Drama

In line with School Development initiatives, the Drama department upholds and promotes the Catholic ethos in both its curricular and extra-curricular provision,  fostering mutual respect and empathy at its core. Regardless of their prior experiences and any social disadvantage, the Drama curriculum at La Retraite aims to foster a range of skills and knowledge. It will equip students to make progress and achieve in the subject as a unique discipline, through a range of activities,  themes and skills.

Besides its broad topic and skilled centred approach, the department seeks to offer a wide range of extra-curricular provision, to students in all key stages. Such curricular and extra-curricular  content will link explicitly and implicitly to their roles and responsibilities, opportunities and experiences in later life; to students who embark on further study of the subject, to those embarking in creative fields of work and to towards creating empathic citizens.

• To promote learning about self and society through enactment and reflection on enactment.
• To promote and develop the expression of thought and feeling through language and other expressive activities.
• To create progressively more challenging situations in which children are engaged in hypothesising, researching, exploring, discussing and problem solving.
• To generate opportunities for the development of self-confidence, empathy, awareness, discrimination, self-discipline and the ability to co-operate and communicate in a variety of settings, in school and beyond.
• To develop awareness, critical appreciation and practical application of dramatic forms and styles, in both oracy and written activities.
• To provide children with the opportunities to participate in a variety of ways, in play, in performance and as spectators, and to learn the skills appropriate to these activities.

“All pupils should be enabled to participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of drama. Pupils should be able to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role. They should have opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audiences, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to drama and theatre performances” (National Curriculum statement for Drama)

Through the well structured, varied curriculum and the central focus of practical creativity, alongside insightful, critical reflection, we aim for all student to have a unique experience of learning about Drama and theatre in the past, present and for their future.

Extra Curricular

Through a programme of extra-curricular activities allows students to build on their curricular skills, besides developing knowledge of theatre,  beyond the educational sphere, at all three key stages.

Links are made through the various roles undertaken by students in areas of directing, acting,   costume/wardrobe, sound and lighting operators, marketing, box office/front of house, catering in VI form directed performance and summer showcase. The TIE project allows students to experience a typical activity of an actor’s job. Theatre visits allow students to recognise the various roles linked to Drama in a working environment and the large corporate world of theatre in the West End. Students have previously taken part in young people performances, workshops and work experience and at the Young Vic.

The Impact of Extra-Curricular Drama

Ultimately, extra-curricular opportunities allow students to flourish and really enjoy making connections with each other, families and friends, to embark on a rewarding experience, often spiritual connection, to each other, to the school, to life

Autumn Term

• A programme of theatre visits for students at KS4 and KS5, including a West End  show
• LR theatre company: The company motto is “Co-operation, Creativity, Communication, Commitment”, embodying the skills and ethos of the department’s intentions. 
• VI form directed Christmas sketch to parents and friends (also shown to classes). Opportunities to work on stage and backstage
• Year 7 lunch time Drama club; activities and games, to develop skills and build friendships.
• Short Christmas performance sketch for year 7 audience

Spring Term

• Rehearsals for acting/performance examination students at KS3 and KS4   
• Lunch time show case performances of Year 11 scripted examination work
• After school Year 11 scripted performance to parents and friends
• Theatre visits and workshops offered throughout the term, particularly links with Young Vic theatre who provide free tickets for evening performances, to see a plethora of different dramatic styles and genres.
• Year 12 devised performance and Year 13 scripted work to invited audiences after school/lunch time
• La Retraite theatre company: TIE project, whereby students devise and present a performance and workshop to local primary school students, based on a topical issue (previous plays included, cyber bullying and knife crime)

Summer Term

• Year 10 and 12 devised performances to friends
• Theatre visits and workshops offered throughout the term, particularly links with Young Vic theatre who provide free tickets for evening performances, to see a plethora of different dramatic styles and genres.

Key Stage 3

At key stage 3 we wish to develop students’ appreciation of the subject and foster a thirst and passion for Drama as a discrete discipline, where they develop and demonstrate the core skills of Preparation (devising) Performance and Evaluation. Students prior experience of the subject is varied. Some students may have had minimal exposure to performance or drama as a teaching methodology, a larger proportion have performed in a year 6 play, most have not experienced Drama has a subject in itself, with its own body of skills and knowledge. It is therefore our aim to introduce students to the unique experience of Drama, with its inter-disciplinary nature, range of skills and scope for wider contextual themes and ideas. We aim to develop a broad engagement with a range of topics, covering as many cultural, social, stylistic aspects through a dramatic lens. Such skills are explored through a range of topics, varying from historical and stylistic contexts (eg. Ancient Greek Theatre in year 7, Victorian Melodrama in year 8, Elizabethan/Shakespearean theatre in year 9) to specific genre based themes (Fairy tales in Year 7,  Detectives in year 8, Spies in Year 9).  Additionally students are given opportunities to develop their own creative work based on more contemporary themes and stimuli, linked to students’ realms of experience in an urban, multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-ethnic environment. Through half termly assessments of preparation, performance and evaluative writing skills, all students build on skills throughout the key stage, regardless of their varying prior experiences in Drama. Equally half termly vocabulary tests help to build their knowledge of theatre and drama and formal written assessed evaluations offer an additional skill, necessary for if students wish to embark on further study  of the subject.  Wherever possible lower school students have the opportunity to view GCSE and A level performance work, which not only helps to develop their own creative performance ideas, but demonstrates the extended learning opportunities available to them in upper school.

By the end of Key Stage 3 all students will have completed a rudimentary education in Drama, gaining competence, confidence and enjoyment in learning of Drama and theatre. We aim to inspire and encourage students who show a particular interest and talent to opt for further study of practice and theory at GCSE level. Equally for those not progressing with their study of the subject, they will have developed empathy, communication and creative skills, linked to all areas of the whole school curriculum and to society. They will have learnt knowledge of the importance Drama plays in vocational spheres and life experience.

Year 7 Curriculum Map

Year 8 Curriculum Map

Year 9 Curriculum Map

Key Stage 4

At key stage 4 it is important to further enthuse and ignite our students with a passion for Drama and Theatre.  Following the  AQA specification for Drama allows students to build on the grounding of the three areas of Preparation (devising ), Performance and Evaluation structured at key stage 3. Once again the developed curriculum and choices of study areas ensures students are introduced to a broad range of historical, social and political contexts (Year 10 Commedia Dell Arte, the origins of comedic slapstick style, study of set text Noughts and Crosses, dealing with racism and power structures in society). Additionally, students are to engage with various stimuli for devised work (for example, a poem about teenage pregnancy, newspaper article about sex trafficking, script about mother-daughter relationship)  reflecting their own areas of interest and/or experience in a modern, urban capital city.

The inclusion of assessed evaluative writing at key stage 3 becomes a relevant bridge and significant to work at key stage 4, where students are required to produce a written portfolio, documenting their devising process and evaluating their improvised performance for Component 2.  Students are to be both informed critics of theatre through a written evaluation and an objective performer through written examination, for Component 1. All aspects of the curriculum are explored practically, so that written reflections and evaluations are grounded in engaged, creative, practical  work.  ,Although the area of performance and acting skills are included in all aspects of the curriculum, practical work becomes more focused and disciplined as a craft in Component 2, where scrutiny of the technicalities of acting and performance techniques are assessed through performances of scripted work. The choice of text is Grimm Tales, which offers a creative and experimental slant, where students can infer and experiment with different cultural and stylistic techniques, such as physical theatre, percussion music/song and movement. It is an entertaining style that links directly back to students’ earlier experience of Drama in Year 7, Autumn term 1, where they are introduced to a taste of the style of storytelling theatre. It is thereby important to keep the energised, fun aspect of the subject injected into the upper school curriculum, in spite of more academic theoretical demands. 

Although a requirement of the course for written examination purposes and for practical inspiration, it is vital that students are exposed to live, professional theatre to foster and continue their engagement and interest in the subject. Students need to recognise their privileged location to the world’s most inspirational arena of theatre and theatre’s importance in the cultural, creative, spiritual life of their society. A significant part of the curriculum at key stage 4, therefore, is the inclusion of a visit to a West End show. Additionally, our link with the Young Vic theatre offers students experiences of working with professional practitioners and viewing an eclectic range of live,  productions, besides recognising the broad range of vocational opportunities linked to their studies.

Year 10 Curriculum Map

Year 11 Curriculum Map