Drama is taught to all pupils from years 3 to 8 through regular lessons, with aspects of the curriculum being taught in the pre-prep. The focus of the curriculum is twofold:

• Developing Drama skills
• Developing Creativity

Through all Drama activity pupils learn how to work together, gain self confidence and express themselves freely.

The curriculum is progressive, allowing pupils to develop new skills, strategies and techniques with each new scheme of work as well as honing those they have already learnt.

At all stages of the curriculum pupils are encouraged to self-direct, develop constructive criticism and think about the visual and aural aspects of the work they are creating, incorporating music, sound and expressive movement into their pieces. The development of personal acting skills is catered for at each stage, and clear progression is seen in their ability to communicate character, emotion and atmosphere. The starting points for Drama are varied and challenging allowing pupils to explore issues and form opinions, as well as discover classic texts and plays. Visiting companies and professionals help to encourage pupils to perform at their best:

Storytelling through voice and movement forms a central part of the Drama experience for each year group:

Foundation principles of the Drama Department:

• To encourage all children towards success as both creators, performers and critics of Drama
• To enhance the ability of children to take responsibility for their own presentational work, through fostering an understanding of how Drama communicates, through aural, spatial and visual means
• To focus on the process and not just the performance
• To give children a strong foundation of skills that will lead to success in future examinations such as GCSE and A Level
• To constantly review and develop the Drama curriculum to ensure excellence, and adapt to the needs of particular year groups