For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works – Ephesians 2:10
The Drama Department is a place of learning and imagination that enables students critical and creative voices so that they can embrace ‘life in all its fullness’. Our curriculum enables students to explore ideas creatively, to experience teamwork and develop essential collaboration skills for later in life. The knowledge rich curriculum we teach engages students in both practical and written form, to support their knowledge of the dramatic arts. We empower students to be the best version of themselves through a wide range of extra curricular activities in order for them to create, perform and respond like a theatre maker/critic. Our inclusive ethos supports the talent of our students in both performance and production, reflecting our core Bishop Ramsey values of Loving, Learning and Living.
In Key Stage 3 our schemes of learning are focused around three core curriculum strands:
Strand 1: Creating – How to improvise and devise work including key ‘creating strategies’.
Strand 2: Performing – How to use vocal and physical skills using key ‘performing strategies’.
Strand 3: Responding – Understanding how theatre ‘works’ using verbal/written evaluation and creation of performance and design.
In Year 7 students begin with an introduction to a range of drama strategies to build their confidence in creating drama work. This is followed by a unit where we explore a variety of strategies to create original characters within a haunted house/horror setting. We then move on look at how we can interpret characters from play texts, working with extracts from famous plays. Year 7 then look at the first genre of theatre making and applying Greek Chorus techniques to their own ensemble performances. We conclude the year with a unit where students are introduced to the design elements of drama, working towards creating their own design vision for a play.
In Year 8 students begin with a unit to recall the key knowledge learnt in Year 7, expanding their confidence levels within drama work. This is followed by introducing them to the idea of stimulus-based devising and how we construct narrative in drama. We follow this with an extended unit looking at Physical Performance Styles, including Clowning, Mime and Physical Theatre to expand students acting repertoire. We conclude Year 8 by looking at elements of performance through their first key practitioner Stanislavski and completing a review of the acting within a live theatre performance.
In Year 9, we study three extended units that help students to master key elements of what would be used in the Drama GCSE. Students begin with a focus on the work of Bertolt Brecht, a key practitioner when creating devised theatre work. This is followed by a study of extract from the musical play “Blood Brothers”, for which they perform an extract from the play and complete a written examination on acting choices. We conclude Year 9 with a verbatim theatre playwriting project where students explore the theatre industry from the perspective of a new theatre company trying to produce a show. Our Year 9 curriculum is deliberately designed to reflect the high demands of the GCSE Drama programme.
Edexcel GCSE 1DRO
Component 1 – Devising 40%/60 marks
Students work as a performer or designer to work in a group and create and develop an original piece of theatre in response to a stimulus. Alongside the practical element of the course, students need to present a written/typed or recorded portfolio documenting their creating process.
Component 2 – Performance from Text 20%/48 marks
Students work as a performer or designer and explore 2 key extracts from a published play. This is performed to a visiting external examiner and is a completely practical component that the students thoroughly enjoy.
Component 3 – Theatre Makers in Practice 40%/60 marks
This creative written exam is split into two sections:
Section A – Bringing texts to life which is based on the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Students answer set questions in the shoes of a performer, designer and director
Section B – Live theatre evaluation which assesses students' ability to analyse and evaluate a piece of live performance that they have gone to see. Edexcel GCSE Drama (2016) | Pearson qualifications
AQA GCSE 8261
Component 1 – Understanding Drama / 80 marks
Section A – Multiple Choice questions on the practicalities of the theatre industry (4 marks)
Section B – 4 questions on an given extract from “Around The World in 80 Days” by Laura Eason (44 marks)
Section C – One question from a choice on the work of theatre makers in a single live theatre production (32 marks)
Component 2 – Devising Drama / 80 Marks
Students work as a performer or designer to work in a group and create and develop an original piece of theatre in response to a stimulus. Alongside the practical element of the course, students need to present a written/typed or recorded portfolio documenting their creating process.
Devising Coursework – 60 marks
Devised Performance – 20 marks
Component 3 Texts in Practice / 40 Marks
Performance of two extract from one play, where students may contribute as performer or designer. Play will be chosen by the teacher, contrasting with the Set Text for Component 1. Students will perform 2 extracts which are worth equal marks. AQA | Drama | GCSE | GCSE Drama
Edexcel 9DR0
The A Level consists of 3 components which mirrors the GCSE course but is more advanced and expectations of creativity in theory and practical are much higher.
Component 1 Devising – 40%/80 marks
Students work as a performer or designer to work in a group and create and develop an original piece of theatre in response to a stimulus and by using the methodologies of a chosen Practitioner. Alongside the practical element of the course, students need to present a written/typed or recorded portfolio documenting their creating process.
Component 2 – Text in performance – 20%/60 marks
Students work as a performer or designer and explore 2 published plays. Students are required to perform a group piece and a monologue or duologue. This is performed to a visiting external examiner and is completely practical.
Component 3 – Theatre Makers in Practice – 40%/80marks
This written exam paper is split into 3 sections, allowing students to show the examiner their creative understanding of performing, designing, directing and reviewing live theatre.
Section A – Students watch a piece of live performance and are offered a choice of 2 questions to write a review about (20 marks).
Section B – Students study ‘Machinal’ by Sophie Treadwell, which is a feminist piece written in 1920’s New York. This question is split into two and students must write in the shoes of a performer and designer (38 marks).
Section C – Students study ‘Antigone’ by Antigone (Translated by Don Taylor) and are given the opportunity to create their own concept of the play in response to the work of a specific practitioner, explaining how they have been influenced by that practitioner and the original performance conditions of the work (22 marks) Edexcel GCSE Drama (2016) | Pearson qualifications
As a department, we pride ourselves on the quality of the extra curricular activities on offer. We offer:
Tech Society
Drama Club
School Production