Drama

All pupils take Drama in Years 7, 8 and 9. The focus of the classes is on individual creativity. Drama skills are developed through practical exercises and activities with the pupils working in groups and pairs. Activities are structured to encourage concentration, the interpersonal skills of speaking and listening and group work. Improvisation forms a key element in the classes with techniques of dramatic structuring of work being introduced in line with the pupils’ developing levels of  competence.

In Year 10 pupils may choose to take Drama as one of their GCSE options. The subject follows the AQA specification which builds on the School’s earlier emphasis on practical work. Pupils study scripted work by published dramatists, visit local professional theatre productions and evaluate and review the work and perform in both scripted and group-devised pieces which constitute 60% of their final GCSE examination.

Students can pursue their interest in Drama at A Level also via the AQA Board’s Drama and Theatre Arts course. Students study scripted drama from different cultures and periods, as well as learning about major developments in the 20th Century dramatic tradition. The evaluation of live theatre productions is an integral and significant element of the course designed to consolidate theory. Central to the course is the practical component of the examination in which students work together to realise, at AS, the production of an extract from a published  play and, at A2 Level, to devise and present an original drama.

 

The Department is proud of the excellent results our students have achieved in recent years with a 100% pass rate and most pupils achieving grades A or A* at GCSE and A or B at A Level.