Drama Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Aim & Intent
Aim
Here at Southmoor Academy, we aim to securely equip all of our students for life beyond school as successful, confident, responsible and respectful citizens. We believe that education provides the key to social mobility and our drama curriculum is designed to build strong foundations in the knowledge, understanding and skills which lead to academic and personal success. We want our students to enjoy the challenges that learning offers.
Our aims are underpinned by a culture of high aspirations. Through developing positive relationships, we work towards every individual having a strong belief in their own abilities so that they work hard, build resilience and achieve their very best.
Intent
The curriculum includes formal teaching through subject areas, assemblies and extracurricular activities. We regularly review content to ensure we continue to meet our curriculum aims. At Southmoor drama is taught as a discrete subject and pupils receive one 60 minute lesson per week at KS3. We also offer the option of AQA GCSE drama and A level drama and theatre. The Drama curriculum is covered through schemes of work, lesson planning, homework, extended independent work, and extra-curricular activities. We regularly review content to ensure we continue to meet our curriculum aims.
Our curriculum is planned to enable all students to develop a knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of drama and theatre as participants and observers. We also develop valuable transferable life skills that employers say are essential in the work place: confidence, communication skills, creativity, resilience, empathy, team work and leadership skills. We encourage British values of mutual respect and love of learning about other cultures and traditions through the texts we explore. As well as teaching subject specific skills, we also support PHSCE though the topics we explore using drama.
Throughout our programmes of study, every attempt is made to make explicit links to careers and the world of work.
Brief Overview of Curriculum Content for Each Term
Autumn term Spring Term Summer Term Yr 7 Introduction to Drama - Ensures all pupils share a common knowledge of the basic skills and techniques needed to enjoy participation in drama
Bullying
- The six basic dance moves
- pupils can put their new skills into practise, improving and experimenting
Evacuees - Exploration of a historical event. Pupils use their skills to develop understanding of the experience of children in WW2
Ernie’s Incredible Ilucinations
- Exploration of a classic British children’s comedy play, allowing pupils to experiment with forms of staging and ensemble performance.
Shakespeare from page to stage - Shakespeare should be accessible and enjoyable! Pupils should understand plays were written to be performed and should enjoy doing so.
Theatre design ‘Puppets’
- How can be used in theatre in innovative and creative ways.
- Pupils create their own puppets and performance.
Yr 8 The Pressure Cooker - helps pupils to make sense of their world and the process of growing up in contemporary Britain, as well as developing their subject specific skills.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
- Exploration of physical theatre and alternative ways of telling stories though drama
The Hillsborough Disaster - Using drama techniques to explore the events and impact of this tragedy
Our Day Out
- A practical study of the Willy Russell play exploring the themes of education and social class.
Our Very own Theatre Company - Pupils explore how theatre can play a role in education, through creating their own TIE company and responding to a brief.
Stage Combat
- Pupils learn key moves to portray safe and convincing stage combat situations.
Yr 9 Outsiders - Through drama we investigate why people both historically and today, can find themselves of the edges of society.
- We also consider how society can be more inclusive.
Grimm Tales
- The Carol Ann Duffy interpretation of traditional tales allows pupils to explore the darker side of fairy tale and explore the meanings behind these folk stories.
Stolen Lives - Exploring the stories of people whose lives have been cut short.
Stanislavski and DNA
- Apply the methods of theatre practitioner Stanislavski to the text DNA
Theatre design - Pupils learn about the role and importance of the set designer, before creating their own box set models
Evaluation of a live performance
- Pupils analyse and evaluate the key elements of a piece of live professional theatre.
Yr 10 Drama Practitioners and devising (comp 2) - An introduction to key practitioners and their methods
- An exploration of genre and dramatic techniques
Live theatre analysis and evaluation (comp 1)
Blood Brothers (comp 1)
- Practical exploration of set text and introduction to requirements of GCSE written paper.
Texts in practise (comp 3) - Pupils will perform a section of a full-length play from a choice of three texts
- Assessed practical performance
Blood Brothers (comp 1) revisited
- Further exploration of set text and practise exam questions
Creating original drama coursework (comp 2) - Pupils work in groups responding to a stimulus to begin the process to devise an original piece of drama for their coursework
- Section 1 of the devising log will be completed
Yr 11 Creating original drama coursework (comp 2) - Pupils complete the devising process and perform their original drama in exam conditions.
- Section 2 and 3 of the devising logs will be completed
Comp 1 practise and revision
- Blood Brothers
- Live Theatre
Texts in practise (comp 3) - Pupils will prepare two extracts from a full-length play.
- Exam practical performance with visiting examiner.
Comp 1 practise and revision
- Final preparations for the written exam paper
Comp 1 practise and revision - Final preparations for the written exam paper
How Our Curriculum Caters For SEND Students
How does our Curriculum cater for students with SEND?
Southmoor is an inclusive academy where every child is valued and respected. We are committed to the inclusion, progress and independence of all our students, including those with SEN. We work to support our students to make progress in their learning, their emotional and social development and their independence. We actively work to support the learning and needs of all members of our community.
A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made that is additional to or different from that made generally for other children or young people of the same age. (CoP 2015, p16)
Teachers are responsible for the progress of ALL students in their class and high-quality teaching is carefully planned; this is the first step in supporting students who may have SEND. All students are challenged to do their very best and all students at the Academy are expected to make at least good progress. Extra-curricular activities are fully inclusive
In drama, SEND support is provided by class teachers through differentiated teaching methods.
How Our Curriculum Caters For Disadvantaged Students
How does our curriculum cater for disadvantaged students and those from minority groups?
As a school serving an area with elevated levels of deprivation, we work tirelessly to raise the attainment for all students and to close any gaps that exist due to social contexts. The deliberate allocation of funding and resources has ensured that attainment gaps are closing in our drive to ensure that all pupils are equally successful when they leave the Academy. More specifically within the teaching of Drama, each member of staff holds a teaching handbook that identifies disadvantaged pupils. In line with school data drops, work is scrutinised, and disadvantaged pupils are identified and interventions put in place. These include: 1:1, lunchtime revision, bespoke independent work, free revision books and subsidised visits.
Knowledge Organisers
