Facebook-f X-twitter Instagram Linkedin
Accessibility Tools

Curriculum

Drama

Curriculum intent, implementation, and impact

About the subject

“To practise any art, no matter how well or how badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it!” Kurt Vonnegut

The Drama Team seeks to inspire a love for the dramatic arts and capture the imagination of our students by introducing them to a rich range of theatrical traditions and performance techniques. We aim to develop confident and compassionate individuals who are equipped to navigate the world around them. Our students enjoy learning through practical activities that encompass a variety of acting styles, techniques, and genres. They explore creative ways to express themselves, using their senses, perceptions, emotions, and values to communicate ideas, feelings, and experiences. The development of critical faculties enables them to evaluate their own work and that of others effectively.

In a safe and respectful environment, students learn to trust their ideas and abilities, growing in confidence while honing their teamwork and collaboration skills. Through the study of specific performance techniques, students develop resilience, self-discipline, and a strong sense of wellbeing, learning to overcome challenges and present themselves with poise in real-life situations.

All students are encouraged to develop their skills further through our extensive range of enrichment activities, providing numerous opportunities for students of all abilities to perform in a variety of events. Those with a talent and passion for drama are pushed to perform at the highest level. We ensure to provide professional opportunities and experiences that will prepare them for further study and potential careers in the performing arts industry.

About the KS3 Curriculum intent, implementation, and impact

At HLC, our Key Stage 3 Drama curriculum is designed to meet the aims of the national curriculum for spoken English and reading while preparing students for future study in Drama, particularly the Edexcel BTEC Tech Award Level 1/2 Performing Arts at Key Stage 4.

Throughout Key Stage 3, students study a variety of plays, including a Shakespearean play in Year 7, Matilda the musical, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Year 8, and Teechers in Year 9. This variety helps develop students’ reading skills and encourages them to engage with the spoken word, while also exploring performance techniques and understanding the work of dramatists.

In addition to play texts, students participate in process drama schemes like Darkwood Manor and Cluedo, which promote discussion and collaboration. In Year 9, students explore topics such as racism and justice through the Stephen Lawrence Enquiry and verbatim theatre. This scheme also prepares students for devising theatre in the BTEC curriculum.

Throughout all Key Stage 3 lessons, students create performances in groups, learning to communicate effectively and work collaboratively. Through schemes such as Drama through the ages, Physical Theatre, Dramatic Techniques and Developing Characterisation, students explore a range of theatre techniques and develop their understanding of how to use vocal and physical skills to convey meaning. By the end

of Key Stage 3, all students will have a solid understanding of Drama, which will support their future study, whether they choose to continue with Drama at Key Stage 4 or not.

The curriculum is delivered primarily through practical activity with key concepts and theory being linked to skill development. Topics are chosen with the intent to engage all students and introduce a wide and varied diet of cultures and traditions whilst enabling them to explore the knowledge and skills that underpin these subjects. Each year schemes of work revisit essential previous knowledge & skills in greater depth, at a higher level or through different genres or traditions, helping student to embed key concepts into their long-term memory and to develop transferable skills. Students are encouraged to share and discuss their work regularly with occasional more formal assessments taking place in order to instil confidence in performance.

Students will be encouraged to explore and apply a diverse range of drama skills and techniques to develop compelling storytelling, while learning to work both independently and collaboratively within a group. They will demonstrate their understanding of characters by applying characterisation skills, including vocal and physical techniques, to bring their roles to life. Building on their existing skills, students will further expand their abilities by exploring the plot, themes, and context of the work through a variety of creative approaches. Throughout this process, students will develop an appreciation for the importance of effective dramatic structure, learning how to create and respond to drama with purpose and insight.

At HLC, our KS3 drama curriculum is carefully designed to meet the national curriculum’s objectives for spoken English and reading across years 7, 8, and 9. We’ve also incorporated key skills and knowledge from the Edexcel BTEC Tech Award Level 1/2 Performing Arts specification, which is our KS4 Drama option. This ensures students are well-prepared for future study. By aligning the curriculum with both the English national curriculum and KS4 BTEC Drama requirements, we offer a broad and engaging program that equips students with essential skills for further education in drama.

Key Stage 3 students are set tasks relevant to their current scheme of work. This may involve practising material introduced in the lesson or it could be a research, appreciation or evaluation task. Homework tasks are handed out in lessons and published on Teams.

We run an extensive extra-curricular programme designed to appeal to students with a variety of tastes, experiences and abilities. e.g.

Drama: ImpACT Theatre Company, KS3 Drama club. ImpACT Theatre Company’s most recent devised performance of ‘In a world where you can be anything, be kind’ about teenage mental health was devised by the company raising money for Mind charity.

Christmas Showcase: A celebration of all that taken place in Performing Arts through the autumn term.

Musical Production: Our most recent production was We Will Rock You 2025 performed at Theatre Severn to great acclaim.

Trips: We frequently run trips to theatres in Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury and Birmingham to watch professional live theatre & performances. This could be linked to students’ exam work, a reward trip for those who contribute at a high level to our subjects or purely for entertainment.

We also run an annual residential trip to London for students who are considering continuing to study the Performing Arts at KS4 and beyond. We watch two West End shows and take part in a workshop led by a professional cast member.  We sometimes run a second trip for KS4 P. Arts students.

Other Enrichment opportunities:

We run in-house workshops with professional artists. We frequently take our students to perform in the local community, including in conjunction with other schools in the Trust.

The skills and qualities that students learn and develop through the BTEC Tech Award in Performing Arts (Drama) can be applied to many career pathways:

  • Confidence skills through performing in front of their peers/ live audiences.
  • Teamwork and collaboration skills as they are required to work in a group to perform a piece of professional repertoire and devise a group piece.
  • We help to build self-esteem and respect for each other through the sharing our performance work and through the study of diverse cultures and traditions.
  • Performing Arts helps students to develop personal presentation and communication skills.
  • We offer discussion and debate through process drama schemes of work encouraging students to infer, rationalise and draw conclusions.
  • Students develop creativity, imagination whilst exploring and reflecting on their own character and opinions.
  • We explore a variety of play texts that encourage analysis of character, context, plot and themes linking to the English curriculum.
  • The KS3 drama curriculum provides students with excellent knowledge for future study in performing arts exploring a range of techniques, styles and genres.

Many students opt for BTEC Tech Award in Performing Arts (Drama) after a solid understanding and study of the subject in KS3 and subsequently thrive.

About the KS4 Curriculum intent, implementation, and impact

At HLC, our Key Stage 4 Drama curriculum, particularly through the BTEC Performing Arts Drama course, is designed to build on the skills and techniques developed during Key Stage 3. In BTEC Performing Arts Drama, all students are encouraged to devise their own drama, a practice that is embedded throughout the KS3 curriculum. From Year 7 through to Year 9, students engage in creating performances, culminating in a dramatic techniques scheme in Year 9. This scheme allows students to apply the skills and techniques they have learned across KS3, using a variety of stimuli to support their preparation for the BTEC Component 3 devising unit.

Throughout their studies, students explore texts practically, with opportunities to perform from two different texts in the BTEC course. Students in BTEC Drama have the opportunity to specialise as either a performer or a designer (lighting, sound, set, costume, puppetry). While most students choose to develop as performers, we actively encourage any student interested in design to explore these areas during KS3. By working on lighting in the lighting box, sourcing costumes, creating set designs, and applying sound in performances, students are given a hands-on introduction to the world of performance design, preparing them for future study and creative work in Drama.

In Year 10, students start the BTEC Level 1/2 Award in Performing Arts, focusing on Drama. BTECs are practical qualifications that help students develop essential skills for the workplace, such as teamwork, meeting deadlines, and presenting information. The course consists of three components, each contributing to the final grade.

Component 1: Exploring the Performing Arts (30%)
Students study the work of professional practitioners and explore how performances are created through practical and theoretical lessons.

Component 2: Developing Skills and Techniques in the Performing Arts (30%)
Students develop their drama skills by learning and performing set pieces of repertoire, focusing on acting techniques and styles.

Component 3: Performing to a Brief (40%)
In Year 11, students work as a group to create a performance based on a brief provided by the exam board. This component draws on the skills and knowledge developed in the previous two components.

In Year 10, students focus on Components 1 learning about professional works and developing their knowledge on different theatre roles. In Year 11, students complete Component 2 and 3, performing a piece of professional repertoire and applying everything they’ve learned to a final performance.

In Year 10, students work on Components 1 and 2, which are closely linked. In Component 1, they explore a range of professional works through both theory and practical lessons. By practically engaging with different styles and playwrights, students deepen their understanding and learn set repertoire, which they can then use in Component 2 to create group performances. This process helps them develop physical, interpretative, and stylistic skills.

In Year 11, students complete Component 3, which brings together everything they’ve learned throughout the course. This component is based on a brief set by the exam board in January. The knowledge from Components 1 and 2, such as acting styles, creative techniques, and approaches of professional practitioners, will guide their creative response. The acting skills developed in Component 2 also support their ability to select, apply, and discuss techniques during the rehearsal and final performance stages.

Key Stage 4 Performing Arts students are set work each week that relates to the current BTEC or RSL unit being studied. This can include individual practice with subsequent reflection on their skill development and progress. It may be research into specific professional works which support the learning in lessons. Tasks and resources are always distributed in lessons as well as being published on Teams. 

We run an extensive extra-curricular programme designed to appeal to students with a variety of tastes, experiences and abilities. e.g.  

Drama: ImpACT Theatre Company, KS4 Drama club. ImpACT Theatre Company’s most recent devised performance of ‘In a world where you can be anything, be kind’ about teenage mental health was devised by the company raising money for Mind charity.

Christmas Showcase: A celebration of all that taken place in Performing Arts through the autumn term.

Musical Production: Our most recent production was We Will Rock You 2025 performed at Theatre Severn to great acclaim.

Trips: We frequently run trips to theatres in Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury and Birmingham to watch professional live theatre & performances. This could be linked to students’ exam work, a reward trip for those who contribute at a high level to our subjects or purely for entertainment.

We also run an annual residential trip to London for students who are considering continuing to study the Performing Arts at KS4 and beyond. We watch two West End shows and take part in a workshop led by a professional cast member.  We sometimes run a second trip for KS4 P. Arts students.

Other Enrichment opportunities:

We run in-house workshops with professional artists. We frequently take our students to perform in the local community, including in conjunction with other schools in the Trust.

All KS4 Performing Arts courses include exploration of the various job roles and careers that make up the industry e.g. BTEC Drama: the role of a director, the role of an actor and designer.

Several of our students continue to study A level and BTEC Performing Arts courses at post 16 providers, both at our local 6th form colleges and further afield. We are proud that our students tell us how well prepared they feel to take this step and are delighted that a significant few have progressed onto some of the most prestigious Performing Arts academies in the country.

A degree in Performing Arts subjects can lead in numerous directions. As well as being an actor, dancer or musician, other possible careers include screenwriter, sound technician, choreographer, director, music therapist, stage manager, arts administrator and, of course, teacher.

In addition to performing, a qualification in BTEC Tech Award in Performing Arts (Drama) equips students with many skills such as:

  • Teamwork and collaboration – students create performance work in groups.
  • Creativity and imagination – students devise their own performance work.
  • Resilience and being reflective- students are learning new performance skills and are always developing/ improving their work throughout the course.
  • Confidence – students communicate ideas in their group and perform in front of a live audience.
View curriculum map
lct logo