Drama

 

‘All the world’s a stage…”

 

At Wellesley, we believe Drama skills are life skills. Drama gives children the confidence to express themselves, share ideas, work creatively with others and, most importantly, use their imagination.

From Year 2 to Year 8, pupils enjoy a lively and practical curriculum incorporating storytelling, improvisation, characterisation, physical theatre, poetry, movement, musical theatre, script work and Shakespeare. As pupils move through the school, they progress from exploring simple characters and stories to creating increasingly sophisticated performances, making their own artistic choices and confidently evaluating their work.

Treading The Boards

Every child at Wellesley has the opportunity to perform each year. Performance is a hugely important part of school life, and the opportunities grow alongside our pupils – building confidence, independence and a genuine sense of ensemble.

The Wellesley Performance Journey

  • Nursery – Our youngest performers take to the stage as part of the Nativity which will be performed in the Nursery Room.
  • Reception and Year 1, Year 2 – Our Pre-Prep Nativity is definitely a highlight for our school calendar, introducing them to the excitement of performing together in front of an audience.
  • Year 2 – Informal outdoor year group performance, storytelling and opportunities to share work with others.
  • Year 3 – A Christmas ensemble performance, introducing pupils to rehearsing and performing poetry and songs as part of a larger cast.
  • Year 4 – A one-act musical production, bringing together acting, singing, movement and characterisation.
  • Year 5 – A one-act outdoor play, developing ensemble performance, line learning and physical characterisation.
  • Year 6 – A performance project combining ensemble work, poetry, voice and movement.
  • Year 7 – A two-act musical production, giving pupils the opportunity to combine acting, singing and choreography within a full ensemble.
  • Year 8 – A two-act scripted production, bringing together the performance skills developed throughout their time at Wellesley.

Through these experiences, children learn to speak confidently in front of an audience, think on their feet, support one another and experience the excitement of creating something together.

Progression and Achievement

Our Drama curriculum has clear expectations for every year group, with pupils developing their skills in creating, performing, characterisation and reflection.

As children progress, they learn to use their voices and bodies with greater control, create convincing characters, improvise, make decisions about staging and develop their own performance style. By Year 8, pupils are confidently exploring different theatrical genres and making informed creative choices.

LAMDA at Wellesley

For pupils wishing to take their performance skills further, LAMDA tuition provides an exciting opportunity to develop confidence, communication and performance technique beyond the classroom.

 

Lessons are taught either one-to-one or in carefully selected pairs, giving pupils focused time to work on areas such as vocal expression and characterisation. Pairings are carefully determined by our LAMDA teacher to ensure that children are well matched and able to work successfully together.

 

LAMDA examinations are held at Wellesley each term, providing pupils with the opportunity to work towards internationally recognised qualifications and celebrate their progress. Our LAMDA teacher carefully considers each pupil’s individual development and readiness when deciding which grade is most appropriate.

 

While examinations provide pupils with an exciting goal to work towards, the emphasis remains on building confidence, developing performance skills and encouraging a genuine enjoyment of speaking and performing.

 

More Than a Performance

Whether commanding the stage, creating a character, rehearsing with friends or simply finding the confidence to speak in front of others, Drama gives every pupil the opportunity to discover something new about themselves.

 

At Welleslesy, every child has a part to play