General Goals

It is contended that Drama is essential within a balanced curriculum:

• Developing the full variety of students' intelligence
• Developing the capacity for creative thought and action
• The education of feeling
• The exploration of value
• Understanding cultural change and difference
• Developing a variety of physical conceptual skills in a relationship to the practice of Drama and theatrical art.

A curriculum which values and encourages creative abilities and individual insights will develop inquiring minds and a capacity to respond flexibly to a rapidly changing world.

The Drama work undertaken at Rainham Mark Grammar School includes a variety of the following dramatic forms:

• Exercises and games to develop: concentration, sharpen perception and promote working relationships involving trust and sensitivity.
• Movement which enhance and develop physical awareness, a sense of relaxation and appreciation of non-verbal communication and effective use of space.
• Vocal/verbal communication - setting up situations in which students may experience and experiment with the use of a variety of language forms and registers
• Assuming a role and sustaining a role in improvisation. Consolidating through the building of attitude, tension, status and belief to develop co-operation skills, thus exploring and deepening dramatic situations.
• Improvisation as a means of problem solving. The exploration of abstract ideas, exploring social/topical themes, working with scripted material to develop theatre and performance skills.

See attachments below for more information on each key stage.