Year 9 Drama

What will my child study in Drama during Year 9?

Year 9 students have two lessons of Drama a week. Throughout Year 9 students will develop skills in preparation for GCSE Drama should they choose to study it as part of their options choices.

The content of the course is as follows:

Term 1	Term 2	Term 3
Students will be introduced to Shakespeare and explore a range of his works whilst becoming familiar with his language and melodrama	Students will study Theatre In Education (TIE) and employ the basic concepts of TIE becoming aware of audience needs. This topic includes a performance project	Students will study a play focusing on style, form and genre of performance considering how to create atmosphere on stage

How will my child be assessed and how will I know how well they are doing in Drama in Year 9?

Assessment takes place on a regular basis and takes the form of levels and school-based assessment grades.
Students will be awarded House Points for good work and effort.
In Drama students will select their own performance targets which help them to know how to progress in this subject, these targets are reviewed regularly.

What homework will my child be expected to do in Year 9 in Drama?

Homework will be set once every two weeks.

How can I support my child to do well in Drama during Year 9?

Encourage your child to see as much live theatre as possible. This does not have to be a big expensive show in London; there is a very good selection of high quality drama on offer in the local area or online.
Students also have opportunities to join in a range of extra-curricular drama clubs.

What equipment may my child need in addition to the standard school equipment?

Whiteboards & whiteboard pens are the only resource required at KS3.

By the end of the year, what would an 'expert' be able to do in Drama?

At the end of Year 9 Drama we expect students to have mastered the critical physical, vocal and character skills needed to create a realistic, appropriate and believable character on stage. Students should have increased confidence needed to construct, rehearse and perform a well-structured play that has been created autonomously and with minimal guidance. They should be able to self-evaluate and peer evaluate performances using sophisticated drama terminology without being promoted. Students should feel ready to take the next steps and feel GCSE prepared if they are to continue the subject at higher level.

My child is struggling during the course, what additional help is available to help them keep up?

Extra-curricular is key to helping students with confidence issues in this subject. We offer a range of extra-curricular clubs in Drama.
It is also important that each students are exposed to as much live Theatre as possible. There are many Theatres in the area, including Woking and Guildford, where you can book to see good quality productions. You can also find productions online from websites such as the national theatre.

How will we support those students who have gaps in their knowledge/understanding?

Lessons have been designed to focus on practical skills to allow students to practice and revise practical skills previously taught. At the start of each lesson key skills are recapped to remind students of prior learning and build on this knowledge. In Year 9 students are given as much independent rehearsal time as possible to allow for their creative expression.
Students are assessed every half term at KS3 – assessments are done in the form of levels – this information is not shared with students and purely for the use of monitoring students. If students are not progressing as expected in this subject, interventions will be put in place in class to best support them with their enjoyment and confidence in class.

Updated July 2023