Drama

Drama is taught in classes from J1 to J5, with one 40 minute lesson per week. The key aim of the drama curriculum is to enable children to build confidence in presenting themselves to others and to understand and ‘read’ physical situations. Where relevant, we link the drama curriculum to English as this adds another dimension when exploring characters and stories.

Live theatre adds another dimension to the subject and we are blessed being within striking distance of so many incredible theatres – York itself but also Leeds, Manchester and Bradford, with both Sheffield and Newcastle also relatively accessible. Appropriate groups are offered opportunities to take part in these visits as they arise, with the aim for all of the pupils in the school to have an opportunity to see some live theatre during each academic year. Naturally, programmes are constantly changing, which gives this subject its exciting, contemporary and evolving feel.

Shows are produced in J1,3 and J5. In J1 this is a year group musical towards the end of the year; in J3 this is a musical in the Christmas/ Easter term in collaboration with the music department and in J5 this is an optional production to take part in the Coram Shakespeare Schools production which enables pupils to perform on a professional stage.

Upon leaving St Peter's 8-13, pupils all continue to study drama in Year 9, with the possibility of taking the subject on at GCSE in Year 10 and then A level.

Christmas

J1 National Poetry Day – whole year group devise and practise a poem to be performed.

Working with props.

Work linked to Anti-bullying Week. Focus on the national theme –devising sketches and using these as a vehicle for discussion.

Introduction to improvisation.

Easter

Different aspects of stagecraft including gesture & body language. Group work demonstrating different techniques. Portraying different characters using voice, gesture etc.

Observation and Empathy. Adapting behaviour on stage relative to each other. Ranges of emotion.

Summer

Work on J1 play. Production for parents, involving all pupils in the year group. Rehearsals use class drama time. Performed over three days to school and parent audience.

J2 Improvisation: building on J1 work, action and reaction.

Vocal and language contstaints. Shirt machine – link with English. Collaborating on whole class piece.

Work linked to Anti-bullying Week based on the national theme –including hot seating characters in dilemma situations. Work on Chapel performance.

Introduction to mime. Live news report – link with English. Use of simple props & costumes. Radio advert - link with English. Focus on conveying all information verbally. Compare with mime – visual.

Noah’s Ark by Roger McGough, group work.

J3 J3 production. Rehearsals used for audition process and then to Chat show interviews – paired work. Devise scripts in Silent Movies – viewing old clips and imitating the

choreograph dance routines for the production. Shown to parental audience over two evenings. addition whilst also incorporating elements of Improvisation.

Storytelling.

Stagecraft.

Devising short scripts using a prescribed starter.

J4 Character work

Creating character; use of props; freeze frames; cross-cutting techniques etc.

Link tasks to novel ONCE by Morris

Gleitzman, studied in English. Midsummer Night’s Dream. Focus on using Shakespeare’s language, exploring character and situation to supplement English.

J5 Gothic storytelling.

Based around ‘Darkwood Manor’ activities explore suspense and character, supporting English unit on Gothic.

Shakespeare Schools Production (approx 35 pupils)– rehearsed after school and performed in local theatre. The Bone Sparrow – focusing on issues, specifically challenges of a refugee.

Empathy and character analysis

Blood Brothers playscript. Working with text. Mask work. Using emotion Trestle masks to understand mask theatre - using music and masks to convey story.

slapstick comedy. Devising own sketches.

Treasure Island – link to English. Acting out Characters.

Focus on voice, accents and body language. Freeze frames of key moments. Use of mime and slow motion. Link with English – Drama Workshop (Peter Kennedy)

Shadow theatre, focusing on group work, creativity and collaboration. Creating theatre to music.

English

At the heart of the English curriculum at St Peter's 8-13 is reading. Throughout their five years here all pupils have a dedicated weekly library session purely for encouraging reading for pleasure; pupils learn to appreciate a range of literature and gradually develop personal taste. They discuss novels, recommend titles to one another and are encouraged to branch out and try new and exciting literature. J4 take part in Book Buzz scheme and a book group has started to follow the recently launched York Children’s award. In addition to this, class texts form the backbone of our English studies, scaffolding new texts and content alongside working on comprehension, inference and prediction skills. These are carefully selected to ensure a varied diet of diverse and inclusive literature, tackling a range of topics. Written tasks are designed to complement the chosen literature, whilst ensuring a wide range of appropriate writing genre are taught and revisited during the five years. Emphasis is on teaching pupils how to write effectively, using presentational features and language appropriate to the audience. The use of ICT is integral to specific tasks: producing their own books; newspaper articles;

audio recordings, ‘live’ news reports or TV adverts all feature during their time here. A fundamental aspect of writing is the editing process and, throughout St Peter's 8-13, pupils learn that their ‘best’ work is unlikely to be their first draft. From Year 4 onwards pupils evaluate their own work and comment on the work of others; they do this with ever increasing skill. Additionally opportunities are created for collaborative tasks and group work, along with links to drama workshops and trips to stimulate writing. Spelling, handwriting and grammar are key elements of the English curriculum. In J3 and J4 a discrete grammar lesson is in place whilst in other year groups these skills are be taught within the curriculum. Skills taught are then embedded in real writing tasks within the scheme of work. At Key Stage 3 we look ahead into the requirements for iGCSE and transitioning to the senior school. Before our pupils embark upon that course, we continue with the breadth of literature seen in the junior years through a constantly updated curriculum that supports tradition coupled with modern literature. Year 7 study a Shakespearian text alongside a text set during the Holocaust; Y8 tackle a modern classic alongside a free verse novel tackling issues faced by refugees. These texts change with relative frequency to keep abreast of new literature, to capitalise on potential theatre links and to remain connected to current events.

English is a compulsory subject. Our overriding aim is that pupils grow to enjoy English and leave St Peter's 8-13 with the knowledge that they can form personal responses to literature, grounded in clear understanding and are confidently equipped to write for a variety of audiences.

Christmas Easter Summer

J1 Poetry – focusing on techniques (simile) Persuasive letter writing Story openings Class novel – link to history ‘Invasion’

Free writing Winter poetry

Class novel – ‘Spiderwick Chronicles’

Descriptive magical creature writing Travel based information poster Afternoon tea for Grandparents Christophe’s story (novel) Oral storytelling – drama J1 play Letter writing to new pupils. Instructional writing

J2 Diary extracts Story writing – Mr Men stories (drama for writing workshop) Comprehension on character Newspaper writing – link to geography Adverts

Settings: Descriptive writing

Class novel: Kensuke’s Kingdom -Michael Morpurgo Class novel - Oranges in No Man’s Land. Kate Greenaway shadowing scheme

Comparative writing Explanation: Non Chronological reports Study of two poets

J3 Autobiographical writing. Study of class novel – Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard Book Biography – paired presentations (Drama for writing) Story writing – ghost theme Formal and informal letters Debating an issue arising as part of novel

Discursive writing Class novel – Al Capone does my shirts

Analysis skills linked to text. Creation of a pirate characterdescriptive writing Class play script: Treasure Island

Play script writing and performance

J4 Grammar and descriptive writing unit Class novel – ONCE by Morris Glietzman (linked to RSE and history) Survivor themed analysis Perspective writing. Memorialisation of Holocaust

Review writing – focus on audience and tone Shakespeare: Mid-Summer Night’s Dream (link to drama) Analysis of character (PEE) Dramatic irony. Research and Textbook page on Globe theatre/Elizabethan London Research, writing and delivery of formal speech Class novel study: Cloudbusting (poetry) Analysis of theme from novel Poetry project/ writing

Historical fiction story extract Comparative essay writing based on film versions of the play.

Participation in Asthetica Film Festival

J5 Grammar in poetry unit Gothic writing (300 words) Novel: Gothic (Woman in Black) Analytical/ essay writing on novel

Poetry and prose comprehension skills Ghost walk in York - audio ghost stories (collaborative) Jasmine Warga: Other Words for Home

News reporting Writing modern sonnets Character analysis and writing in role.

Essay based on play Photo journalism Poetry study/ writing Dystopian literature study Class novella: The Machine Stops Enterprise project – linked with DT

Advert creations/ media unit Formal letters

Writing in real word scenarios.

In addition

• Comprehension in all terms, in all year groups. • Handwriting focus in J1 and J2. • Spelling in J1-3, using Reading Eggs program as well as Babcock resources

• Booster intervention groups run in mornings for all year groups on an invitation basis.