Drama
KS3 Curriculum Intent and Rationale:
Our Key Stage 3 Drama curriculum aims to ignite creativity and confidence in our students through engaging experiences. Throughout these years, we foster communication skills, boost self-expression and cultivate a love for the arts, laying a foundation for a lifetime appreciation of Drama.
At The Mandeville School, we are keen on our students using drama as a subject that not only provides them with the domain-specific knowledge that is required to progress in their subject learning, but with the disciplinary knowledge that can support throughout their academic journey.
These skills include:
• Communication and cooperation – Learning how to communicate in an appropriate way which in turn leads to being able to cooperate with others, creating a harmonious learning space, accessible for all.
• Creativity and creation – Creating a character, a storyline and setting the scene.
• Confidence – Rehearsing, refining and performing.
• Evaluation – Analysing what makes a theatrical performance successful.
• Performance - Being able to portray a variety of roles, themes and styles
• Expression – Exploring different ways to show mood, intent, purpose.
Throughout the Drama Curriculum students will be given the opportunity to explore a variety of topics, styles, issues and characters such as working on Theatre in Education projects. These topics are focused on the students developing and implementing their own learning strategies through both collaborative and independent research and performance.
Throughout the drama curriculum at The Mandeville School, students will be able to provide their opinions and viewpoints on various topics through the use of spoken language skills and the ability to communicate effectively with others. They will build confidence and creativity through practical expression, dialogue and effective implementation of oracy skills.
KS4 Curriculum Intent and Rationale:
Drama at The Mandeville School fosters a safe learning environment, in which students are encouraged to develop transferable skills and qualities for later life. These include communication, compromise, negotiation, problem solving, teamwork, creativity, leadership and risk-taking. Drama stimulates lively debate, creativity and allows pupils to explore issues and experiences that affect them day to day.
Drama gives students a range of skills that cannot be undervalued. So-called soft skills that make us eminently more employable. Taken in collaboration with a range of other subjects, Drama actively inspires students to grow into outgoing and confident adults. The course develops the ability to work within a group and, above all, it hones those techniques that allow a chosen few to present themselves confidently to an audience.
Studying GCSE Drama at The Mandeville School will provide students with critical core skills unlike any other GCSE, preparing them for what life has in store. Drama is a dynamic practice that encourages students to be curious, open, present, inquisitive and funny. Drama provokes the imagination, allowing students to explore and reflect on important subject matter, such as contemporary, historical, socio-political and cultural issues; helping students to create new values, build self-esteem and gain confidence in their own opinion in a safe and stimulating environment.
We follow the AQA specification for Drama, where you can choose to specialise in performance or design. Design candidates can focus on costume, set, lighting or sound and will work with their peers to bring their designs to life on stage.
Drama can reinforce the rest of the GCSE curriculum and beyond into Key Stage 5, helping students develop transferable skills such as increasing your ability to think divergently. Drama teaches students how to become critical consumers of theatre rather than just passive viewers. To help with this, Year 11 students are taken on a trip to a local theatre which is then written about in their final exam.
