Drama and Performing Arts

At Didcot Girls' School, we pride ourselves on delivering energetic, and  educational Drama lessons where all students of various abilities can excel and make excellent progress in this subject.

At Key Stage 3 we offer a comprehensive study of Drama from various cultures styles and genres, ranging from Shakespeare to Commedia, Puppetry, Melodrama, Slapstick Clowning and scripted plays.

Students in Year 7 and 8 receive 1 hour a week of Drama and they can also attend a Drama club, as well as getting involved in the fabulous Upper and Lower School shows.

In Year 9, students start their 3 year GCSE Drama course, which they study 2 hours a week through to Year 11. There are two Drama routes at GCSE:

AQA Drama

This GCSE is weighted towards the practical exam.
Unit 1 is the practical component worth 60%
Unit 2 is the written exam paper worth 40% which they sit in June in Year 11.
All lessons are practical and style and form varies from term to term.

Students can study:

• T.I.E
• Dance Drama
• Improvised Drama
• Devised
• Physical Theatre
• Theatre of Cruelty
• Verbatim
• Brecht
• Stanislavski and Naturalism
• Boal and Theatre of Oppression

EDEXCEL Performing Arts GCSE

This GCSE is practical based with no exam at the end but it’s assessed through course work. The Performing arts GCSE offers students the chance to look at not only Drama but all jobs in the Performing Arts Sector including:

• Costume
• Lighting
• Sound
• Make up
• FOH
• Stage management
• Directing
• Budget

Both these GCSE exams offer the students a chance to get involved in drama and dance workshops as well as theatre trips which compound their learning further.

Work that is learnt at KS4 lays the foundation for A Level Performing Arts.

EDEXCEL Performing Arts is offered at both AS and A2.

The A Level students follow a vocational pathway through the course which promotes a significant level of independent work. The students study 6 units of work over the two year course which encapsulates all elements of the performing arts industry and prepares them for work in that industry or drama collage pathways.

The A Level is weighted towards the written element and students must be aware that 4 units of study involve students keeping detailed portfolios.

AS:

• Unit 1 Individual skills development
• Unit 2 planning a creative event
• Unit 3 Performing to a commission

A2:

• Unit 4 Work experience
• Unit 5 Advanced skills development
• Unit 6 Technical skills development OR
• Unit 7 Performing to a commission.