Secondary Curriculum
Drama
Why study Drama?
Drama engages and encourages students to become confident performers and designers with the skills they need for a bright and successful future. All pupils participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of drama. Pupils should be able to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role. They will have opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audiences, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to drama and theatre performances.
How will I study Drama?
Pupils will study drama through both practical exploration and theoretical understanding through KS3 and into KS4. Students in KS3 have one lesson per week that focuses all around gaining the basic skills, techniques and knowledge of performing ready for when they get to KS4. In KS4, the pupil’s time is split between practical and theory exploration to give them a greater understanding of how drama is both practical and academic.
What will I study at Key Stage 3?
Pupils will gain a basic understanding and knowledge of how performances are made and the key elements to performing in a range of different performance types.
During Year 7, pupils will explore the stage space and how to successfully create a short performance for an audience to enjoy. Focus being on basic performance skills to allow the pupils to portray a character different to themselves.
During Year 8, pupils explore certain techniques such as monologues, duologues, narration and more. These techniques are then used for storytelling through performance.
During Year 9, pupils will focus on theatre practitioners and their beliefs of how theatre should be performed and the reasons behind their views. The students then implement these elements into performance to portray different practitioner’s styles.
Enrichment
The drama department perform a school production in the Autumn and Spring Terms that is performed across several days to a wide range of audience members. The performance sees pupils from Year 7 up to Year 10 either perform in the piece or given a responsibility in a non-performing role. A drama club is then offered to KS3 pupils for those who wish to explore drama outside of their lesson and gain more of an understanding of how drama works. GCSE pupils are required to spend time outside of school hours to rehearse for their practical performances at either lunch times or after school sessions with the drama department.
In Year 7, students visit the theatre at the end of their first term to experience one of the local theatres within Birmingham. At KS4, students visit theatres in Birmingham and London as part of their GCSE requirements.
Careers
The study of drama at GCSE can lead to many opportunities such as; actor, community arts worker, dramatherapist, entertainer/performer, events manager, lighting/sound technician, media researcher, playwright, screenwriter, set designer, costume designer, director, camera operator, production manager, stage manager, TV presenter.