This resource provides a quick and easy map of your child’s curriculum journey in Performing Arts. 

Key Stage 3 Drama

In Drama we strive to support students in understanding the world around them through their Drama skills and develop wider skills such as self-confidence, oracy & rhetoric, communication, leadership, self-expression, collaboration, resilience, analysis and evaluation of ideas and creative thinking. 

Students are encouraged to learn, understand, retain and retrieve key drama skills and conventions of theatre. We work with a range of theatrical text and stimuli offering pupils the opportunity to engage with a broad variety of cultural and historical topics, as well as considering how these issues can impact their own lives. Pupils are taught ‘the 5C’s of Drama’ Cooperation, Confidence, Communication, Concentration and Commitment, these life skills alongside Stanislavski’s 6 core skills of an actor; facial expression, body language, gestures, movement, space, voice/tone are the basis for the first three years of study. 

Students leave each stage of the course with an understanding of the basic conventions and skills needed to ensure that they are equipped with the threshold concepts to access examination courses. 

Year 7

In the Autumn term of Year 7, we begin with the introduction of ‘skills’ and making sure students understand the basic skills needed for performance; Voice, Action, Character and Setting as well as; teamwork, cooperation, still image and thought tracking. We then explore the genre of Pantomime and make sure that students have a clear understanding of this genre, and what it requires to perform in the pantomime style.

Within this scheme, we recall and use the acting skills that were learnt in the first half term, as well as the 5Cs of Drama. It is imperative that all students understand the differences in style and genres of performance so that they realise the differences in how they need to use their skills. This will then embed this learning for future performances. This is the first introduction of a script to the students, it is important for them to understand the differences between a script and a novel and to become familiar with the format a script takes.

We then move to using setting as a stimulus for improvisation and building character through looking at world of ‘Darkwood Manor’. Students focus on all aspects of character using voice and action to create the varied inhabitants of the haunted manor house. 

Year 7 then focuses on an introduction to Brecht to gain an understanding of his play ‘The Caucasian Chalk Circle’, his methods and style of theatre (such as the use of placards and politics).  During the Scheme of Learning there is a real focus on encouraging students to use their voice and action together to create character. 

In the final term of Year 7 we move on to looking at Live Theatre in Drama with a specific focus on the different types of staging used to represent different settings or show character. Students will study the play ‘The Railway Children’ and consider how voice and action are used to create character within live performance. Students will then study Transformations in Drama considering the skills needed for effective characterisation and performance. During this topic students are also introduced to the technical disciplines of costume and mask work. The final piece for this topic is an ensemble piece and it requires students to grasp the importance of aesthetics and formation on the stage. Students need to understand that it is just as important for the piece to be staged for the audience as it is for the students to perform well using their skills. This means that students are encouraged to look at their performance from a director’s point of view, as well as from an actor’s. Students are given the opportunity to refine their work with a clear focus on the use of voice, action, setting, and character. 

The use of Physical theatre and Soundscape techniques are also embedded throughout the Drama curriculum as they are essential to a student’s learning in Drama as they need to understand that we can use our action in new and unconventional ways to portray what we are feeling. Using Soundscape allows students to be experimental with using different parts of their bodies and action to create sound. 

Year 8

This learning journey presents a range of stimuli to students; a picture, a video and a newspaper article. Students are given the independence to choose which one they will use as their stimulus and ideas are workshopped as a class so that students benefit from the constructive feedback of their peers before working independently as a group. The 5Cs of drama underpin the direction and focus of the group’s work. 

Students then continue to consider texts from ‘page to stage’ through study of the Royal Shakespeare’s Noughts and Crosses. This text not only links to the GCSE study of Romeo and Juliet, but allows pupils to gain an understanding of how voice and action are used to create character through the wider themes of and questioning racism and hierarchy. 

Links to KS4 means that students have some understanding of the work that will be undertaken should they choose GCSE Drama. Creating is the highest form of learning and this is something that is embedded into all Drama lessons from the very beginning of their Drama journey, using the skills they have learnt – both performance and life skills.

Continuing the learning that started in Year 7 with Pantomime, we then look at an adaptation of Grimms Tales by Carol Ann Duffy. The themes of fairy tales and subversion of these ideas continues from Pantomime and informs students’ thinking as they begin to look more at setting and action. The contrast in the characters also allows the students, when they are the audience, to see how we use our performance skills differently depending on the character we play. Particular attention is paid to the use of action and voice; pitch, pace, tone and volume, in order to highlight the qualities and the personalities of the different characters.

The students then move on to study another convention of theatre: Verbatim; a form of documentary theatre which is based on the spoken words of real people. Verbatim plays aim to break down complex social issues and promote change, presenting a digestible, authentic piece of theatre, with clear messages helping students to relate to and empathise with storytelling that talks about what is happening in the world around them and tell stories about what is happening to them. We study the use of physical theatre and slow motion, looking at how it can enhance a performance and allows us to build tension without the use of technology (sound/lighting/special effects). This focus on the use of action in drama allows the students to understand more about the conventions of theatre.  

Students then continue their learning based on Live Theatre – again linking back to wider skills needed to assess performance at GCSE and look at how set and technical devices can be used to support actors in creating believable characters. 

During the final half term of Year 8 students are given the opportunity to create devised work in groups workshopping ideas and creating a final piece based on the idea of Social Media and its impact on their lives. Pupils are encouraged to use all of the basic skills of setting, action and voice to create their pieces and build up credible characters. 

Year 9

In Year 9 students begin the year with a scheme of learning based on the life skills of collaboration and teamwork, they are reminded of how these skills link to our power concepts of voice, action, setting and theatrical conventions. In this SOL students are provided with further opportunities to devise their own performance, based on a range of different stimuli; picture, painting, sculpture, piece of music. Students continue to refine their skills and build their confidence in performing as well as to recall the knowledge they learnt in Years 7 and 8 around working with a script. They are also encouraged to choose the style of the script – non naturalistic / breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience. The power concepts of voice, character, action, setting and conventions of theatre continue to be key to all that the pupils do. 

The Key Stage 3 journey concludes by continuing to look at the work of practitioners, this time Frantic Assembly, this builds on the work that pupils have previously done on Brecht and considering the theatrical convention of non-naturalism and breaking the fourth wall. Frantic Assembly are the British physical theatre company who lend voice to the seldom heard. Pupils are encouraged to think creatively, work collaboratively and use their own strength and physical action to create pieces of performance using all the skills of the actor that they have learnt over the KS3 course. This work is placed alongside that of the esteemed British poet, novelist and playwright Benjamin Zephaniah and his work Face, allowing pupils to consider character, voice, action and setting alongside real world issues. 

We will explore these styles using plays and songs as stimulus. Students will be able to use this knowledge in further Drama lessons and it will certainly serve to enhance their future performances, due to their understanding of how certain styles compliment certain scripts. 

In the final term of Key Stage 3 drama we bring together all of their learning and look at the Live theatre piece ‘Cookies’ and how it subverts conventions of drama allowing character to guide the action and using the setting of cyberspace and social media platforms. 

Students are then given a variety of stimuli based on the theme of protest in order to explore their knowledge of all of the conventions of theatre, action, voice, setting and character. Creating a final piece of work using the images, words and sounds of protests throughout history and considering what is important enough to them to protest about. 

Key Stage 4 

Theatre is an art of social significance… Theatre is a powerful influence on people, and the actor must serve as the people’s educator.

Stanislavski

At Key Stage 4 students follow the AQA GCSE course, continuing to develop their performance skills and developing their ability to write about the performances of others as well as themselves. 

In Year 10 the first half term is spent recalling the skills learnt at Key Stage 3 and solidifying understanding of the conventions used in Drama, as well as the remaining power concepts of character, voice, action and setting. 

Students studying GCSE Drama are offered the opportunity to explore drama as a practical art form in which ideas and meaning are communicated to an audience through choices of form, style and conventions of theatre. Even the written elements of the course are taught from a practical perspective, looking at scripted pieces as performances to be worked on and characters through physical action, understanding of setting and vocal skills. 

Students on the GCSE course will create, perform and respond to drama informed by their theoretical knowledge of drama and theatre. The subject content details the knowledge, understanding and skills that students are expected to develop throughout the course of study.

The subject content for GCSE Drama is divided into three components:

1.  Understanding Drama

Within the Understanding Drama component students will be taught:

• Characteristics of performance text(s) and dramatic work(s).
• Social, cultural and historical contexts.
• How meaning is interpreted and communicated.
• Drama and theatre terminology and how to use it appropriately.
• The roles and responsibilities of theatre makers in contemporary professional practice.

2. Devising Drama 

Within Devising students pupils learn how to create and develop ideas to communicate meaning using the conventions of devising.  Students create a devised theatrical performance using their knowledge of action, setting, voice and character. Students are asked to draw on and demonstrate a practical understanding of the subject content listed in Knowledge and understanding.

Students must develop their ability to:

• Carry out research.
• Develop their own ideas.
• Collaborate with others.
• Rehearse, refine and amend their work in progress.
• Analyse and evaluate their own process of creating devised drama.
• Create and communicate meaning.
• Realise artistic intention in devised drama.

For assessment, students must produce an individual Devising Log documenting their devising process and an analysis and evaluation of their contribution as well as performing or creating realised designs for a devised duologue or group piece.

3. Text in Practice 

For text in practice students learn how to contribute to text-based drama in a live theatre context for an audience, drawing on and demonstrating a practical understanding of how to create drama.

They must develop their ability to:

• interpret texts.
• Create and communicate meaning.
• Realise artistic intention in text-based drama.
• Learn how to commit dialogue to memory for devised performances and/or learn text they are performing for text-based performances.
• Develop the ability to interpret and/or create and perform a character as appropriate to the demands of the performance.
• Develop a range of vocal skills and techniques eg clarity of diction, inflection, accent, intonation and phrasing; pace, pause and timing; projection, pitch; emotional range; song and/or choral speaking.
• Develop a range of action through physical skills and techniques eg movement, body language, posture, gesture, gait, coordination, stillness, timing, control; facial expression; eye contact, listening, expression of mood; spatial awareness; interaction with other performers; dance and choral movement.
• Develop an appropriate performer/audience relationship and ensure sustained engagement throughout the performance.
• Adopt the latest safe working practices.
• Understand a range of theatrical conventions and how they impact theatre through the ages. 

For assessment, students must perform or create realised designs for two extracts from one play which contrasts to the set play studied in Component 1.

From studying Drama GCSE, you can go on to study Drama and Theatre Studies A-Level or a BTEC Level 3 in Performing Arts. This can lead to studying all sorts of subjects at University or onto exciting drama based apprenticeships. For example:

• Technician;
• Community Arts officer;
• Sales person.

Check out the range of apprenticeships here for which you need good drama skills or take a look at some more information about drama based degrees here.

Studying drama can lead you to study a wide variety of subjects at University. Such as:

• Acting;
• English;
• Applied Theatre;
• Creative Writing;
• Film and television production;
• Acting for Film.

Have a look at the UCAS website to see how many different combinations you can do.

The Curriculum Overview provides information as to how the curriculum is sequenced to enable students to build their knowledge and skills towards ambitious endpoints in each subject area. Click the picture to enlarge it and read more. Each terms’ learning is complemented by a knowledge organiser. 

Check them out