|
Drama
Drama at Hainault Forest High School
Drama at Hainault plays an important part in providing our students with a comprehensive and varied curriculum. A range of learning styles and approaches are embraced and students of differing abilities are encouraged to develop and progress; learning skills essential to drama and developing qualities that will lead them to flourish in other areas.
Staff in the department have a passion for the subject and provide various extra-curricular activities and visits to support student learning. In the past twelve months visits have been arranged to Stratford Theatre Royal, Queens Theatre Hornchurch, Apollo Victoria and Redbridge Drama Centre. Our students have also benefited from working with professional actors and teachers from a number of high profile theatre companies including UK Arts International , The Paper Birds Company and The Henri Oguike Company.
Matt Hill, Head of Drama
Drama at Key Stage Three
Students follow a skills based curriculum that will provide them with drama performance skills and hopefully engender a ongoing interest and engagement with the performing arts. Over the course of this academic year Drama Assessment Files are being introduced with the view to support learning and prepare students for the written element of GCSE Drama.
Year Seven
Units studied in year seven include: An Introduction to Drama, Macbeth's Three Witches and Silent Movies. Six units are studied during this year, each lasting approximately half a term.
Parents can support students in year seven by taking them to the theatre when possible. I know that this is costly so a good way to get your child thinking about drama is to discuss films and television drama you have watched together. Questioning your child about what they have been learning is also an effective way of broadening their understanding of the subject.
Year Eight
Units studied in year eight include: Stage Combat, Starting with Scripts and Darkwood Manor. Most lessons will include warm up activities and practical activity so it is advisable that students wear clean trainers for drama lessons.
Students should be prepared this year to work in a variety of small groups as much of the work this year is greatly enhanced when students work cooperatively and sensitively with each other.
Year Nine
Units studied in year nine include: Forum Theatre, Richard III and The Research Project. Year nine is primarily about applying the skills to rehearsal and performance that students have develop across the previous years' work.
We aim to provide students with important transferable skills in year nine; skills that can be taken on to study at year 10 and beyond in drama, or in another area of the curriculum.
Drama at Key Stage Four
Our students study towards a GCSE in Drama. The specification we follow is administered by Edexcel and can be viewed online here:
http://www.edexcel.org.uk/quals/gcse/drama/gcse/1699/
Assessment consists of three elements
• Students' work within a series of assessed and recorded practical lessons.
• Two written portfolios based on the work carried out in the lessons mentioned previously.
• An externally examined devised performance.
Many of our students go on to study Drama and Theatre Studies, and Performing Arts at sixth form.
Sixth Form AS and A2 Performing Arts
Performing Arts in the Sixth Form extends the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to communicate through drama and theatre and providing access to drama, theatre and related careers. The course we are currently offering at sixth form level is Edexcel A2/AS Performing Arts. View the specification online at www.edexcel.co.uk.
|
