Drama

Introduction

Drama is about imagination, creativity and innovation.

It is a fundamental human activity and a powerful lens to use to interpret the world. Drama can challenge, develop and enrich the life of every person in a school’s community, created with the simplest and most complex of resources; people.

The Drama Department is committed to securing a broad and balanced arts provision for all pupils. The ethos for our curriculum is to provide a creative, skills-based programme that places the student at the heart of their learning. Students learn to appreciate drama as a practical activity, an art form and a discipline through which to see the world.

Contact details

Please contact the Head of Department for more information. A full teaching staff list can be found under 'About Us' 'Staff and Governance'.

Head of Department: Ms H Williams    Email: hope.williams@ccfplus.com

What your child will be learning (curriculum mapping)

To view the modules studied each term, please click here. 

Aims and enrichment

Aims

• To appreciate the craft of Drama and Theatre and its cultural importance.
• To understand how Drama is ‘rehearsal for life’, and provides social skills in confidence, communication and team working.
• To offer as many extra opportunities as possible for students to be enriched in watching, experiencing and being part of professional-standard theatre.

Enrichment

The Drama Department offers a minimum of three opportunities per year to be part of a school production.

This has included taking part in the Shakespeare Schools Festival, the National Theatre Connections project, the annual school Arts Award evening and whole school musicals. We have also performed to primary schools and create smaller scale performances as part of the weekly KS3 Drama Club.

The department also provides trips to each year group, at least once a year. These have included trips to see West End productions of Aladdin, School of Rock and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, and to take part in workshops with professional actors from WAC Arts and Punchdrunk. The department has close links with the Arts Depot Theatre and UCL Institute of Education, which provides us with great opportunities to enrich learning.

Key stage 3

In KS3 we look at a broad spectrum of drama skills, scripts and approaches.

Year 7 includes a scheme on pantomime and myths and legends, as well as connecting with the play The Terrible Fate of Humpty Dumpy and social issues such as bullying and drugs.

Year 8 includes links with History with a scheme on the bombing of Guernica, and with English when working with the novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. We also explore Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and didactic theatre through the controversial sport of boxing.

Year 9 has a more technical focus, looking at the famous play Bouncers by John Godber, and exploring the drama practitioners Stanislavski and Frantic Assembly. We also explore social media and the 2011 London Riots through drama.

Key stage 4

We work with the Edexcel specification for GCSE Drama.

Year 10 starts with honing skills and performing at our annual Arts Award Evening around Christmas. We will also visit a theatre, ready to evaluate it for our exam. We then undertake Component 1 of the course, made up of a devised piece of drama which is performed to parents, and a written portfolio focused on the process of creating the drama. This makes up 40% of the course.

In Year 11 we begin by exploring the set text: DNA by Dennis Kelly. Component 2 is next, involving the preparation of a monologue and group piece using extracts from the play Adult Child/Dead Child by Claire Dowie. This is worth 20% and is examined in the Spring term. Finally, we revise DNA and our Live Theatre Evaluation ready for our exam in the Summer Term, which is worth 40% of the final grade.