Our intention is to create students who are not only confident in their ability to perform in public but who are also able to academically interpret theatrical texts through a range of performance and production skills.
Our curriculum is academic and ambitious:
Students will be able to research, develop ideas, interpret texts, devise performances, and analyse and evaluate their performances. Students will be introduced to a range of theatrical skills so that they can analyse and respond to texts as well as using skills effectively in their own performances. We are ambitious for all of our students so we teach in mixed ability classes and plan our lessons to stretch the highest attaining child whilst using scaffolding and the SEN 6 to support all students in achieving the same.
Our curriculum is broad and enriching:
A 3-year Key Stage 3 enables all students to study theatre from Greek Drama to modern plays in order to understand the conventions of Drama and the influence of classical works on contemporary theatre. Students will study styles including Naturalism, Physical Theatre and Commedia Dell’arte to enable them to make decisions about style when developing their own ideas.
Students will be given opportunities to participate in performances as well as exploring sound and light design using the relevant technology. Outside of the classroom, we want to ensure students recognise the importance of Drama more widely through visiting theatres, accessing professional productions online and learning about careers in theatre (including acting, directing, production, light and sound, set and costume design and theatre management). We will organise theatre trips to inspire students to pursue Drama and to develop their understanding of dramatic devices by seeing them on the stage. As part of our enrichment offer, we will run a Drama club with the view to putting on performances.
Our curriculum promotes core literacy:
As well as developing and performing their own performances, students will study whole texts such as ‘The Tempest’ and ‘Kindertransport’. This enables us to support literacy in the Drama curriculum, through reading, comprehension and inference. Through the study of whole texts, students will be taught to recognise the varied aspects of theatre in order to understand how they could pursue Drama at Key Stage 5, University and as a career. Students will learn to analyse plays and performance, write reviews, design costumes and sets and direct performances.
Our curriculum is values-based:
At Whitelands Academy we promote OuR TRAIT in all of our lessons. We encourage ‘teamwork’ in Drama so we discuss the importance of ‘tolerance’ and ‘respect’ when working in groups and sharing ideas. Many of the texts studied, including: The Tempest, Kinder Transport and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, explore the value of tolerance and respect.
Our curriculum is knowledge-based:
At Whitelands Academy we promote the retention and retrieval of knowledge through DNAs, home learning quizzes and the use of knowledge organisers. Although there are many practical elements in the Drama curriculum, we drive the importance of understanding the theoretical element of writing plays, and performing techniques. We will make cross-curricular links between English and History todevelop students’ contextual understanding.
