“Drama has a history, present and future; we explore it, make sense of it and perform it to prepare for the modern world we live in.”

KS4 Specification

Edexcel BTEC Drama.

National Curriculum

Gladesmore Community School prides ourselves on delivering the breadth and ambition of the National Curriculum.

Curriculum Intent

“We must all do theatre to find out who we are, and discover who we could become” — Augusto Boal

The Drama department at Gladesmore allows students the space to explore their imagination and creativity whilst offering a curriculum rich in skills and knowledge and that immerses students in a range of dramatic styles and approaches. In line with Gladesmore’s school ethos, we offer an education that stimulates, motivates and challenges young people, preparing them for the modern world we live in and fostering their understanding of the benefits of participation in the arts, of performance and of creativity as they progress through their school journeys. 

Drama is a creative and culturally diverse subject. It provides an opportunity for students to examine differences and similarities within their own environment, places, times and cultures. Drama has a history, present and future; we explore it, make sense of it and perform it. 

As a subject, Drama is transferrable and relevant to all areas of the curriculum through its capacity to develop confidence in communication, cooperation and collaboration. We nurture students’ performance skills, stagecraft techniques, problem-solving skills, analytical skills, leadership and presentation skills - both practically and verbally. Many students who study Drama with us progress to careers within a range of sectors from the Performing Arts workforce. 

Our Drama curriculum is designed to support the transition from KS2 and, equally, to build towards that of KS5. In our curriculum, we consider the starting points of our students’ journeys and their potential further progression towards KS5. We do this by teaching them the foundations and principles of Drama through sequenced lessons which build on students’ prior knowledge and lead to formal assessment at the end of each term, encouraging our students to make continuous progress and inspiring them to become confident communicators and performers. 

Fostering our students’ ability - and courage - to be expressive, learn innovative skills and techniques, and develop self-confidence is fundamental to our teaching and lesson design. We ensure the delivery of our subject offers a variety of genres and styles, and the scope to make connections and empathise with real life situations. Whilst embedding the teaching of skills and techniques in line with BTEC and GCSE specifications, through our curriculum, we also embrace and respect wider contexts of culture, society and diversity, as well as exploring historical myths and encouraging reading through script. In these ways, we seek to broaden students’ tolerance and understanding of both social issues and a full range of human perspectives and responses to our world.

In order to enhance our curriculum, we offer an extended learning journey beyond the classroom. We have a seven-year relationship with the ‘Old Vic, Young Voices’ school club, wherein we work with professional facilitators and make regular school group visits to theatre performances. In addition, we produce and perform an annual school Christmas pantomime and we showcase further student performances throughout the year in both school assemblies and workshops. We also work with a range of external theatre companies who perform TIE performances on-site and, as a department, we offer KS4 Drama tuition support.

We create a safe and happy environment to learn in, whereby our students develop personally, increasing their self-confidence, leadership skills, teamwork and understanding of each other, as well as their independence and self-expression. As a department, we believe in the enabling of our students to become knowledgeable, skilled and qualified for the next stages of their education, through a carefully sequenced curriculum that inspires and challenges.  We aim for our students to be thriving members of society who make a positive contribution to those around them.

Curriculum Summary

Curriculum Enhancement 

• Old Vic theatre
• Mousetrap Theatre Schools Project
• External Workshops - National Theatre Project & Inter-School Drama Awards Project