Year 7

In Year 7 students are introduced to a range of drama styles and genres, techniques, and skills, as well as production elements. There is a focus on establishing confidence as well as working cooperatively with an open mind. There is a focus through Year 7 on safe practice; warm-up/cool down and equipment safety. 

Students will discover devising techniques using improvisation. Through this topic they will explore spontaneous and rehearsed improvisation using a stimulus to generate performance material. This topic will help develop teamwork skills such as cooperation, the communication skills of listening and responding and problem-solving skills. 

Students will study the drama style of pantomime. They will observe and realise the key features of pantomime including the historical context. Students will have the opportunity to put their discoveries into practice using an existing pantomime script. Here they will explore the genre of storytelling, melodrama, the techniques of characterisation, ensemble work and staging. 

Through the scripted topic students will realise and understand the importance of understanding a script. They will build upon their understanding of staging and focus on applying appropriate vocal and physical skills when characterising as well as performance skills. Students will give and receive constructive feedback with their peers and use this information to evaluate the effectiveness of their performance. 

Students will explore the style of physical theatre. They will extend their knowledge of how to warm-up physically and develop an understanding of the body in space. Students will participate in workshops exploring physicality, techniques, and movement in preparation for a physical theatre performance. They will analyse their own performance and rehearsal process in a written evaluation. 

Whilst studying puppetry students will gain a knowledge of the historical context of puppetry, types of puppets and styles of puppetry performance. Through a series of workshops students will explore Puppetry experimenting with sock, hand and shadow puppets to incorporate their storytelling skills and bring a story to life. They will devise a puppet performance and perform back to the class. 

Year 8

Throughout Year 8 we continue to work on creating a safe space to share opinions, ideas and develop performance skills. We work on a 1:1 basis with each student to ensure that individual progress is personalized. With students being able to acknowledge their own success and areas to develop.  

In Year 8 students are to continue to explore Drama skills and techniques. We recap on the knowledge gained in Year 7 and give a further insight into each topic. The skills gained in Year 7 will be applied to a text, a stimulus or a style of theatre. Interleaving the skills and techniques throughout the curriculum to secure knowledge and make progress.  

Throughout the year we explore the vast range of styles, focusing on gaining a further understanding of theatre and Drama techniques. We begin the year with improvisation, this is accessible to all and requires learners to use their imagination. Improvisation is the first building block in Drama that supports other styles of theatre such as script work, devising and physical theatre. Providing students with an understanding of improvisation gains confidence, develops performance skills and requires learners to think on the spot. 

The year provides the students with a range of topics that chunk the learning with styles being revisited each term to secure the skill. Students use the improvisation skills to develop stories based on an image, and then progresses to them taking a text and turning the improvisation into a devised performance.  The next term focusses on script work, where students develop an understanding of the importance of plot, theme and issues to tell a story. This term allows the focus to be on developing acting skills and techniques such as tone of voice, pace, pitch and volume. Exploring physical skills to support the development of characters and storytelling in performance.  

We end the year with students applying all skills gained into a final project. Students are given a brief to respond to, this covers an issue in society and the focus is on Theatre in Education. Combining improvisation skills and script work to work independently on devising their own piece of Theatre in Education. 

Year 9

In Year 9 students build upon a range of drama styles and genres, techniques, and skills, as well as production elements. There is a focus on developing confidence as well as working cooperatively with an open mind. Students will continue to focus on safe practice; warm-up/cool down and equipment safety in all lessons. 

The first topic we explore in year 9, is Classical Theatre; focussing on the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. This is an opportunity for students to strengthen and extend previous acting and performance skills from years 7 and 8, alongside linking their understanding of the context with their studies in English. Exploring this topic enables confidence to increase and deepens knowledge and skill through studying the Shakespearean language and breaking down characters. Students will work as an ensemble and apply movement skills to their final performance of a scene from the play. This will develop and enhance transferrable skills such as team work and communication skills.  

The second topic students explore is scripted performance and contemporary themes within a play. Students will study the play The Terrible Fate of Humpty Dumpty. This is a play which deals with relevant social issues and context such as bullying, gang culture and crime. Students will sympathetically analyse the script looking in detail at the journey of the main character and the impact of those around them. Students will be working in small groups to bring different sections of the text to life. They will study the background context and then communicate this to an audience using their body and voice. This will be performed to a live audience which the students will evaluate in a written assessment. 

Students will then move on to their next topic of devising performances. Students will be given a vast range of stimuli to devise performance material from. They will be able to explore and apply appropriate physical and vocal skills and relevant performance skills. Students will extend their learning through select and eliminate process, so their performance material is concise and effective. All students will perform in front of the class as their audience.               

During the Spring term students will have the opportunity to draw and build upon key stage 3 learning. They will observe, reflect, and form an opinion on a range of existing professional works. Students will write a review identifying significant performance and production elements such as performance styles and genres, production elements and the impact of design choices.  

During the next part of the Spring term, students will work on physical theatre; developing their understanding and ability to tell a story using movement as a primary performance element. There will be a focus on safety and developing necessary physical skills such as strength and stamina. This will be explored through physical warmups, stretches and physical theatre activities. Students will work together to create a physical theatre performance as an ensemble. This will develop their skills in teamwork, timing, spatial awareness. 

The Summer term students will develop their industry understanding and explore acting for camera. Using a variety of TV & Film scripts, students will practice and perform an acting piece for camera. They will learn about shot set up, storyboarding, hitting marks and audition technique.   

Finally the students will end the academic year with a site specific performance. This will consolidate all of their existing knowledge to create an exciting performance outside of school grounds. This will develop their understanding of how to use surroundings to benefit a performance and how external factors can have an impact on a performance. 

Year 10

In Year 10 students select two areas of theatrical excellence and create in depth project work to satisfy the criteria as stated by the examination boards. They can choose between technical skill development or general acting in performance. 

Students will follow the BTEC Tech Award in Performing Arts Component 1: Exploring the Performing Arts and Component 2: Developing Skills and Techniques in the Performing Arts throughout Year 10. They will explore and examine professional practitioners’ performance material, influences, creative outcomes, and purpose. They will understand how the various roles, responsibilities and skills contribute to the development of a performance.  

Students will also understand how to develop skills and techniques for performance, apply skills and techniques in rehearsal and performance as well as review own development and contribution to the performance.   

Component 1: Exploring the Performing Arts 

This component focusses on the process of creating a performance from script to stage performance. Exploring all key roles within theatre production and performance to establish the structure of how to produce a stage performance and the integral roles.  

Students will study three performances and break down the processes used to create each performance. They will identify and describe the roles required in both production and performance, analysing how those roles work together to develop the creative intention. They will explore the play and the processes through a series of written tasks and practical workshops gaining industry experience. They will also look at the influences from theatre practitioners and how that can influence the work and structure of the development.  

BTEC then issue a brief that contains a theme, students must choose one of the explored productions and write about the links to the theme. They will discuss how the themes are apparent within the text and how the director explores them within the production.  

Component 2: Developing Skills in the Performing Arts 

This component focusses on the reproduction of professional repertoire. Students choose a role and become part of a theatre company working on a live show. Performers become dancers, actors or singers and production choose from a design role such as costume, set design or hair and make-up. Through practical workshops students work on the chosen show to develop it from a script to a stage performance.  

Students take part in an initial skills audit to assess their skill level at the start of the project and complete the audit three times throughout the process to document progress made. They create a series of log entries to highlight their progress made, skills and techniques used in rehearsal/ product development. The final show is performed in front of a live audience and replicates a professional production and the full process of creating a production.  

Year 11

In Year 11 students are required to complete Component 3 Responding to A Brief. This is an externally assessed component and is the last component to be completed.  

Component 3:  

Learners will be given the opportunity to work as part of a group to contribute to a workshop performance as either a performer or designer in response to a given brief and stimulus. 

This final component requires the students to apply all knowledge gained to develop a performance from a brief to a live show. They will follow the structure and procedure to work together as a theatre company.  

In this component, students will have the opportunity to respond to a brief. They will be given a brief that outlines the performance and design requirements and that asks you to consider the target audience and to start the creative process by using the given stimulus included in the brief. Working as part of a group, they will develop ideas for a workshop performance and apply skills and techniques to communicate creative intentions to your audience. The performance or design skills used will vary depending on features such as your selected performance discipline and the content of the work, venue, and target audience. The work may involve improvisation, vocal work, movement techniques or assisting with audience involvement. The group performance may involve some solo or small-group work, or it may be an ensemble piece. Students will have the opportunity to inform the performance using existing or newly developed skills, in performing or designing and adapting them to suit the performance. This Component is to be completed by the end of May and all work is submitted to BTEC for final assessment.  

Exploring styles and genres:  

We start the year revisiting the vast range of styles in Performing arts. We explore how to devise work looking at a target audience and their individual needs. This enables students to identify what is relevant and appropriate for their chosen age group and style of performance. We then look at a range of titles and the context that surround the title. This is to support the students to make decisions and generate ideas on their performance in preparation for Component 3 . We allow students to devise work using a style and genre encouraging them to lend from a vast range of resources such as scripts, newspaper clippings, social issues etc.  

Exploring key practitioners:  

Students create work using the techniques of a practitioner. They use their existing knowledge of theatre styles and link a practitioner to the chosen style. This enables them to create work using influence and adds depth to the performance. Throughout this term students will receive extracts of scripts, articles, titles, and songs to create a performance using a style and a key theatre practitioner. This allows the students to apply their knowledge and further prepares them for creating their own work for Component 3.  

Creating log entries:  

This term we focus on the written element of Component 3, looking at the requirement of log entries. Students gain further understanding of how to write a log entry using the grading criteria to support their work. We look at sample BTEC work to ensure a clear understanding of the grading criteria and students get the opportunity to peer assess work to fully embed the knowledge of how to make improvements to their work.  

Component 3:  

At this point students are ready to receive the brief for Component 3 and start the assessment.  

If you would like any more information about our Drama/Performing Arts curriculum, please contact Mrs S Goldie, Head of Creative Arts, by emailing sgoldie@colneprimet.co.uk, filling in the form on our contact us page or phoning the main office to arrange a call back.