Drama Curriculum | St Helen and St Katharine

The Drama Department is a hub of creative activity at St Helen and St Katharine and Drama is a thriving part of school life both within and outside the classroom.

We offer a diverse range of theatrical opportunities beyond the curriculum and enjoy a reputation for creating dynamic, high-quality productions. Outside of the classroom, students perform in productions including a range of genres, styles and periods and participate in a wide variety of roles as actors, writers, designers, technicians and directors.

Curriculum Drama is taught throughout the school, with a strong uptake at both GCSE and A level. The Drama Department is staffed by specialist teachers who enjoy fostering students’ skills in theatre and performance. Drama studies are supported by our professionally trained Theatre technician and Drama assistant, who contribute to the specialist teaching of theatre design elements. Students are supported to develop independence and a high level of ability, often producing outstanding performance work and showcasing the talents of students both onstage and behind the scenes. Students develop their learning within our dedicated performance spaces, with lessons taking place in our Studio Theatre, Yolande Paterson Hall and Performing Arts Studio.

Within the classroom, students learn confidence and collaboration whilst their intellectual ability to analyse and evaluate different theatre techniques and practitioners is developed. This is complemented by a focus throughout the curriculum on building practical performance skills and understanding the importance of theatre as a means of exploring challenging issues. Through studying Drama, students develop a range of transferable skills, including teamwork, debating skills, creative problem solving and leadership students go on to apply these in a wide range of applications. We aim to foster an atmosphere of challenge and fun, above all developing students’ abilities as strong and articulate communicators.

SHSK Prep (Junior Department)

The main purpose of Drama lessons in SHSK Prep is to build confidence and enjoyment in creating and performing. There is a focus on developing the skills of working with others in groups, alongside fostering confident oracy skills. Each year begins with a skills-based unit enhancing their knowledge of drama techniques and vocabulary.

For Years 3 and 4, the focus of the first term will be the end-of-term Christmas celebration. Girls in Year 5 progress to a ‘play in a week’ and Year 6 will take the lead in the annual summer musical production. Parents are warmly invited to all of these events.

Lower School

Drama is taught as a practical subject in Lower School, and in Year 7 weekly double lessons offer students the opportunity to work together and build their confidence. Students learn how to interpret and perform a script and create their own performance projects, exploring contemporary script, physical theatre and Greek Myths. Throughout the year, emphasis is placed on collaboration and teamwork, fostering a ‘have a go’ attitude and inspiring every student to feel confident in presenting work to the class. We foster creativity and imagination through frequent games and improvisation exercises and encourage strong communication skills through negotiation and group work.

In Year 8, Drama maintains its practical focus, challenging students to step out of their comfort zone and encouraging them to use their ‘have a go’ attitude. Working in small groups, students are introduced to theatre practitioners and apply a range of practical performance skills, creating projects which enable them to put their learning into practice. They then learn to analyse and evaluate from an audience perspective, developing intellectual engagement. Drama is a fun and engaging subject, where each student is encouraged to build their confidence and to challenge themselves.

Middle School

In Year 9, Drama becomes an elective subject which is taught in one double lesson per week. It is a popular choice, with roughly two-thirds of the year group choosing to study the subject. Lessons retain their practical focus, and students are challenged to engage with new and more complex ideas as the year progresses. Students are guided by their teacher to direct and devise their own performances, exploring high impact acting enhanced by sound and lighting techniques. They learn how to create recorded media and use their skills to write, direct, perform and edit short films and radio plays. This Year 9 Drama culminates in a scripted performance project which develops their students’ ability to work independently and completes their preparations for GCSEs.

In Years 10 and 11, students use performance skills to create powerful and thought-provoking theatre. The GCSE course is taught in two double lessons per week, and study is balanced between practical and written work, enabling students to develop essay writing skills alongside practical performance ability. Students are encouraged to take a 360-degree view of theatre, learning about lighting, sound, set and costume and applying these performance to bring their own productions to life. Theatre trips to study professional productions help develop analytical and evaluative abilities and students develop a high level of academic fluency.

Working both independently and in small groups, students are inspired to create bold theatre to a high standard. Studying GCSE Drama equips students with a high level of academic rigour and analytical engagement. This varied subject instils confidence, teamwork and communication skills, which prepares students for A Level and beyond.

Sixth Form

Drama and Theatre in the Sixth Form opens up a new range of experiences and possibilities, with two double lessons being taught each week. At A level, students are invited to be academically curious, considering the role of theatre in modern society and becoming highly skilled at constructing convincing written and verbal arguments. Through studying contemporary and classical scripts and developing strong written analytical skills, students will take their understanding of acting and technical theatre design to the next level.

Detailed study of professional theatre companies and practitioners, such as Kneehigh and Punchdrunk, offers inspiration, which students then explore further through their own practical work. Performances take place in the Studio Theatre, our dedicated performance space. Visits from professional theatre companies introduce students to new techniques and trips to watch inspiring professional theatre productions provide students with the knowledge to create their own outstanding practical work.

Drama in the Sixth Form is an exciting opportunity to develop practical skills, academic depth and rigour, and to hone communication and leadership skills, whilst building a detailed knowledge of the creative world of drama and theatre. This equips students with a wealth of transferable skills, preparing them for further study in a broad range of subjects from Liberal Arts to Medicine and Law. Each year a number of students go on to study Drama either as a University subject, or to follow a professional training route at one of the UK’s prestigious Drama Schools.

A LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE

81.3%

9–7 at GCSE 2025

62.5%

9–8 at GCSE 2025

60%

A*–B at A level 2025

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Academic enrichment

The study of drama within lessons is supported by regular opportunities to watch dynamic and exciting professional productions outside of school. With regular trips to watch productions at the Oxford Playhouse, London Theatres, Bristol Old Vic and the Watermill Theatre in Newbury, students enjoy watching a wide range of theatre. Live Theatre forms a key part of the GCSE and A level courses and students review the productions they have watched, learning about both performance and theatre design elements. We also enjoy welcoming professional touring theatre companies to perform within our Studio Theatre at St Helen’s.

Recent theatre trips have included: My Neighbour Totoro, Warhorse, Witness for the Prosecution, The Other Place, The Party Girls, Piaf, Wonderboy, The Father and the Assassin, The Empress, The Crucible, The Boy With Two Hearts, Brief Encounter, Wuthering Heights, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Six, An Inspector Calls, Broke, The Life of Pi.

In addition to theatre trips, students have the opportunity to watch a large catalogue of theatre productions online, along with reading a wide range of play texts to further their learning. Our academic curriculum is enhanced by workshops led by visiting theatre companies and industry professionals. Most recently, Year 9 students enjoyed a physical theatre workshop learning the techniques of Frantic Assembly, GCSE students undertook a devising workshop with The Paper Birds theatre company and A Level student worked with a visiting professional theatre designer, learning costume and set design.. The study of the core set text at GCSE is enriched by a biennial trip to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London where students are able to tread the boards of the theatre themselves before watching a recording of the original production and exploring the original costume, set and lighting designs.

Students enjoy a wide range of enrichment experiences that vary each academic year and are always designed to enhance student learning. Offering access to the inspiring work of professional theatre makers gives our students the opportunity to apply their enhanced learning to their own work, inspiring them to achieve their very best both within and outside the classroom.

Co-curricular

Co-curricular Drama is a thriving part of school life. The Drama Department offers a diverse range of theatrical opportunities beyond the curriculum and enjoys a reputation for creating sophisticated and dynamic productions. Students enjoy developing their skills, getting to know new people and gaining a sense of accomplishment at being part of a large-scale creative project. We aim to provide a broad range of productions each year, with opportunities for every year group and many productions having a cast size of over 45 students. All of our productions are supported by student-led backstage teams, who take on a range of roles from stage manager to assistant director, all adding to the exciting creative buzz.

The annual Playwriting Competition is a key event for Years 7–9, offering students the opportunity to enter their own original scripts for performance. We offer weekly Drama clubs for all age groups, including performance and acting skills and a specialist technical theatre club, exploring all elements of stage management and design.

Drama scholars write, direct and perform in small productions involving students across the school. In addition to evening and weekend performances, a recent Sixth form led lunchtime cabaret offered students from all year groups an opportunity to perform. Students take part in local and national performance competitions and explore the opportunity to perform in professional venues. Students have enjoyed the opportunity to attend the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with an original production. St Helen’s Drama students have also enjoyed much recent success at auditions for the National Youth Theatre, National Youth Music Theatre, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Oxford School of Drama, The Arts Educational Schools and Rose Bruford College.

Take a look at our Beyond page to find out more.

Beyond Drama

Drama

SHSK Prep (Junior Department)

Lower School

Middle School

Sixth Form

81.3%

62.5%

60%

Academic enrichment

Co-curricular

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Drama

SHSK Prep (Junior Department)

Lower School

Middle School

Sixth Form

81.3%

62.5%

60%

Academic enrichment

Co-curricular

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