“Please Mr Gove,
can we do some drama?”
Karen Teasdale
Simon Spencer
Activity
• How much drama features in your school’s
curriculum?
– Describe this as a percentage or the number of
lessons for each year group, key stage, individual…
– Note your response on a sticky-note
Nature and Scope of Drama
•
•
•
•
Discrete Drama
Drama Methodology
Extra-curricular Drama
Outside Agencies
• Which of the above terms best describes the
nature of drama in your school?
• Note your response on a sticky-note
Curricular Drama
• Drama has always had a precarious place in
the curriculum
• But, in secondary education has survived and
even thrived
• In FE it continues to attract large numbers of
students and there is a diverse range of
qualifications
• In primary schools drama has enjoyed
additional time and attention
Curricular Drama in the Future?
• Draft National Curriculum documents for
primary English
• http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pd
f/d/draft%20national%20curriculum%20for%2
0english%20key%20stages%201%202.pdf
Curricular Drama in the Future?
CULTURAL EDUCATION IN ENGLAND
• An independent review by Darren Henley for
the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
and the Department for Education (see page
44)
• The Government response to Darren Henley’s
Review of Cultural Education
Government Response
• Recommendation 10: Dance and Drama in
Schools:
• Consideration should be given to promoting
Dance and Drama to subject areas in their own
right, rather than being seen as junior partners
to P.E. and English.
• The Department for Education is currently
reviewing the National Curriculum, and this
recommendation will feed into the consultation
process for consideration.
Government Response
• Recommendation 10: Dance and Drama in
Schools:
• Consideration should be given to promoting
Dance and Drama to subject areas in their own
right, rather than being seen as junior partners
to P.E. and English.
• The Department for Education is currently
reviewing the National Curriculum, and this
recommendation will feed into the consultation
process for consideration.
Extra Curricular Drama
• “The School Play” has long been a feature for
most schools regardless of the age phase
• To what extent did curriculum drama emerge
from the history of the school play?
Activity
• What do you think the purpose of a school
play is or should be from the perspective of…
– The pupils?
– The teaching staff?
– The drama specialist?
– Parents?
– Head teacher?
Two Approaches
The director
• Pupils have little or no
ownership
• Pupils are the
“marionettes” of the
director
• Showcases talent – the
“all stars”
• High stakes performance
– window dressing
• But…
The facilitator
• Pupils have strong
ownership
• Pupils make decisions
• Inclusive
• Showcases collaboration
– the “ensemble”
• High risk performance –
insights into learning
• But…
A Key Consideration
Re: Production of Grease - Help please!!!
• Hey everyone. My school has decided to do
Grease this year. I've just joined as HOD and my
budget has been pretty much depleted before I
got here!!!
Does anyone have any props or set pieces that
they are willing to share, sell, lend or give us! I
would be so grateful!!!!
Thanx
R
A Key Consideration
Re: Production of Grease - Help please!!!
• It's Friday. I probably shouldn't. But... why, oh why Grease?
Dire, unimaginative, stereotype re-enforcing garbage! A
young attractive female with concerns for her own future
and a sense of purpose suddenly turns herself into a
tobacco smoking object of male lust to impress a semiliterate petrol head while her new found friend has unsafe
sex, gets knocked up, and gets away with it. Great!
There IS better material out there and young people
deserve access to it!
Kind regards,
T