During years 7 and 8, students receive three, 60-minute lessons a fortnight taught by one of six drama specialists.

Our key stage 3 curriculum will allow you to explore drama and theatre via several schemes of learning. The course provides a breadth of study to equip you with a range of topics which cover performance skills, mask work, puppetry, genre, play texts, silent movies, comedy, issue-based drama and playwrighting.

We pride ourselves on encouraging our younger students to work collaboratively, develop leadership skills and harness imagination and creativity. Students can further their studies by attending extra-curricular drama clubs and courses, as well as attend theatre trips run by the department.

In Year 9 students may opt to take the GCSE Drama course and further their creative journey at Shenley Brook End School.

Attributes we support & encourage at KS3: Team work, Creativity, Independence, Problem Solvers.

We follow the Edexcel GCSE Drama course which enable you to build on the performance and appraisal techniques that were covered at key stage 3, as well as inheriting many new drama skills. The course encourages collaborative work, but also focuses on your own independence by exploring, performing, and directing over three components.

Component 1 40% Devising Theatre
Component 2 20% Theatre in Performance
Component 3 40% Theatre Makers In Practice Written Exam

Within the course we cover a range of dramatic devices that are investigated practically, in written coursework and in a written exam. We encourage your artistic creativity in performance and offer non-performance routes for students wishing to explore the role of designers such as set design, costume, props, lighting, and sound.

We provide many opportunities to showcase student’s practical work in lessons, to the public and in externally examined performances. We enrich your curriculum with many theatre trips at GCSE and take you to see a range of performance styles. Previous trips have included: Woman in Black, Come from Away, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time & 39Steps. 

Attributes we support & encourage at KS4: Teamwork, Tolerance, Creativity, Independence, Grit & Determination

Where can GCSE Take you? Our GCSE course leads straight into the A Level Drama course. Students may also consider the study of vocational routes such as BTEC Performing Arts. Other courses that benefit from the study of GCSE Drama are Law, Media, Film, English, Psychology/Sociology, Dance, Design and Business.

Useful information: GCSE Drama - Edexcel - BBC Bitesize

At Key Stage 5 we follow the Edexcel A Level course. The course is highly academic and taught by specialist teachers, you will receive 11 lessons a fortnight with high quality teaching to prepare you for your final practical and written exams. Like the GCSE course, the learning is bridged between three components

Component 1 40% Devising Theatre for the 21^st Century
Component 2 20% Theatre in Performance
Component 3 40% Theatre Makers & Designers Written Exam

We focus on collaborative learning in the sixth form. You will work closely with one another, your teachers and professional visiting practitioners who come to support student learning. During the course you will expand your practical drama skills and work with more experimental techniques for two examined performances and you may explore both actor and designer routes. Towards the end of Year 13 the focus shifts towards preparation for their written exam where you will study 2 play texts and explore a live performance.

We enrich your curriculum with many theatre trips at A Level and take you to see a range of performance styles. Previous trips have included: Punch-drunk – Duchess of Malfi, Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem, Frantic Assembly – Othello and Frogman by the Curious Directive.

Attributes we support & encourage at KS5: Independence, Enquiry, Ownership, Creativity, Teamwork & Academic Excellence

Where can A Level Drama Take you? Our A Level course can lead straight into a HND or Bachelor of Arts at University. Students may also audition and obtain a place at a professional Drama school. Students who have studied A Level Drama at Shenley Brook End School have gone into several careers such as Law, Journalism, Teaching, Theatre Design, Professional Acting, Marketing, Fashion Design and Medicine

Students have gone on to several universities such as Manchester, Oxford, Worcester, Rose Bruford Theatre School, Guilford School of Acting, Liverpool, St Andrews, and Nottingham.

Useful information: Edexcel A level Drama and Theatre (2016) | Pearson qualifications

We offer a range of an extensive range or enrichment activities for all students throughout the school. We believe the arts experiences we offer helps to develop well-rounded versatile individuals.

We run several extra-curricular experiences and pride ourselves on our annual whole school music which every student can participate in. Over the years we have had between 100-180 students involved in each musical which have ranged from High School Musical, Guys & Dolls, Bugsy Malone, Hairspray & Oklahoma!

KS3

• Year 7 and 8 are given the option to attend theatre trips, in the past these have been School of Rock, Wicked and The Wind in the Willows
• We offer a Drama Club, Technical Theatre Club and the option to sign up to half termly courses such as: Special FX Make up, Set Designing, Monologue Slam, Puppetry & Mask workshops.
• We also offer an annual Lower School Production to encourage confidence, creativity and commitment.

KS4&5

• At both GCSE and A Level students are required to attend theatre trips as part of their course. To deepen student learning we also offer additional theatre trips to a range of theatres across the country
• Students are offered the opportunity to join a number of practitioner workshops to develop their devising and playwrighting skills. We have had visits from companies such as Splendid, The Stanislavski Experience, Frantic Assembly and Puppetbox.
• Students are also able to sign up to our half termly courses offered outside of lessons. New for 2022/23 we are hoping to offer the Silver Arts Award for students to gain an additional arts based qualification. Students do not have to study our GCSE or A Level courses to join in our extra-curricular provision.
• 6^th Form students are also encouraged to mentor our younger students through our ‘Drama Mentor’ scheme.

The Drama Team consists of 5 Drama Teachers, a Drama Administrator and a Theatre Technician. We are very lucky to have 3 professionally equipped Drama studios with a variety of lighting and sound equipment, a large costume & props store and set designing facilities. We also have a 400-seat theatre with professional lighting and sound equipment.

The Team
Miss Mowatt – Team Leader of Drama
Mr J Smith – Full Time Drama Teacher
Mrs E Johnson – Drama Teacher & Progress Leader
Mr C Holmwood – 5D Chief Education Officer CEdO & A-Level Drama Teacher
Mrs J Lovell – English & KS3 Drama Teacher
Mrs L Smith – Drama & Music Administrator
TBC – Drama Technician