Drama should enable students to creatively and imaginatively explore and make sense of the world around them in a safe and inclusive environment whilst developing student’s skills, knowledge, understanding and self-confidence. The language of theatre is internationally understood and drama is a creative and cultural activity. It provides an opportunity for pupils to explore the world of people from other places, times and cultures, and to examine differences and similarities with their own environment. This is just one example of how the course enables pupils to explore, apply and demonstrate weekly our four core values of wisdom, hope, dignity and community.
Drama at The Nottingham Emmanuel teaches students how to take risks, act upon feedback / constructive criticism, and engages students in self-reflection and evaluation, encouraging pupils to apply and consistently demonstrate dignity and hope. Work is interesting and varied and it combines a good balance of practical with theory. Dramatic skills and techniques that underpin performance and performance styles are centre to student learning as this helps pupils to develop wisdom.
Whilst the drama curriculum is designed and carefully sequenced to ensure that it builds in challenge and complexity to support students in the development of their skills in: responding and planning, create and refining, performing and evaluating, it is fundamentally about the growth of the individual. Our drama curriculum allows students to develop a number of essential skills for life including hope and is highly regarded both in the world of higher education and of employment. These include cognitive skills such as problem solving, decision making and critical thinking alongside interpersonal skills such as active listening, communication, relationship building, trusty teamwork, negotiation and collaborative problem solving to name a few. Additionally, Drama provides excellent opportunities to work with others developing student’s team working skills, leadership skills and communication skills. Our wide range of career and extracurricular opportunities including guest speakers in the industry, back stage tours, designer workshops days and days spent with a wide range of theatre companies developing their skills is another example of how drama here at Emmanuel supports, includes and reaches out to our wider community.
Our curriculum represents the diversity of our students through the range of different scripts and practitioners we explore along with ensuring the stimulus used when devising are relevant and diverse to appeal and engage all pupils. We include practitioner studies of practitioners from all different races, religions, beliefs and backgrounds as this helps provide pupils with a much wider understanding of theatre and how it is best created.
Across key stage 3 pupils are assessed across the four main strands; creating, rehearsing, performing and evaluating.
Pearson BTEC Performing Arts key stage 4: The course allows for the development of key skills that prove your aptitude in Performing Arts such as reproducing repertoire or responding to stimuli. Pupils are provided with the opportunity to practically explore the processes that underpin effective ways of working within the Performing Arts, such as development of ideas, rehearsal techniques and performance skills. Students are able to develop attitudes that are considered most important in the Performing Arts, including personal management, leadership, communication and teamwork. They learn a knowledge that underpins effective use of skills, process and attitudes in the sector such as roles, responsibilities, performance disciplines and styles. The knowledge gained in this course is highly transferable to all future careers.
GCSE Drama – Edexcel – BBC Bitesize
Specification – Pearson BTEC Level 1/2 Tech Award in Performing Arts 2022
