Drama and Performing Arts

Year 7

Curriculum Intention:

Drama and Music are taught on a carousel with Media Studies. Drama and Music are ‘Performing Arts’ subjects. Students will study each subject for one term.

In year 7, many students have little or no prior experience of Drama lessons. The course is designed to start with a full introduction to the subject, to help students can enjoy early success and an in depth understanding. As the term unfolds, the subject matter becomes increasingly challenging in terms of skills required and topics covered, frequently linking back to the familiar to help students to feel grounded and secure in their exploration of Drama. All the skills identified for each unit link to wider social, moral, spiritual and cultural issues, often encompassing all of these aspects.

The Musical ‘School of Rock’ is taught at the end of the term to help students understand the link between Music and Drama, using Musical Theatre as a bridge between both Performing Arts.

Curriculum Implementation:

Autumn	Spring	Summer
Introduction to Drama Skills – Team building, roles within a team esp. directing, public speaking, narration, stagecraft	Carousel Rotation	Carousel Rotation
Half term	Half term	Half term
School of Rock Skills – vocal, projection and articulation, script writing, memorising lines, proxemics, communicating meaning, musical theatre, ensemble, production elements including costume, light and sound design.	Carousel Rotation	Carousel Rotation
Christmas Holidays	Easter Holidays	Summer Holidays

Outcomes:

Students will develop in confidence and be able to demonstrate this by engaging with increasingly sophisticated techniques as the year progresses. By the end of year 7 all students should be able to speak in front of an audience and will understand how this skill can be adapted to everyday situations.

Employability skills:

Students will understand the importance of speaking in front of others and communicating key information. They are reminded that this will be invaluable in a situation where they are in charge or in an interview.

Year 8

Curriculum Intention:

Year 8 students start with at least one year’s experience of Drama, and as such have the core values and expectations of the subject embedded in their learning experience. The year starts with a more challenging approach, asking students to consider characterisation, devising and writing a script through the study of Commedia Dell ‘Arte. In the second half of term, students will study Urban Legends as a medium to explore ways of creating Drama. This early experience is intended to assist students as they begin to formulate ideas for the future, including whether or not they wish to continue past year 9. As in year 7, all units link to wider SMSC issues.

Curriculum Implementation:

Autumn	Spring	Summer
Commedia Dell ‘Arte Skills – improvisation, status, extended writing (monologue or duologue), SMSC relating to wider world, flashback, marking the moment, cannon and unison, ensemble, physical theatre, movement to music	Carousel Rotation	Carousel Rotation
Half term	Half term	Half term
Melodrama Skills – responding to a stimulus, SMSC, problem solving, creative solutions, imagination, mime, conscience alley, screen writing from a story	Carousel Rotation	Carousel Rotation
Christmas Holidays	Easter Holidays	Summer Holidays

Outcomes:

Students will be able to demonstrate increasingly sophisticated skills and techniques as the year progresses. Some of these may be edging towards GCSE standard, and this will be acknowledged through departmental praise and rewards (e.g. postcard home, invitations for trips). Students should also be able to articulate how and why the study of Drama is relevant to making progress in other subjects, e.g. by improving presentation skills.

Employability skills:

Students will understand the relevance of Drama to the wider world and will thus be better prepared to present themselves for employment opportunities.

Year 9

Curriculum Intention:

In year 9 students are expected to demonstrate a mature approach to Drama by engaging with a broad repertoire of skills and techniques introduced to them over the previous two years at STM. For this reason we are able to start the year with more difficult and complex techniques such as monologue and flashback. Students are also asked to consider how a person’s behaviour can have an impact on their future and ways to alter this impact where necessary. Where a new topic is introduced its relevance to GCSE is made explicit, so that students are able to make an informed choice about whether or not Drama would be an appropriate choice for them in year 10.

Year 9 is also the last opportunity to use Musical Theatre to convey the variety of aspects in Performing Arts.

Curriculum Implementation:

Autumn	Spring	Summer
The White Rose and The Swastika Skills – hot seating, role on the wall, flashback, meeting/ monologue, future outcomes, definitions, learning questions	Stanislavski and DNA Skills – building relationships, developing character, proxemics, movement memory, stage presence, duologue, marking the moment	Brecht and Stanislavski Improvisation Performing from a script Write a review of live theatre Skills – leadership (directing), working as a team (production company), unison and canon, connecting with an audience, stagecraft revision
Half term	Half term	Half term
Verbatim Theatre (inc. Homelessness project) Skills – ensemble, multi-media, SMSC, movement to music, direct address	Brecht ‘Too Much Punch For Judy’ Skills – as above plus comedy/tragedy, duologue, monologue, physical theatre, hot seating, interview, dramatic irony, gestus, tempo/ rhythm, written response – live review	Devising- response to a stimulus Skills – responding to a stimulus, SMSC, problem solving, creative solutions, imagination, mime, script writing, memorising lines, proxemics, communicating meaning
Christmas Holidays	Easter Holidays	Summer Holidays

Outcomes:

Students will demonstrably be able to showcase a variety of dramatic techniques in their assessments and be able to explain how to use the relevant skills in other subject areas, e.g. presentation.

Employability skills:

Techniques learnt in Drama are beneficial in a number of areas including, but not limited to, interview technique and presentation skills.

Year 10

Curriculum Intention:

To fulfil the criteria for GCSE Drama students must: AO1 Create and develop ideas to communicate meaning for theatrical performance, AO2 Apply theatrical skills to realise artistic intentions in live performance, A03 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how drama and theatre is developed and performed, and AO4 Analyse and evaluate their own work and the work of others.

To this end the course is divided into three components: 1 Devising, 2 Performance from text, and 3 Theatre Makers in practice. Year 10 begins with component 1, which (with a 40% weighting) is usually the component students find most challenging. It is for this reason that a larger portion of year 10 is dedicated to this component with the other units addressed more latterly and in greater detail in year 11. Component 3 is also woven in at other strategic points in the year.

Curriculum Implementation:

Autumn	Spring	Summer
Devising	Devising	Performance from a text
Half term	Half term	Half term
Devising	Performance from a text	Theatre Makers in Practice
Christmas Holidays	Easter Holidays	Summer Holidays

Outcomes:

Students will meet the assessment objectives outlined above and should meet the criteria for progressively higher grades within each assessment area. By the start of year 11 students will have experienced all aspects of the GCSE course and will be equipped to complete the components required to gain the qualification.

Employability skills:

The course provides opportunities to develop skills relevant to the performing arts sector as well as other desirable qualities such as confidence. Collaborative work and presentation are also at the forefront of the work produced in Drama.

Year 10 Music

Curriculum Intention:

To fulfil the criteria for GCSE Music students must: AO1 perform with technical control, expression and interpretation AO2 compose and develop musical ideas with technical control and coherence AO3 demonstrate and apply musical knowledge AO4 use appraising skills to make evaluative and critical judgements about music.

Students with at least a grade 3 qualification on a musical instrument (including voice) will already have a good understanding of the theory behind Music GCSE, so ideally this should be the baseline for candidates. Students who have not attained a grade 3 will need additional support on top of the lesson structure outlined below.

Curriculum Implementation:

Autumn	Spring	Summer
Sept 6^th- Oct 22^nd Composition and The Concerto Through Time	Jan 5^th – 11^th Feb Performance and Film Music	20^th April – 27^th May Composition to a brief and ensemble performance
Half term	Half term	Half term
Nov 1^st – Dec 17^th Composition and Rhythms of the World	21^st Feb – 1^st April Performance and Conventions of Pop	6^th June – 22^nd July Listening practise Composition x2 polish Performance x2 polish
Christmas Holidays	Easter Holidays	Summer Holidays

Outcomes:

Students will meet the assessment objectives outlined above and should meet the criteria for progressively higher grades within each assessment area.

Employability skills:

The course provides opportunities to develop skills relevant to the performing arts sector as well as other desirable qualities such as confidence and listening skills.

Year 11 Drama

Curriculum Intention:

To fulfil the criteria for GCSE Drama students must: AO1 Create and develop ideas to communicate meaning for theatrical performance, AO2 Apply theatrical skills to realise artistic intentions in live performance, A03 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how drama and theatre is developed and performed, and AO4 Analyse and evaluate their own work and the work of others.

To this end the course is divided into three components: 1 Devising, 2 Performance from text, and 3 Theatre Makers in practice.

Curriculum Implementation:

Autumn	Spring	Summer
Sept 6^th - Oct 22^nd Devising	Jan 5^th – 11^th Feb Performance from a text	20^th April – 27^th May Theatre Makers in Practice
Half term	Half term	Half term
Nov 1^st – Dec 17^th Devising (Finish component 1)	21^st Feb – 1^st April Performance from a text (Finish component 2) Theatre Makers in Practice	6^th June – 22^nd July Exams
Christmas Holidays	Easter Holidays	Summer Holidays

Outcomes:

Students will meet the assessment objectives outlined above and should meet the criteria for progressively higher grades within each assessment area.

Employability skills:

The course provides opportunities to develop skills relevant to the performing arts sector as well as other desirable qualities such as confidence. Collaborative work and presentation are also at the forefront of the work produced in Drama.

Year 11 Music

Curriculum Intention:

To fulfil the criteria for GCSE Music students must: AO1 perform with technical control, expression and interpretation AO2 compose and develop musical ideas with technical control and coherence AO3 demonstrate and apply musical knowledge AO4 use appraising skills to make evaluative and critical judgements about music.

Students with at least a grade 3 qualification on a musical instrument (including voice) will already have a good understanding of the theory behind Music GCSE, so ideally this should be the baseline for candidates. Students who have not attained a grade 3 will need additional support on top of the lesson structure outlined below.

Curriculum Implementation:

Autumn	Spring	Summer
Sept 6^th- Oct 22^nd Composition and Performance for the integrated portfolio	Jan 5^th – 11^th Feb Composition to a brief and ensemble Performance	20^th April – 27^th May Final preparation for component 05 (Listening exam)
Half term	Half term	Half term
Nov 1^st – Dec 17^th Composition and Performance for the integrated portfolio (Finish component 01/02) Composition to a brief	21^st Feb – 1^st April Composition to a brief and ensemble performance (Finish component 03/04) Revisit AoS 2,3,4 and 5	6^th June – 22^nd July Exams
Christmas Holidays	Easter Holidays	Summer Holidays

Outcomes:

Students will meet the assessment objectives outlined above and should meet the criteria for progressively higher grades within each assessment area.

Employability skills:

The course provides opportunities to develop skills relevant to the performing arts sector as well as other desirable qualities such as confidence and listening skills.

Year 12 Performing Arts

Curriculum Intention:

This A level qualification has been developed at the same time as Edexcel’s GCSE and AS Level qualifications. This ensures sensible progression of knowledge, understanding and skills from GCSE to A level and similar approaches to assessment, so that students will have a coherent experience of drama if they take Edexcel GCSE in Drama, and A level in Drama and Theatre. It is designed to develop transferable skills for progression from A level – students will develop a multitude of skills, including collaboration, communication and an understanding of how to amend and refine work in order to make a smooth transition to their next level of study or employment.

Curriculum Implementation:

Autumn	Spring	Summer
Devising Theatre Makers in Practice	Theatre Makers in Practice	Performance from Text
Half term	Half term	Half term
Devising Performance from Text	Theatre Makers in Practice	Devising
Christmas Holidays	Easter Holidays	Summer Holidays

Outcomes:

A number of performances and portfolios that review and evaluate the development of skills and techniques for a live performance with reference to knowledge developed from all learning aims, presented using relevant techniques, for example digital, recorded. Demonstration of in depth subject knowledge through examination.

Employability skills:

A multitude of skills, including collaboration, communication and an understanding of how to amend and refine work in order to make a smooth transition to their next level of study or employment.

Year 13

Curriculum Intention:

This A level qualification has been developed at the same time as Edexcel’s GCSE and AS Level qualifications. This ensures sensible progression of knowledge, understanding and skills from GCSE to A level and similar approaches to assessment, so that students will have a coherent experience of drama if they take Edexcel GCSE in Drama, and A level in Drama and Theatre. It is designed to develop transferable skills for progression from A level – students will develop a multitude of skills, including collaboration, communication and an understanding of how to amend and refine work in order to make a smooth transition to their next level of study or employment.

Curriculum Implementation:

Autumn	Spring	Summer
Devising Theatre Makers in Practice	Performance from Text	Theatre Makers in Practice
Half term	Half term	Half term
Devising (component 1 complete by Christmas) Theatre Makers in Practice (mock component 3)	Performance from Text (component 2 complete by Easter holidays)	Study Leave
Christmas Holidays	Easter Holidays	Summer Holidays

Outcomes:

A number of performances and portfolios that review and evaluate the development of skills and techniques for a live performance with reference to knowledge developed from all learning aims, presented using relevant techniques, for example digital, recorded. Demonstration of in depth subject knowledge through examination.

Employability skills:

A multitude of skills, including collaboration, communication and an understanding of how to amend and refine work in order to make a smooth transition to their next level of study or employment.