Drama
Drama Lead: Mrs A Hope
Year 9 Drama (Technology Rotation)
In Year 9, students take part in a dynamic Drama rotation designed to introduce them to the core performance skills and creative processes that underpin our GCSE Drama curriculum. This engaging module builds confidence, teamwork and communication while giving students a taste of what Drama at Key Stage 4 is like.
What Students Learn
During the rotation, pupils explore a wide range of Drama techniques, including:
- Still images
- Thought tracking
- Devising and improvisation
- Thought tunnels
- Character creation
- Working with an ensemble
- Responding to stimulus
These foundational skills help students understand how performers communicate meaning on stage and how creative ideas can be developed collaboratively.
Working from Stimulus
Students learn how to use a variety of stimulus materials to generate original drama. These may include:
- Photographs
- Poems
- Objects
- Short texts
- Artwork
This approach mirrors the creative process used in GCSE Drama, giving students early experience of developing ideas, exploring themes and shaping performance material in response to an external prompt.
Studying a Contemporary Play: Girls Like That
As part of the rotation, pupils also take part in a short study of Girls Like That by Evan Placey. Set in a modern high school, this powerful and relevant play explores:
- friendship and peer pressure
- social dynamics and reputation
- growing up in the digital age
- topical issues that resonate with young people today
Students work in groups to rehearse and perform an extract from the play, applying the performance techniques they have learned across the unit. This gives them an authentic experience of working with script, developing character, and collaborating creatively.
Why Drama Matters
Our Year 9 Drama rotation helps students:
- build confidence and communication skills
- develop empathy and emotional intelligence
- work effectively as part of a team
- think creatively and problem‑solve
- understand what GCSE Drama involves
The unit is accessible, engaging and designed to support students of all abilities in expressing themselves and enjoying the creative process.
GCSE Drama:
GCSE Drama is aimed at students who have an interest in, and an enthusiasm for, performance. This course is suitable for students who have previous experience of performance work either in school or out of school. The qualification enables students to: perform and respond to drama; explore performance texts; develop a range of theatrical skills and create performances; contribute as an individual to a theatrical performance and reflect on their work.
Description of the course:
There are 3 separate components in the course. Component 1 is devising; an exciting and challenging opportunity to work collaboratively with others to explore a range of stimuli in order to create an original performance piece. Students must a minimum of two key extracts from a second contrasting performance text (Component 2) and study one complete and substantial performance text (Component 3). This new qualification focuses on the practical exploration of performance texts. The performance text that will be studied for the examination will require students to articulate how they would perform in certain roles, and direct and design for certain extracts.
How you will learn:
This is a very practical course, although does require the study of a complete text – this will be decided upon with the group in mind but examples are: An Inspector Calls, J. B Priestley; The Crucible, Arthur Miller; Government Inspector, Nikolai Gogol; Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare; Blue Stockings, Jessica Swale; DNA, Dennis Kelly. Throughout the course there will be opportunities to attend theatre productions, engage in workshops and work with younger students to develop their skills. Using this qualification: This GCSE has been redeveloped at the same time as A Level qualifications. This ensures sensible progression of knowledge, understanding and skills from GCSE to AS to A Level and similar approaches to assessment, so that students will have a coherent experience of drama if they take A Level in Drama and Theatre. This will develop students confidence, their performance skills and their ability to work to a deadline with others.
Assessment:
Component 1 (40% of the final mark) internally assessed and externally moderated: an original piece of theatre, recording, evaluating and showing knowledge and understanding of the devising process in a coursework portfolio . Component 2 (20% of the final mark) externally assessed: students must practically study TWO key extracts from the same performance text. Component 3 (40% of the final mark) externally assessed: study ONE complete and substantial performance text, in preparation for one section in their written examination and use their experience as a member of the audience at a live performance as the basis for the preparation for a second section.
Using this qualification:
This GCSE has been redeveloped at the same time as A Level qualifications. This ensures sensible progression of knowledge, understanding and skills from GCSE to AS to A Level and similar approaches to assessment, so that students will have a coherent experience of drama if they take A Level in Drama and Theatre. This will develop students confidence, their performance skills and their ability to work to a deadline with others.
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