GCSE Drama
Overview
Drama at Fulbrook sits within the Performance Arts Faculty. In addition to the school’s mantra of Aim High, Work Hard, Be Kind, No Excuses, our faculty lives by an ethos that there is no glass ceiling and that all students are provided with equal opportunities. This is captured by our faculty motto, a quote from Dear Evan Hansen, ‘All we see is sky for forever’.
Drama is delivered over two years at Key Stage 4 and taught to students for five hours per fortnight. At Fulbrook, students follow the AQA GCSE Drama course, and we have chosen ‘Noughts and Crosses’ as our set text. We expect students to respond to practical tasks with creativity and innovation, whilst maintaining an understanding of the purpose or stylistic features appropriate to the task.
The Performance Arts faculty at Fulbrook is a vibrant and exciting part of school life. There are lots of opportunities for students to engage with Drama, both in and out of the classroom.
All GCSE Drama students are encouraged to participate in the wider life of the school.
Key Concepts
- - Developing a sense of confidence when working with others and developing ideas
- - Audience awareness
- - Devising from a given stimulus
- - Exploring texts
- - Developing characterisation
- - Increasing personal technique through both physical and vocal skills. We use the following mnemonic to support students in remembering each of the focus areas: BUGFLEM ad PIPPAP.
- - Understanding dramatic styles and forms
Intent
- - To ensure the Drama department is a space for all students, regardless of ability or background, to engage with practical lessons that allow them to think, explore and react to scenarios presented to them.
- - To allow students the opportunity to develop their confidence and creativity through a variety of tasks presented to them.
- - To enable students to work in teams, developing important transferable skills that will equip them with confidence, empathy, and resilience in group situations.
Year 10
Students will spend time working through their set text ‘Noughts and Crosses’ understanding character development and the social, political, and historical themes of the play. Students will have secure understanding of how to respond to exam questions, understand how to include specific terminology into their answers and will have created a superb revision resource that they will revisit in Year 11. Students will also have an opportunity to work through a live performance critique, alongside opportunities to practise the devising project with smaller tasks, before they begin their final piece (Component 2) in the summer term.
Year 11
This year will equip students with the knowledge and skills to successfully pass their GCSE Drama qualification. Students will complete their Component 2 (Devising) in the autumn term, before selecting their two extracts for Component 3 (Texts in Practice) in the spring term. All students will continually revisit their set text throughout the autumn term, before focusing on exam preparation after the Component 3 performances in the spring. A live theatre visit will be an essential part of this course. All students will be enabled to pursue a post-16 qualification in Drama having completed the GCSE course.
GCSE Drama Learning Journey
learning journey ks4 drama.pdf
