which responds to these stimuli. They will be assessed on their performance and in a reflective portfolio. (Internally assessed)
- Component 2 – Performance From Text- 20%. Students will rehearse two performance pieces to perform to an external examiner in the spring of Y11.
- Component 3 – Written Exam – 40%. Students will analyse and evaluate a live theatre performance they have seen, as well as answer questions from the point of view of a performance, director and designer for our chosen set text.
Y12-13 drama overview:
- Component 1 – Devising – 40%. Students will explore a set text and create a performance which responds to this text and its social, cultural and historical context. The performance will be in the style of a chosen practitioner. They will be assessed on their performance and in a reflective portfolio. (Internally assessed)
- Component 2 – Performance From Text- 20%. Students will rehearse two performance pieces (group and a monologue/duologue) to perform to an external examiner in the spring of Y13.
- Component 3 – Written Exam – 40%. Students will analyse and evaluate a live theatre performance they have seen, answer questions from the point of view of a performer and designer for a set text, and create a directorial concept for a set text taking into account its original performance conditions.
Subject staff
Miss Chloe Hickey – Drama Subject Lead
Useful Links
GCSE Bitesize Drama http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zbckjxs
The National Theatre education pages https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/learning
The National Theatre Discover YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ntdiscovertheatre
The Globe Theatre education blogs http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/education?gclid=CKKNiZSMkNUCFcZuGwod7igGLg
The Royal Shakespeare Theatre https://www.rsc.org.uk/education
The Stage https://www.thestage.co.uk/
Creative Stoke http://www.creativestoke.org.uk/
Frantic Assembly https://www.franticassembly.co.uk/
Spotlight https://www.spotlight.com/
Extra- Curricular
- Years 12 and 13 students look forward to the annual London residential in December. The itinerary changes each year but we always see a West End production and aim to have a workshop led by industry professionals.
- We offer a full-scale musical every year in which students can become involved in acting, directing, choreographing, stage managing, lighting designing, sound designing and prop/set making. The musical runs for any student of any age from Y7 right up to Y13. It is a wonderful opportunity to get to know the creative arts at Painsley Catholic College
- We offer a Student Director programme for our senior students, which gives opportunity to lead other students throughout the course of the year, including assistance in the school musical, devised performances and plays throughout the year. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to develop leadership and creative skills, whilst being a great springboard into their professional careers and developing their university applications.
- Students taking drama attend the theatre several times throughout the year in order to fulfil the specification requirements as well as create well-rounded theatre students. These trips include both musicals and plays.
- We take all of Y7 around Christmas and Y9 in spring to watch a musical. This happens as a cross-curricular link with music every year in addition to the theatre trips with drama students already taking place.
- Y9 G&T students attend a drama vehicle to Sky Arts Studio to create a news broadcast about social media, this is a cross-curricular link with PHSE.