Drama is a thriving part of day to day life at UCC & is an integral part of the curriculum from Year 7 through to Year 13, with examination courses at both GCSE & in the Sixth Form. The subject delivers the study of human communication; developing our youngsters’ ability to read & manage communication behaviours & develop confidence. We have numerous events ongoing throughout each academic year & plenty of extra-curricular opportunities as well as a wealth of clubs on at lunchtimes, rehearsals for big shows after-school. For five years we have also been booked by Lowther Castle to provide scarers for their annual Halloween events. An exciting hub of the school, the Drama Department continues to grow from strength to strength & aims to have something to offer to everyone.
Key Stage 3
Drama at Key Stage 3 focusses on developing key skills of communication and presentation, through topic centred exploration. Pupils rotate through the Performing Arts disciplines each half term offering a full range of experience before selecting two subjects to focus on in Year 9. From Year 9, work undertaken in the subject focusses on preparation for GCSE courses.
Key Stage 4
Drama at Key Stage 4 follows the Edexcel GCSE syllabus. Pupils learn about theatre from the perspective of a performer, director and designer. The course is divided into three components, in which pupils create and analyse an original piece of theatre, perform existing texts to an examiner and sit a final examination centred around a set play text.
Key Stage 5
Sixth Form Drama follows the BTEC Syllabus for Performing Arts. As a part of this course, students take four units which aim to develop their skills and knowledge within the field of Drama. The units contain a mixture of practical tasks, written assignments and a portfolio of evidence. The qualification is of the same value and merit as one A-Level.
Staff
- Ms E Cummings (Teacher of drama)
- Ms C Pearson-Rolph (Teacher of drama)
- Miss E Slattery (Teacher of drama)
- Mrs S Wilson (Teacher of drama)
Intent & implementation
We study Drama for two key purposes: to develop an understanding and love of the theatre and to develop ourselves as individuals and members of society, developing skills for the world or work and life in general.
We encourage creativity and strive to develop empathetic, confident students who can analyse and question the world around us, helping us to understand this world. Students will develop the skills they will need within drama and will have the opportunities to explore ways in which they can apply communication skills to an audience.
They will have the opportunities to take part in various extra-curricular activities and be involved and a wide array of performances.
The delivery of drama gives the students the opportunity to use their creative ideas, opinions and interpretations to develop their skills. We aim to give our students a voice, they will express their views and opinions through theatre focusing on developing their communication skills, confidence and positive relationships.
Throughout key stage 3 students will learn different styles of theatre, focus on practitioners and develop their collaboration, creativity and resilience. The course is designed to allow students to work within different groups, in pairs and solo activities allowing students to develop their independence, leadership skills and working within a team.
KS4 and KS5 students will develop their skills further, recalling their previous knowledge to allow for a deeper understanding of explorative techniques, practitioners and our set text ‘The Government Inspector’.
Developing Cultural Capital
The drama department ensure cultural capital is embedded throughout our curriculum. Students are encouraged to explore their own feelings, beliefs and ideas to find meaning and develop Drama work based on a wide variety of subject matters and stimuli. Highlighting transferable skills that students can access from
Drama. As part of the curriculum students at all key stages are regularly given the
opportunity and the motivation to investigate and offer reasons about moral and
ethical issues. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own actions, by learning what is right and wrong through effective communication, cooperation
and sensitivity.
Extracurricular opportunities
We are proud of our annual productions and biennial musicals which have included Joseph and Grease. We also offer a KS3 Drama Club, GCSE Fast Track Club (Year 9) and our Drama Council. Our KS3 Drama Club runs weekly as an opportunity for our pupils in Years 7 & 8 to work with lead learners from Drama and the Drama council. These students from Years 10 through to 13 guide younger members through a range of exercises and script explorations to further develop skills, confidence and understanding. Our Year 9 Drama Club is a new club for those looking to get ahead with GCSE drama and engage with scripts and other important opportunities in the department. Over time this will develop to see these pupils engaged in creating bespoke performances for school events.
Careers Education
Careers Education within the Drama curriculum is both explicit and implicit. By its very nature, drama focuses on the science of human communication and all pupils are taught life skills which are invaluable in the workplace. These skills include, but are not limited to, the ability to communicate with an audience, the ability to read the actions and words of others, the ability to manage and control emotional responses in others, the ability to communicate effectively under pressure and so on. In terms of the explicit coverage a large variety of job roles are considered as part of the drama curriculum, providing pupils with an understanding of working opportunities within the industry and exploring others through dramatic forms.
