Drama

“I thought Drama was when the actors cried; but Drama is when the audience cries.” So said Frank Capra, director of Its A Wonderful Life, but why is Drama is so excellent – not just good – for children? There are many reasons, but we can focus on one key benefit – the improvement Drama can make to a child’s verbal communication skills. In 2014, an article on www.mba.com quoted one recruitment specialist as saying “Communication is KEY. You can have all the financial tools, but if you can’t communicate your point clearly, none of it will matter.” and went on to say “Communications, teamwork, and interpersonal skills are critical—everything we do involves working with other people”. Studies have shown that increasingly employers are valuing so-called “soft skills”, with a recent report stating that soft skills contribute more than £80billion a year to the UK economy, and yet employers say they have no way to judge a candidate’s abilities in these areas… well here in the Drama Department we disagree! Soft skills such as teamwork, communication and creativity CAN be measured – through success in Drama.

Good communication skills are an indispensable life skill, they enable us to make friends, achieve well at school, realise one’s dream job, and go on to succeed in that dream job. In fact, how many jobs or situations in life can you think of that don’t require good communication and the ability to work with others?

This is why we believe that Drama is so important in schools. It teaches students not just how to speak loudly, clearly and confidently, but also many other communication skills, such as focus, concentration and maintaining eye contact. Drama also develops other skills, for example, working creatively in groups, keeping to deadlines and critical thinking. At King Edward VI Handsworth school for Girls, Drama is a discreet subject in the curriculum, with all students having a double lesson per fortnight in Year 7, 8 and 9, and the option to continue studying Drama at GCSE and A-Level.

“Drama’s not safe and it’s not pretty and it’s not kind” – Russell T Davies, Producer Dr Who

“The little department with the big impact “

Vision and Aims

Here at Handsworth we value lifelong learning, and the development of students as young people who understand their place in the world, and who can communicate their thoughts and feelings effectively. Our drama curriculum is based on the ethos that creativity is central to what it means to be human – every part of our world is designed and made by creative thinkers. Creativity is invaluable not just in the creative arts industry, but in STEM as well, with many employers citing it as one the most important critical skills an employee can have (https://www.thebalancecareers.com/creative-thinking-definition-with-examples-2063744 ). Collaboration is key to lifelong success (https://360learning.com/blog/collaboration-skills/ ), and drama lessons develop all students as collaborative team members, able to share ideas and work together to create and refine their work. In drama lessons, we explicitly teach these key life skills, alongside traditional drama skills such as acting, design, and interpretation. Our vision is for all students of drama to finish KS3 with the skills they need to succeed outside the classroom and beyond school, and the tools to continue to develop those skills for the future. 

Aims and Values

“Every student, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, background, experience, ability or economic means is entitled to a high-quality experience of Drama, taught by committed, enthusiastic teachers, who strive for excellence in themselves and for their students”

To achieve this we provide:

• Opportunities for Drama in the Creative Arts curriculum at KS3;
• Opportunities to take GCSE Drama as an option in Year 10 and to continue studies into Sixth Form.
• A comprehensive extra-curricular  programme
• Opportunities for students to perform for an audience
• Possibilities for students to see world-class performances by companies such as the RSC, by organising educational visits to local theatres;

To ensure no student is disadvantaged because of gender, ethnicity, age, background, experience, ability or economic means, provision may be made for students to access fees for workshops, and funding can be accessed for disadvantaged students to enable them to attend educational visits.

Curriculum and Assessment Maps