The Drama department at Birkdale High School believe that all children should be entitled to experience a wide range of creative and performance opportunities regardless of their background. Through this we offer our boys the opportunity to develop their skills and ideas and increase proficiency in their execution. As a department we intend to nurture all students’ creative talents and seek opportunities for them to develop as individuals and achieve their maximum potential; regardless of their starting points. Alongside literacy and numeracy, the skills of creativity and performance which are intrinsic to our subjects are essential lifelong skills. The Creative industry is fast developing and creative people are highly sought after in the world of work, it is our job at Birkdale not only to begin to prepare and shape students in readiness for these many opportunities, but also to support them in becoming well rounded and confident human beings.

Across the Drama department students will have the opportunities to develop a variety of skills including working with a wide range of texts, theatre practitioners, performance styles and technical areas within Theatre. The curriculum at Foundation stage provides the building blocks for students who then choose to opt for our subjects at Examination stage. The Foundation schemes of work are purposely designed to provide the students with a wide variety of skills, techniques and experiences that will allow them to gain knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Throughout their learning journey our boys will explore the art of devising, performing scripted text, theatre technology and analysing live theatre. To encompass this our schemes of work are developed to ensure that all students are taken through step by step instructions and modelled examples to enable them to develop their own work and skills into successful pieces of Theatre. These performance and compositional skills are not only vital aspects of the Drama curriculum, but also help to provide students with essential life skills which will enable them to become confident critical thinkers.

Aspire

The Drama curriculum will inspire our boys to have the desire to achieve and contribute positively to the school community through Drama and Performance. Our boys will strive to do their best across all areas of the Drama Curriculum, regardless of their subject specialism.

Thrive

Our Drama curriculum will enable our boys to be successful and confident by embracing opportunities for performance and design, collaborating and creating their own work therefore creating a genuine sense of belonging.

Succeed

The Drama curriculum will empower our boys with the understanding and empathy to become considerate, resilient and knowledgeable young adults within the performing arts industry.