Curriculum Intent Statement

2023- 2024

As a department we are committed to promoting outstanding curriculum based Drama provision and inspirational teaching that motivates every young person to Engage, Explore and Excel in this subject and achieve their full potential within a stimulating, friendly and healthy environment founded on mutual respect. In Drama at Manwood’s we want an approach which is engaged and committed to life-long learning as well as the appreciation of drama and theatre.’

 

Drama at Sir Roger Manwood’s

Engage...

Explore...

Excel...

& specifically for Drama… Express...

Make mistakes. Don’t use your first idea. Change things. Listen. Share. Imitate. Process rather than product. Edit. Slow down. Speed up. Question. Collaborate. Take risks. Trust your instinct. Getting it wrong is getting it right. Beg, steal and borrow from other practitioners. Do something. Express yourself.

Acting is reacting.

Just try it.

Through the practice of drama; Manwood’s pupils develop life-long skills in communication, confidence and collaboration. They harness the power of their imagination and learn the art of self-expression whilst exploring the ideas that shape the world in which we live. At Manwood’s’ our central aim is to instil in our pupils a life-long appreciation of drama and theatre; both as practitioners and audience.

Drama is a major element in the extra-curricular programme of the school.  Pupils have the opportunity to work to refine their skills, prepare pieces and, eventually, to face the challenge of performance.  Drama is both dynamic and rigorous; expectations are high and much is demanded of those who undertake this testing but fulfilling activity.  The school enjoys a strong reputation for the quality of its public performances and our remit for productions is to encompass a range of genres: through musicals to Shakespeare and period plays – all alongside more serious and challenging contemporary drama.

Intent:

Why do we teach Drama at Manwood’s and why do we teach in the way we do?

Here at Manwood’s Drama is a much valued subject that is part of our broad curriculum at KS3 and also an option at GCSE (and A Level from September 2022) for those students who wish to study the subject further. Drama is also an integral feature of the extra-curricular programme at the school with drama-based activities and projects that extend our students’ love and understanding of the subject.

It is contended that Drama is essential within a balanced curriculum in:

• Developing the full variety of students’ intelligence
• Developing the capacity for creative thought and action.
• The education of feeling.
• The exploration of value.
• Understanding cultural change and difference
• Developing a variety of physical conceptual skills in relationship to the practice of Drama and theatrical art.

A curriculum which values and encourages creative abilities and individual insights will develop inquiring minds and a capacity to respond flexibly to a rapidly changing world.

Every child should have the opportunity to develop their creative potential and in the Drama Department we aim to encourage and nurture creative development across the school in whatever form that takes; be it membership of a KS3 lunchtime Drama Club, taking on a role in a devised piece in a lesson, taking part in Theatre-in-Education projects aimed at younger students or auditioning for a role in a school production.

Implementation:

What do we teach? What does it look like?

KS3

The emphasis with our existing projects is to really allow our younger pupils to present as much of their ‘in-class’ work as possible in order to build teamwork skills in Devising and presenting text as well as developing their skills in confidence and presentation. Skills we feel are really important to everyday life.

Year 7 look at the foundation skills of Drama; Improvising, Devising and using text/script. Our programme of projects begins with Mime skills to build confidence in those students who may have little experience of Drama as a subject and to encourage students to understand how to use Non Verbal communication and physical expression. We look at how Circus performers work and develop whole class presentation skills in performing to an audience; beginning with performing in pairs before moving to small groups and then showing to a whole class. We then move on to look at how to use script/text and develop vocal skills in acting with extracts from plays by Harold Pinter before tackling Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ which allows us to consolidate all we have learnt in Year 7 and work towards the presentation of key moments from the play.

Extra-curricular:

Currently, there are lunchtime clubs for Years 7 & 8. Year 7 receive one lesson of timetabled Drama a fortnight and in 2023/24 will take part in a House Drama Competition for the first time. Our whole school production for 2023/24 will be production of A Christmas Carol that will be open to all students in the autumn of 2023.

KS4

At GCSE we follow the Eduqas/WJEC syllabus and this has influenced the content and assessment procedures at KS3 – with a strong emphasis on Devising and regular presentation of creative output in class.

GCSE Drama is open to all students. There are three components: Devising, Performance, Theatre in Practice.

Students work regularly in groups in practical, workshop based lessons and as good practice (and to prepare for further study post 16/18) keep a ‘Drama Journal’ to record their thoughts, progress and their ongoing work. The journal is a useful reflective tool and we do this on-line using Google Classroom.

There are opportunities for extra-curricular projects at KS4 such as the recent Year 11 production of Dennis Kelly’s ‘DNA.’

KS5

At A Level (introduced in September 2022) we again follow the Eduqas/WJEC syllabus which maintains a strong emphasis on Devising and regular presentation of creative output in class.

A Level Drama is open to students who have studied the subject at GCSE. There are three components: Theatre Workshop, Text in Action and Text in performance.

Students work regularly in groups in practical, workshop based lessons as they did at GCSE and as good practice (and to prepare for further study post-18) keep a ‘Drama Journal’ to record their thoughts, progress and their ongoing work. The journal is a useful reflective tool and we do this on-line using Google Classroom. There is an emphasis on studying a wider range of theatre practitioners/companies to broaden students understanding of past and present theatre practice as well as the study of three set texts.

Impact: What will this look like?

By the time students complete their programme of study in Drama at the end of Year 9 they will have a practical understanding of how to devise, how to present and they will have used and implemented a range of theatrical styles, forms and techniques in their work. They will be able to put into practice the skills they have learnt in the subject and fulfil our shared school vision of Engage, Explore, Excel and understand how Drama has allowed them to engage in a practical subject using a variety of elements, explore a range of stimuli including text, pictures, music, themes and been able to excel in their creation of drama pieces and the opportunity to present these in class and beyond.

If students opt to study Drama at GCSE level, they will utilise and build upon the skills they learnt at KS3 but in much greater depth and detail. They will devise and perform as part of their coursework – including presenting to a visiting examiner and bigger live audiences and they will also sit a written examination which looks at their ability to appraise live theatre they have watched as an audience member and to express their own design ideas using stagecraft in response to the study of a set text. Students may go on to study Drama at A Level or audition for Drama Schools post-18 with their GCSE in Drama having given them a solid foundation.

As expressed in our Curriculum Intent statement at the start of this document, in Drama at Manwood’s we want an approach which is engaged and committed to life-long learning as well as the appreciation of Drama and Theatre. We hope to foster a love of Drama and Theatre and aim to encourage our students not only to be confident performers but confident communicators and members of society who have much to contribute and who will also continue to support the Arts as they move into adulthood.

Steve Mount

Head of Drama

SRMS