The clear vision for our three departments is to create and foster lifelong interest in, and passion for Performing Arts. Through distinct learning in each specialism and an enhanced collaborative programme, we allow pupils to unleash their creativity and discover personal interest and joy in all three areas. We raise students' ambition for their future, whether specifically within the Performing Arts industry or not, and do so with an extensive programme through and beyond the curriculum. We embed the whole school’s curriculum intent, through the implementation of the three school principles.
| Globally Diverse | Ambitious for the Future | Inquisitive Learners |
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We support our students in becoming globally diverse through:
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We encourage our students to be ambitious for their future by:
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We foster students becoming an inquisitive learners by:
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In Key Stage 3 there are constant opportunities for students to discover passions for performance through both the curriculum and beyond. This is driven by our own passion for our subjects, our collaborative working ethos and our focus on achieving high end products. e.g. recording contemporary solo performances in dance. Opportunities for reading are taken regularly, and oracy is developed consistently through discussions and performances. Digital literacy is taught through the use of ICT in Drama assessments and production software in music. Extracurricular opportunities are wide and varied, including performances, shows, visits, and regularly utilising industry practitioners.
Core skills in the Performing Arts disciplines of Drama, Dance and Music, give every child the opportunity to discover the subject for themselves through performance, composition and analysis within and beyond the classroom. Due to the practical nature of our subjects, students are constantly given power over the choices they make, preparing them fully for life beyond school. Theoretical learning supports pupil literacy, numeracy and digital literacy.
We focus on developing self confidence and pride, through the regular creation of performance work and composition in all three disciplines. We also focus on being principled and caring - this may include being an excellent audience, appreciating peers’ performance work and learning how to give supportive feedforward. We develop debating and exploration of views (expressing and listening) regularly through the historical and current range of topics issues e.g. the cultural background of musical genres. There is also a strong focus on diversity, inclusion and community awareness.
In Key Stage 4, students are given the opportunity to study GCSE Dance, BTEC L2 Tech Award in Music and WJEC Performing Arts.
At KS4, students are required to build on the foundations of key stage 3 to become more specialised in the three strands. This enables them to meet the demands of their courses e.g. producing musical covers in a different genre, creating a piece of choreography with a clear choreographic intention or devising a performing arts piece based on the exam brief’s stimulus.
We focus on increasing the level of professionalism of these standards, and increasing pupil led learning and the proficiency of skills. We increase opportunities for experiencing PA within real life situations, including access to high quality practitioners and different venues (thus also allowing comparison of their growing skill set against realistic industry norms.)
In Dance: Professional works cover topics such as the Holocaust, 7/7 Bombings, diverse dancers, Brazilian culture, the freedom to express oneself. Pupil choreography covers an array of current topics dependent on the set stimuli.
In Performing Arts : Professional works consider alcohol and sexual assault in The Paper Birds ‘Thirsty’, prejudice in ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ and celebrityhood in ‘Chicago’. Devising is led by the students themselves, e.g. Pride Verbatim project.
In Music: We develop appreciation of a wide range of musical genres, their history and context, both practically and theoretically.
