Drama
at Bishop Perowne Church of England College
Intent
In Drama, our intent is to provide a positive and exciting place for pupils to explore their self-expression, grow as an empathetic individual, and broaden their understanding of theatre in an engaging environment.
Key Stages 3 & 4
KS3
In Drama, we deliver a bespoke, knowledge-rich spiral curriculum throughout Key Stage 3, built around our Pillars of Learning: Collaboration, Characterisation, Process vs Product, Analysis and Evaluation, and Vocabulary.
The Drama curriculum aims to enrich pupils’ educational experiences and prepare them for the future by developing real-life skills, such as empathetic understanding, working collaboratively on a group project and presenting to an audience.
In Drama, pupils have the opportunity to create their own original performances using a range of acting skills and techniques, as well as responding to a range of scripts and stimulus material.
Throughout Key Stages 3 and 4, pupils explore the work of a diverse range of theatre practitioners and playwrights and study a variety of theatrical styles. We are very proud of the range of professional-standard equipment available, including a fully functioning stage lighting rig and lighting desk, an industry-standard black box drama studio and a full set of Trestle theatre masks. These resources help to enhance students’ learning and understanding of how Drama is created for the stage.
KS4
Each year, the Pillars of Learning are revisited in greater depth, allowing students to build their knowledge and skills over time. These four pillars continue into KS4, providing a strong foundation for the successful study of GCSE Drama.
GCSE 2025–2027 Cohort – OCR
Students complete the OCR GCSE Drama course, which combines a series of NEA projects with a written examination. Students create original drama from a stimulus provided by the exam board, perform a scripted extract for an examiner and study a set text.
The set text currently studied at Bishop Perowne is Blood Brothers, a play filled with powerful political messages about the distribution of wealth, alongside heart-wrenching tragedy and light-hearted comedy.
GCSE 2026–2028 Cohort – Eduqas
Students complete the Eduqas GCSE Drama course, which also combines NEA projects with a written examination. Students create original drama from a stimulus, perform a scripted extract for an examiner and study a set text.
The set text for this course is I Love You Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die by Mark Wheeller. This powerful and thought-provoking contemporary play challenges students to think critically about character, relationships and social issues. Through studying the text, students build confidence in performance, strengthen their understanding of theatrical techniques and develop the analytical skills needed for GCSE success.
Assessment & Lessons
Assessment in Drama is completed using both formative and summative assessment methods. At Key Stage 3 summative assessments will take place during formal assessment windows. These assessments are performance focused and allow pupils to showcase their understanding of subject specific skills.
Pupils’ learning is formatively assessed in each lesson using methods of assessment for learning. In Drama we utilise the use of show me boards so pupils can demonstrate their understanding of key specialist terminology easily through quick and engaging ‘Do Now Tasks’.
Show me Boards are also used to encourage pupils to give peer feedback on each other’s performance work. This increases autonomy over their own learning and progress and creates a more independent learner.
Enrichment & Co-curricular
In Drama, we offer a wide range of enrichment and co-curricular opportunities for pupils from Year 7 to Year 11.
- Live Theatre: We offer trips to see professional theatre as often as possible. Pupils have had the opportunity to see live performances including Wicked, The Lion King, Hairspray and Blood Brothers. In addition, Year 8 pupils visit our local theatre to watch the pantomime every Christmas.
- Drama Club: Our after-school Drama Club is open to all year groups and provides a more student-led approach to creating Drama. We have welcomed over 100 participants in the past, giving pupils the opportunity to expand their understanding of the subject and create their own work outside the classroom.
- School Production: Each year, we produce a full-scale school production in our school theatre. Previous productions include musicals such as Matilda, The Addams Family, Legally Blonde and Sister Act, as well as plays such as Missing Dan Nolan. The school production provides a space for all pupils, regardless of previous Drama experience, to build confidence and develop their love of the Performing Arts, whether working backstage as part of the crew or taking centre stage as actors.
