Drama and Theatre Studies
In Year 7, we build a Drama ‘Toolbox’ of creating, performing and responding skills, in order to assist students with their stage confidence as an individual or within a group. All of this is built on a foundation of collaboration and developing resilience with students working cooperatively throughout the year and taking part in self and peer assessment in order to develop their own skills. This armoury is linked to a variety of social ideas, dramatic styles and forms of theatre, including creating a news programme, exploring characterisation and play structure through melodrama, physical theatre & a miniature musical of Shakespeare's Tempest. Google Classroom is used to submit two 20-minute homework pieces each half term – these tasks are about self-reflection on practical work.
In Year 8, we focus on building a creative imagination and developing characterisation on stage and screen. We develop and foster the imagination through devising & stimuli, including building characters, exploring dramatic structure, creating mood & atmosphere, as well as developing verbal presentation skills. The content includes detective and ghost stories, a reworking of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Genre Mash-Ups and an Introduction to Improvisation. Termly homework will be projects developed throughout their practical development, including written reflections of development and script writing activities. The tasks are submitted via Google Classroom.
In Year 9, we focus on developing longer project work which emulates the environment of GCSE Drama. This foundation year looks at the three components that feature in all drama qualifications. In Component 1 we study Blood Brothers and look at how we write about texts in relation to the demands of the written exam. Component 2 is devised drama, and we look at a range of stimuli to create a performance piece in groups, and component 3 is a scripted unit where we explore The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. The schemes of learning encourage the students to work independently and creatively to develop their performative, analytical and evaluation skills.
Aims of Subject
- Offers students 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 convention.
- Students will create, perform and respond to drama informed by their theoretical knowledge of drama and theatre.
- To develop pupils' knowledge and understanding of what makes effective Drama by studying practitioners, watching and evaluating productions.
- To develop pupils' own skills in regards to design, characterisation and direction.
Year 10 from September 2025, first exam May 2027
Exam Board- AQA
Content and Assessment Overview
Component 1: Understanding Drama : 40% of qualification (exam)
How it's assessed:
- Written Exam: 1 hour and 45 minutes
- Open book
- 80 marks in total
- 40% of GCSE
Questions:
- Section A: multiple choice (4 marks)
- Section B: four questions on a given extract from the set play, Noughts and Crosses (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 : 40% of qualification
What's assessed:
- Process of creating devised drama
- Performance of devised drama (students may contribute as performer or designer)
- Analysis and evaluation of own work
How it's assessed:
- Devising log (60 marks)
- Devised performance (20 marks)
- 80 marks in total
- 40% of GCSE
Component 3: Texts in Practice (practical) : 20% of qualification
What's assessed:
- Performance of two extracts from one play (students may contribute as performer or designer
- Free choice of play but it must contrast with the set play chosen for Component
How it's assessed:
- Performance of Extract 1 (20 marks) and Extract 2 (20 marks)
- 40 marks in total
- 20% of GCSE
- This component is marked by AQA.
Course Description
Students will gain experience of directing and collaborating creatively whilst encountering a range of stimuli as a basis for dramatic exploration through both performance and the design of other theatrical elements such as make-up, costume, set design and lighting. Self-devised work will be an important part of the course, as will frequent visits to the theatre. Throughout the course, students will learn how to review their own work and that of others with a positive critical awareness, using appropriate specialist terminology. They will learn to identify thematic and technical links between theatre of different genres, periods and cultures.
How will the course help me?
In Drama you need imagination as well as an ability to create work in a group. This is a kinaesthetic and problem-solving subject that requires you to be a team player, prepared to work with anyone and develop leadership skills. This will help anyone who wants responsibility in any field with the confidence to manage, organise and help people. It is also designed for individuals who want to go into the arts, whether it is working for the BBC, script writing, fashion design, production or performing. Ultimately drama is about the study of people and finding brilliant and creative ways of reflecting humanity.
Homework
You will have an hour a week completing a drama diary as well as play writing, research, reviewing plays and performances, learning lines and building an extensive theatrical knowledge through research and reflection.
How your family can help?
Drama is a subjective subject and therefore discussion around the topic is always encouraged. Engaging in debates about topical issues including what people are watching or listening to is always encouraged, a holistic knowledge of social, historical and cultural influences is an asset. More traditional tasks could include line learning, encouraging your son or daughter to be confident expressing ideas vocally and visiting the theatre wherever possible in order to broaden knowledge and theatrical experience.