Welcome to Drama

The Drama curriculum at Ark Elvin Academy aims for all pupils to have a cultural understanding and appreciation of the Performing and wider Creative Arts, through fundamental performing and devising techniques. The skills that we learn in Drama support a career in the Creative Arts, but also enable our pupils to lead, communicate and thrive in every profession. Drama is more than just acting: there are so many doorways, careers and opportunities that a Drama qualification and a department provides.   

Our curriculum is split between knowledge and skill, taught jointly throughout, and celebrates different communities and a diverse range of practitioners and playwrights. It maps back from the different degree routes offered in drama, and the KS3 curriculum supports both GCSE drama and BTEC performing Arts, working alongside Music to teach students to perform as both actors and singers. 

We teach our pupils to:   

• Know and explore a variety of assorted styles and practitioners within each art form.   

• Know about the multi-cultural influence of the arts and how they connect to the wider world.   

• Apply the arts for change and expression in the world’s social issues  

• Develop a diverse repertoire of historical and contemporary plays and texts  

• Identify different roles within theatre and media as well as careers that are possible to pursue in both sectors.   

• Understand how creative choices have been influenced by external contexts.   

Our curriculum develops our pupils’ key skills in:  

• Social interaction- Students work is produced using group work this develops their social skills ready for outside of school.   

• Design- from year 8-11 Students get introduced to the technical side of theatre, this includes a introduction to production elements (Lighting, Sound, props, and costume) and for students that has chosen to take performing arts in year 10 will study three plays in depth surrounding the intricacies of the technical backstage design elements in a professional setting    

• Teamwork- As students regularly work together in KS3 and KS4 they learn how to develop ideas and work as a team. They will learn discussing, devising, rehearsing, listening skills as well as how to give and receive feedback kindly.   

• Evaluation - pupils learn to self-assess or peer-assess in every lesson plenary   

• Oracy – Pupils develop their oral skills throughout KS3 and KS4 to develop confident and articulate speakers. Transferable kills include projection, pitch, tone, pace, pause and intonation.  
   
• Literacy- students will develop their literacy skills through subject specific key word words and developing independent reading of longer passages and scripts. Literacy and being able to identify and consolidate key learning will developed further at KS4.  
   
• Confidence- Students will perform in front of class audiences and receive feedback on how they can improve as a performer  
   
• Communication- group work is an essential   part of Drama, so group and class discussions appear frequently throughout sequence of lessons.   
   
• Creation- Through years 7-11 students are encouraged to create new and exciting performances using rehearsal techniques from basic devising skills to practitioner-based techniques    
   
• Inclusion- Student explore and learn about different cultures and understand the impact of being non-inclusive. Additionally, they learn to be inclusive of all other students as part of their groups and working with others.   
   
• Presentation- Students must present in front of the class the piece of theatre they have been working on whether it be in a spotlight session where we peer review each other's work or in front of the class where students have been working towards a end of term performance 

We also include an inclusive range of extracurricular activities that extends every child’s horizon and enables them to practice and develop in the Art form outside of the classroom. We always showcase our talents through opportunities to perform throughout the year and cultivating in an end of academic year performance. Additionally, we work with professional theatres to develop professional communications, practical skill, English acquisition and relevant and present cultural knowledge of the British Theatre scene.   

All Year 7 subjects Next Year 7 Subject - Design & Technology

All Year 8 subjects Next Year 8 Subject - Design & Technology

All Year 9 subjects Next Year 9 Subject - Design & Technology

All Year 10 subjects Next Year 10 Subject - Design & Technology

All Year 11 subjects Next Year 11 Subject - Design & Technology