All pupils study Drama in Form 2 and are introduced to the skills and techniques integral to the study of the subject. In Form 3 Drama is as an optional curriculum subject. Pupils are prepared more fully for the demands of the GCSE Drama course. They receive a grounding in a variety of styles and genres while exploring the history of theatre. They perform scenes from theatre texts and create a GCSE-styled devised performance, using a wide variety of stimulus material. A full range of rehearsal techniques and drama strategies are discussed and practised.

Pupils usually take on GCSE Drama on the understanding that they have already completed the Form 3 course, although exceptions may be made for those who express a genuine interest in studying the subject for the first time. The CCEA Drama syllabus is followed, with a current focus on Devised Performance and Scripted Performance. Controlled Assessment constitutes 60% of the pupil’s final mark. 40% is determined through an external examination which focuses on a set text, the study of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Pupils will have the opportunity to see productions throughout the two years.

A Level Drama and Theatre is a linear qualification with students examined at the end of the two-year course. The AQA specification is followed: a three hour written examination, worth 40% of the final mark, involves the study of two texts, Carlo Goldoni’s A Servant to Two Masters and Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie, as well as an exploration of Live Theatre Seen. 60% of the qualification is allocated by two practical components where students perform extracts from three published plays, and devise drama in a style of their choice. Performances must be influenced by a specified theatre practitioner or theatre company. A reflective report and working notebook are produced in support of the practical units.