Students in Year 7, 8 and 9 enjoy two lessons of Drama in a two week timetable, covering a wide variety of activities. (At Key Stage 4 students may opt to study Drama in Year 10 and Expressive Arts in Year 11, thus achieving two GCSE qualifications.) We are very fortunate to have a purpose – built Drama Studio which allows us to be creative, energetic and to have fun! Drama is not just about acting.      

Drama can help you to…..  

The art of communication is an essential life skill and students quickly come to realise that the class is made up of a number of personalities, each with a valid viewpoint! We have a thriving extra-curricular programme which is open to all students.

This includes a Drama Club, Dance Club, LAMDA examinations, Expressive Arts evenings and the opportunity to take part in a production, either on stage or as part of the expanding Tech Crew. We are very excited about Drama at Holmer Green Senior School and we look forward to welcoming you into the department.

Key Stage 3

Year 7

Students in Year 7 enjoy two lessons of Drama in the two week timetable, covering a wide variety of activities.

We are extremely fortunate to have a purpose-built Drama Studio which enables students to be both creative and energetic!

Drama is not just about acting; it is our firm belief that it helps students to gain in confidence, and develop their ability to communicate ideas and feelings in a supportive and sensitive environment.

The art of good communication is an essential life skill and we begin this process by working in small groups where the need for co-operation and compromise soon becomes apparent. The students quickly come to realise that a class is made up of a number of personalities each with a valid viewpoint!

It is our aim that the following will be included during the year:

• An introduction to Drama
• The rules and expectations of the department
• How to be a performer and how to be a member of an audience
• To understand the importance of contributing to group work
• To learn the basic principals of: use of voice, exploring pitch, volume, accents
• Use of body language, gesture and posture
• An introduction to the use of Dramatic Conventions, for example, Still Image and Mime
• Improvisation skills
• Adopting and sustaining basic roles and characters
• Interpreting and performing a story
• Performing in a designated space using stage directions and being able to change a scene accordingly
• Introduction to physical theatre
• Reflecting and understanding the strengths and weakness of others’ performance

Year 8

It is our aim that the following will be included during the year:

• (Recap the rules and expectations of the department)
• Recap of what Drama is
• To be a more responsive member of an audience
• Understanding the Dramatic Conventions of still image, thought tracking, marking the moment, voices of conscience and flashback and how they can be used effectively
• To produce more realistic performances which reflect a range of emotions
• To be able to negotiate, co-operate and contribute ideas for group work
• Bringing inanimate objects to life
• Physical Theatre and the principles of the use of mime, incorporating gesture, body language and facial expressions
• Reflection on their own work and that of others
• Developing quality and precision of movement and use of movement in an expressive manner
• Developing the content of the improvisation and making it as thoughtful as possible
• Exploring different ways of presenting material and ideas
• Adopting and sustaining roles and characters with more depth
• Cross curricular work using PSHCE topics
• Tone of voice
• Dramatising a narrative
• Performing confidently and appropriately 
• Creating pieces set to music

Year 9 

We build on the foundation work begun in Years 7 and 8 developing the art of co-operation and compromise, whilst recognising the value of differing personalities and viewpoints. We also introduce some aspects of Key Stage 4 work in order to make a smoother transition for those students opting to continue with Drama.

It is our aim that the following will be included during the year:

• (Recap on rules and higher expectations)
• To introduce different styles of Drama
• How to be a successful and confident performer
• To develop more realistic characterisations
• To be a member of an audience that is sensitive and constructive
• To contribute and plan group work with more depth, co-operation and compromise
• To learn the principles of styles of Dramatic Conventions, eg. flashbacks, dream sequence, etc.
• To develop more improved quality, precision and dynamics of movement. To use previous skills learnt without being prompted to do so
• Adopting and sustaining believable roles with depth and appropriate use of voice
• Developing the content of improvisation making it thoughtful and logical
• How research and fact files can improve characterisation
• Character motivation
• How to select and reject ideas
• Use sound and music to enhance the atmosphere of performances
• Introduction to devised work
• Pace, tone and expression of voice
• Interpretation and performance of scripts 
• Work with masks
• Exploring stylised/symbolic work
• Reflecting and understanding strength and weakness of own and others’ performances sensitively and maturely
• Looking at a variety of genre

Key stage 4

Year 10

Edexcel Drama GCSE

This course provides opportunities to explore the theory and practice of Drama. Candidates following this course will have the opportunities to gain a GCSE qualification by the end of Year 10.

Assessment Objectives

Responsive – using a range of dramatic styles and conventions in response to a variety of stimuli.

Development – demonstration of practical skills in the realisation of dramatic presentations

Evaluation – the ability to demonstrate knowledge and sound judgement in reflecting on the dramatic experience. 

Practical

The subject content involves three stages: improvisation - students have to use a variety of dramatic conventions to respond to poetic and script stimuli; script work - students study the play ‘Blood Brothers’ or ‘The Crucible’ and conduct a series of practical and written tasks reflecting on the themes and issues in the play; performance - students take part in a group presentation to a visiting external examiner.

Examination

Paper 1 Unit 1: Drama Exploration 1 ‘Improvisation’ – teacher-assessed practical work supported by student completed portfolio (30%)

Paper 1 Unit 2: Drama Exploration 2 ‘Blood Brothers’ or ‘The Crucible’ – teacher-assessed practical work supported by student completed portfolio (30%)

Paper 2: Externally-assessed practical examination of either a devised or scripted performance (40%)

The course is an opportunity for Key Stage 4 students to undergo an accelerated learning experience and will be completed by the close of the Spring Term. During the Summer term students will undergo an introduction to the Expressive Arts GCSE which is offered in Year 11. In this way students have the opportunity to gain two GCSE grades in this subject area.

Key stage 5 

Information to be available soon. 

Please contact the school on 01494 712219 if you require more information.