The Curriculum

KEY STAGE 3 

At Key Stage 3 students study drama once a week alternate terms in Years 7 and 8, moving to weekly lessons in Year 9. We have built our drama curriculum from the A Level curriculum backwards and have created custom schemes of work and resources for our students to slowly build their theatrical knowledge and skills overtime. From Theatre History, Technical Skills and Performance Skills our students have a great basis and general knowledge of theatre to help inform their choices for GCSE. Indeed, drama is a fast growing subject at our school and we are seeing an increasing number of non-performers opting to take the subject and specialise in skills such as costume design, lighting or set design. 

KEY STAGE 4 

At Key Stage 4 we offer the AQA GCSE Drama specification. This is an increasingly popular course at the school. Students study one set text (currently ‘The Crucible’) and learn how to evaluate live theatre productions – both of which are examined formally at the end of Year 11. The second component provides students with an opportunity to devise original drama and create a report on the devising process. The third and final component is an externally assessed practical exam based on an existing text. In the case of the latter two, students can opt to be assessed as performers or performance support (puppetry, lighting, sound, set or costume design). 

KEY STAGE 5 

At Key Stage 5 we offer the AQA Drama and Theatre specification. This builds on the GCSE curriculum however students do not have to have studied GCSE drama in order to access this course. At A Level students study two set texts (currently ‘Hedda Gabler’ and ‘Our Country’s Good’) and will sit an exam at the end of Year 13 to discuss their approach to each text from the perspective of a performer, director and/or designer. In addition they also answer questions on Live Theatre. The second component requires students to devise an original piece in the style of a dedicated practitioner supported by written coursework. The final component is an externally assessed scripted component performed in the style of a chosen practitioner.