Drama teachers unite. Please respond to OFQUAL. One school voice is small, but if we all act together, we may save our subject. Heres my response if you wish to have a frame. Decision to remove Performing Arts GCSE from the curriculum My Response The Department for Culture Media and Sport states that, “UK excels at the creative arts (Theatre, Art, Dance, Music, etc) – creative employment provides around 2.6 million jobs in the creative sector itself and roles in other sectors. Employment in the sector has grown at double the rate of the economy as a whole”. Exports of services by the creative industries accounted for 10.6% of UK’s exports of services. The DCMS is committed to supporting the creative industries, but the educational base for these industries is being eroded. The creative arts are not just ‘light-weight’ add-ons in the curriculum or a second class option for those not able to cope with traditional academic subjects – they are valuable subjects in their own rights, essential for the development of well-rounded individuals. The Arts enables young people to express themselves, which is fundamental to achieving success in later life. A broad and balanced curriculum cannot exist without Music, Dance, Drama and Art. Performing Arts is an opportunity to combine some or all of these aspects. At my school, five years ago, we researched, trained and wrote appropriate schemes of work, created vast amount of resources and encouraged pupils to take the subject because we believed this subject offered us flexibility within our curriculum. Large proportions of our pupils wanted to combine several Art forms, but were not able to opt to choose Music, Art, Dance and Drama because of their other option choices. They also struggled to pick one to specialise in. Naturally, the advantage of choosing one which covers all aspects was appealing to them and so our cohort grew from approximately 30 in the first year, to 60 this year in Year 10 and 60 in Year 11. These statistics speak for themselves. It is now the third most popular option in our school, after History and Geography. Year on year, we have successfully delivered this exciting, very challenging course to each cohort, achieving excellent results because we are experts in this field. Prior to this, pupils opting to take Drama were quite low, pupils opting to take Music are also quite low and pupils opting to take Dance are quite low. Between 10 and 15 are the numbers for these individual subjects. As a direct result of their experiences on this course, many of our pupils have continued on to KS5, Further Education and careers in the Performing Arts industry. Performing Arts is popular because it engages all learners in the process of Performing Arts and helps them develop effectively independently and as part of a team. The course involves them having broad skills knowledge of the whole of the Performing Arts industry, not just the performing aspect. The variety of performing skills gives them grounding for reality. There are very few performers in the industry who specialise solely in acting. Most of them have ‘other string/strings to their bow.’ As part of the course, they begin to understand the roles and responsibilities of all people in the Creative Industry. They also gain insight into the contribution of the Creative Arts industry at a local and a National level. In terms of personal skills, pupils develop self-confidence, resilience, perseverance, self-discipline and commitment. The GCSE provides a solid foundation for progression in Performing Arts, Theatre Studies A level or BTEC, alongside the generic subjects, such as Dance, Drama, Art and Music. The skills taught in this subject can also be applied to a wider range of A levels and degrees. Statistically, at this school, our Performing Arts pupils’ attendance is significantly higher than the other option choices and as a direct result of working closely with people in groups, friendships and bonds are developed that are unparalleled in other subject areas. Our Pupil Premium uptake is high and our boys’ uptake and achievement is growing year on year. Boys in this subject tend to achieve highly and our SEN pupils also succeed year on year. Working within this artistic framework often gives pupils a sense of belonging, often when they struggle to ‘fit in’ anywhere else. Our more challenging pupils also seem to enjoy the course, but their behaviour is exemplary in these lessons. My students have enjoyed the opportunity to develop and learn about a wider range of techniques, performance, technical and management skills relating to the Industry. They have also had the opportunities within briefs and commissions to realise these skills. The publicising and Front of House skills involved in a performance alone are a learning curve for all pupils. We have also been able to commission pupils to perform for all occasions, such as Open Evening, Awards evenings and have forged cross-curricular links with subjects like PSHE within our school, by performing for assemblies on a range of topics. The creative freedom of devising their own pieces or using previously written material, allows them to choose differing methods of delivery and context, stretching their capabilities and allowing them to innovate and experiment within a range of disciplines. The pupils have choice and flexibility to hone their skills and learn about a wider range of skills, such as design, stage management, lighting and sound; these are not part of the Drama, Music, and Art or Dance options. The work is an engaging and realistic representation of the skills, knowledge and understanding of the Performing Arts in a work related context. In the event that pupils do not go on to Further Education in this subject, they at least develop a love of the Arts and have a broader understanding of Theatre as an audience. They also have excellent interpersonal skills in communication, articulation and creativity in presentation of ideas. In short, eliminating this subject from the curriculum would be a backwards step in the future growth of our generations and their education. Many thanks for taking the time to read this response.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 18:51:57 +0000
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