Year 7

Confidence & Creativity

Year 8

Character & Storytelling

Year 9

Performance & Theatre Skills

Focus across the year

Students discover the basics of drama through fun, practical activities. They learn to perform confidently, use big movements and emotions, and work as a team to bring stories to life.

Students dive deeper into drama by building memorable characters and exploring creative storytelling. 

They develop physical theatre skills and learn to express ideas in exciting new ways.

Students sharpen their acting skills and explore a range of theatre styles, from naturalism to political theatre. 

They also get hands-on experience with lighting and learn how to evaluate live performances like a theatre critic.

Term 1

Big Moves & Bigger Emotions

Students will develop confidence through Melodrama and expressive skills, learning key drama techniques to work creatively with others.

Page to Stage: Walking in Christopher’s Shoes

Students will explore character and perspective using The National Theatre’s, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, focusing on empathy and creative interpretation.

Page to Stage: Telling Truth Through Performance

Students will examine social themes through performance, using An Inspector Calls to explore key scenes and develop acting skills.

Term 2

Page to Stage: Making the Impossible Believable

Students will explore storytelling through drama, learning how to bring imaginative ideas to life using voice, movement, and stagecraft.

Term 3

Chorus and Chaos: Stepping Into Greek Theatre

Students will discover the roots of Western theatre by learning about Greek chorus, masks, and ensemble performance techniques.

Masks, Mayhem and Mischief!

Students will develop physical comedy and characterisation skills by using masks, mime, and exaggerated movement.

Lights, Camera, Honesty: Acting the Stanislavski Way

Students will explore naturalistic performance techniques, learning about Stanislavski’s methods to create truthful and believable acting.

Term 4

The Spirit of African Theatre

Students will explore African performance traditions through rhythm, storytelling, and ritual, building teamwork and cultural awareness.

Beyond Words: Physical Storytelling on Stage

Students will explore physical theatre and non-verbal storytelling, learning how to use their body and movement to communicate narrative and emotion.

Watch. Reflect. Review.

Students will build evaluation and analysis skills by watching live or recorded theatre and writing about performance in a critical way.

Term 5

What’s the Story? Creating Drama That Speaks Volumes

Students will develop storytelling skills, learning how to create short, engaging performances with clear characters and dramatic structure.

Suspects and Secrets: Building Characters from Scratch

Students will develop improvisation and devising skills by creating original characters and scenarios, focusing on mystery and intrigue.

Rebel with a Cause: Political Theatre in Action

Students will explore political theatre techniques, learning how to create performances that educate, engage, and provoke thought.

Term 6

The Soul of Puppetry

Students will explore puppetry techniques, learning how to bring objects to life through movement and voice.

The World on Stage: Creating Character and Place

Students will explore set and costume ideas while developing character work, learning how staging can bring scenes and characters to life.

Into the Shadows: Lighting Design for Stage and Atmosphere

Students will learn the basics of stage lighting design, exploring how light creates mood, focus, and atmosphere in performance.