Drama

Subject: Drama

Head of Subject: Miss R Vanstone

Intent

At Hawkley Hall High School, the Drama Department endeavours to ignite passions and embrace creativity. The curriculum is designed to engage, motivate, and inspire pupils of all abilities and ages and develop in them a passion for Drama and Theatre. We aim to inspire a love of learning through a curriculum and an extra-curricular programme that enables students to develop an extensive practical skillset as well as a deep, broad, and rigorous theoretical understanding of Drama and Theatre. We want our pupils to be prepared for the challenges they will face in life and so we equip them with confidence, resilience, and a determination.  

Throughout their time at Hawkley Hall, students are taught the following key skills:

  • Create and develop ideas to communicate meaning for theatrical performance
  • Apply theatrical skills to realise artistic intentions in live performance
  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how drama and theatre is developed and performed
  • Analyse and evaluate their own work and the work of others
  • Literacy and reading, life skills and resilience.

Our curriculum follows the Magenta principles, where students learn:

  • The consequence of thinking
  • Language is central to thinking
  • Learning is an active process

Students in key stage 3 study a challenging course in Drama, allowing students to experience hands on practical activities which focus on enrichment and confidence building where expression and creativity is key. All SOW use Magenta Principles, Rosenshines Principles and use of Walk Thru techniques. SOW have a specific focus on Literacy and follow the manoeuvring the middle format. Year 7 SOW also make use of mindfulness techniques to help pupils with the transition from primary to secondary. Each SOW in each year group builds on skills, using different stimuli, sequenced in a way that is designed to explore and develop these skills – this could be a technique, a text, a genre, or a Performing Arts discipline. These skills are then tested at the end of each SOW both practically and in a theory lesson. Factual recall of skills is used and applied at the beginning of the next.

Overview of the Drama Curriculum 

The topics students cover throughout Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 are outlined in the link below:

KS3 Curriculum Overview Drama

KS4 Curriculum Overview Drama

GCSE Exam Board Specifications

The specification for GCSE Drama can be found here.

Click here to view the GCSE specification

Enrichment and Additional Learning Opportunities

Drama offers a wide range of enrichment activities over the year, including:
  • The Shakespeare School's Festival Rehearsals
  • Christmas Concert Rehearsals
  • Text and Devising Club
  • Musical Theatre Club
  • Script writing
We also have the following productions in the year:
  • Annual Christmas concert
  • Easter Showcase or Whole School Musical
  • Summer Festival