Drama

Our Vision: Drama at Sandcross develops the whole child by providing an enjoyable, engaging creative journey, which all children have the freedom to explore.

Intent

At Sandcross we believe that drama should be included as part of a broad and balanced education for all children.  Drama develops the whole child by providing an enjoyable and creative experience that everyone can access.  It enables children to express themselves creatively and imaginatively and to make sense of the world around them. It is also a way that children can communicate effectively with others.

We believe that all children should be given the opportunity to use drama in all areas of the curriculum in order to develop their ability to listen to others, share ideas, think creatively and work confidently and cooperatively with their peers. We also strongly believe in the power of performance and the importance of all children being given the opportunity to participate in shows and assemblies for a formal audience.

Implementation - So, how are we going to deliver this? 

In EYFS there are many opportunities for children to explore ideas and take part in drama activities. The role play area and other areas inside and outside the classroom allow children to participate in imaginative play. Children are given the opportunity to play alone or interact with others. The teacher may sometimes model or become part of the imaginative play by taking a role in the drama. This interaction may be to aid development of language, to build confidence, or to present new and demanding problems for the children to solve. This helps children to become involved in questioning, finding information, simple problem solving, developing communication skills and learning about roles in the wider community.

Nursery rhymes, stories, songs and poems also provide dramatic opportunities and develop and build on the child's own experience. Drama activities may also be used to help EAL learners or children experiencing difficulty with speech development. Imaginative play areas offer non-threatening opportunities for speaking and listening to others. Children who have more finely developed speech can benefit from the extended vocabulary offered by the situations provided.

 In KS1 and 2, structured play gives way to opportunities for children to be taught specific drama skills, which they will then be able to use in a range of learning opportunities across the curriculum. Drama is used to further develop children’s language and communication skills, independent work, positive group interaction, negotiation skills, talking and listening skills and facilitating creative expression. They will be able to respond to stimuli, form opinions, give reasons and assess their work constructively. (It is essential to remember that drama is concerned primarily with process and it is not essential that children always end up with a finished product.)

Drama techniques are also used as a stimulus for writing, particularly during ‘experience days’, (using hot seating, role on the wall, and freeze-framing, for example) to support preparation and planning for their writing. Drama helps to establish links between the characters and the setting and also helps to link the description, action and dialogue.

Impact - What difference is this curriculum making to our children? 

Our children enjoy speaking and listening and learning to talk about their choice of voice, movement, gesture and facial expression. They are learning to explore the use of drama strategies to deepen the role or understanding of the situation. Drama activities give our children the confidence to speak up, speak out and be heard.