Information Book Just for Starters - Stockport Grammar School

In the first two years we aim to develop:
• The use of a range of dramatic forms to express ideas and feelings, with pupils responding
creatively and constructively to a variety of stimuli
• The ability to communicate effectively through the language of space, movement and
words
• Imagination, characterisation, devising and performing skills
• Confidence in the pupils’ own abilities, particularly in the areas of independent working,
verbal and non verbal communication and team work
• Evaluating skills of the pupils’ own work and the work of others
What staff and facilities are available to the department?
Drama is taught by a fully qualified Drama teacher and is housed in a well-equipped studio.
Many of the school’s large spaces are used for extra-curricular productions, including the
Main Hall, Hallam Hall and the Quads.
DRAMA
How much time will I spend on this subject per ten day cycle?
Lower School ...........................................................................................................1 lesson
What is Drama in the Lower School like?
A number of drama skills are taught alongside each other throughout the curriculum. A new
topic is taught each half term which will engage pupils with its narrative and characters.
Specific skills such as acting, staging, devising, or theatre genre will be taught. Pupils will work
individually, in pairs, small groups and as a whole class. In most lessons they will participate
in active independent learning, to create pieces of drama which they, their peers and their
teachers will evaluate. Developing skills such as teamwork, time management, focus and
control will be integral to each lesson.
Are there any extra-curricular activities?
• Drama clubs are organised at lunchtime for the Lower School and there is a Play Reading
Club for Middle and Upper School pupils.
• Opportunities for acting are offered in both traditional and innovative school plays such
as Blood Wedding and We’ll Meet Again; pupil-devised pieces such as Homelessness; and
large scale musical productions such as Oliver!
• Sixth Formers traditionally direct, organise and act a play at the end of the Summer Term.
These productions are opportunities for leadership, teamwork and enjoyment. Recent
plays have included Absent Friends, Present Laughter, A Chorus of Disapproval, See How
They Run and Blithe Spirit.
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