‘If you don't know where you're going, you're unlikely to end up there.’ – Forrest Gump
In an ideal world, all primary schools would have Drama taught well throughout the school, by teachers who had received recent drama training. The school would have created and agreed an ambitious, coherent Drama curriculum which was evidently being followed. The curriculum would be reviewed regularly and there would be a highly motivated, knowledgeable Drama subject leader, with great leadership skills, recent Drama leadership training and sufficient leadership time.
This is an ideal, and the reality is usually different. Drama is a main artform, but the national curriculum of England does not have Drama as a separate subject at KS1-3. Subject leaders of Drama in England may find it helpful to look at the curriculum content and guidance of other countries. Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence and the new curriculum in Wales have Drama as a subject within Expressive Arts. Northern Ireland has Drama as a subject within The Arts. Subject leaders could also look at the ill-fated, primary national curriculum for England, proposed by Sir Jim Rose. It positioned Drama as a subject within an area of learning, called ‘Understanding the Arts’. More recently, the Oak National Academy published a Drama curriculum for primary schools (available online). It underpinned its online Drama lessons.
Schools need not be constrained by the national curriculum. Academies in England do not have to teach the national curriculum and schools that do have to teach it can develop their own more ambitious curriculum that includes Drama and fits with their school's values, ethos and curriculum approach.
Reviews
Ofsted recently started publishing national curriculum subject research reviews and reports. It does not intend to publish one for Drama and has barely mentioned it within the English report. This is unfortunate, as information about Drama in schools would be helpful to subject leaders when reviewing and developing their own school's drama curriculum and drama teaching. A Drama subject report from Ofsted could stimulate and inform some constructive discussions between Drama subject leaders and within schools.
If subject leaders want to improve Drama in their schools, they should have the full support of their headteachers and be able to schedule staff meetings to envisage, review, develop and improve Drama across their schools. These meetings would ideally be attended by all teachers, the senior leadership team and the headteacher.
Let's talk Drama
Some schools may already have a Drama curriculum that needs reviewing, whereas others may be creating a coherent Drama curriculum for the first time. Either way, the first meeting could start with a talking point to get everyone thinking and speaking positively about the current Drama provision in their school.
Talking Point: Drama in our school – what are we teaching and what are we most proud of?
Teachers are likely to talk proudly about theatre visits, drama clubs, Christmas plays, etc. It is to be hoped that teachers will talk with pride about Drama lessons, too. If a school already has a Drama curriculum, that is also something to be proud of.
This could be the first time these teachers have talked about Drama together. New staff may have joined the school since Drama was last discussed. The Drama subject leader needs to be aware of what teachers are revealing, as they talk about their current Drama teaching, (or lack of it). Some teachers might only talk about Drama as performance (theatre). Others might forefront the use of Drama as a way of teaching other subjects, for example History and PSHE. Some might talk about using Drama strategies in English lessons and some might say nothing about teaching Drama at all! The subject leader will soon need to systematically gather more detailed information about current practice (and the gaps), to inform the subsequent planning stage. However, the start of this session can be celebratory and visionary, before moving on to identifying what needs improving and developing drama-wise.
Talking Point: What aspirations do we have for Drama in our school?
Proceeding positively, the teachers could now be asked to do some blue-sky thinking about what they think Drama in their school would ideally be. In a large school, it is probably best if they start talking in small groups first. Each group can then be asked to present their ideas and hopefully some communal aspirations can be agreed, which can be used to inform a draft vision statement for Drama in their school.
‘Our vision is that every child …’
‘We are committed to providing …’
Next issue: Your Primary Drama Curriculum – a reality check
Useful links:
National Curriculum in England: English programmes of study: www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-english-programmesof-study
Curriculum for Wales: Area of Learning and Experience, Expressive Arts: http://hwb.gov.wales/curriculum-for-wales/expressive-arts/designing-your-curriculum
Curriculum for Excellence (Scotland): Expressive Arts: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf
The Northern Ireland Curriculum : The Arts: http://ccea.org.uk/downloads/docs/ccea-asset/Curriculum/The%20Northern%20Ireland%20Curriculum%20-%20Primary.pdf
www.patricebaldwin.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Rose-Primary-Curriculum-Understanding-the-arts.pdf