The Performing Arts Department at Goodwin Academy is a vibrant and exciting one. It delivers a broad range of arts topics, allowing students to explore their creativity through a range of mediums.
Weekly lessons at Key Stage 3 give students the opportunity to discuss, create, share and evaluate work. Those choosing Performing Arts at Key Stage 4 can go on to specialise in Dance, Drama and/or Technical Theatre.
We expect each student in Performing Arts to:
The Key Stage 3 curriculum in Performing Arts is a learning journey that leads to the necessary skills to take you onto BTEC at Key Stage 4, should you wish to continue your studies in the Performing Arts. It also provides students with transferable life skills that they can take into other areas of their day-to-day lives.
Each year is broken into three projects or assignments. Feedback is given regularly through discussion, formatively in Terms 1,3 & 5 and summatively in Terms 2,4 & 6.
Year 7 commences with Skills, Mediums and Strategies allowing students to develop a basic language for the subject area and understand how to apply it. This will include: voicework, movement, staging, lighting, hot-seating, thought-tracking etc.
From this initial unit, students then begin to explore a range of genres, practitioners and creative styles where they develop an understanding of the history, context and application of different practices.
The department offers a wide range of enrichment activities including: dance club, drama club, performances, theatre visits and a technical theatre club.
The department also offers a range of additional activities through our “Ministry of Culture”. Please see our separate webpage for details of how you can get involved.
At Key Stage 4, those choosing Performing Arts as an option take the BTEC Tech Award in Performing Arts. Students have the option to take a Dance, Drama, Musical Theatre or Theatre Technician Pathway, or a combination of these.
During the two years of the course, students will continue to explore styles and practitioners and develop their skills and techniques in their chosen area(s) of study. There are many opportunities for public performances and regular trips to the theatre, exhibitions and online works.
The BTEC Tech Award has three components:
Component 1 – Students explore three theatre styles through theory, practical and performance. This component is internally assessed.
Component 2 – Students develop their own skills and techniques in their chosen area of study, culminating in a performance. This component is internally assessed.
Component 3 – This is an externally assessed unit where students respond to a brief set by the exam board. This brief culminates in a performance.
Work for BTEC is tailored to suit both the individual and the group, allowing students to access texts that suit their abilities and record their learning journey through a range of mediums including written log books, video diary, blogging and vlogging.
Studying this course can lead to further areas of study such as BTEC Level 3 Performing Arts. Drama is also welcome on a CV where the job applied for involves working with others, addressing members of the public and negotiating with others such as police work, barrister, counsellor, local government etc.
This qualification is also useful if considering employment such as:
Through discussions and group work, students learn how to listen to and respect the ideas and viewpoints of others. They practise the art of democracy when finding ways to work together. Through the range of texts and stimuli we explore, they learn about the values and lifestyles of others, with a view to understanding and showing tolerance to those we live alongside.
Through much of our work we observe good Health & Safety practices and learn about copyright and the fairness of ownership of work, the classification of performances and the rules, regulations and expectations that are important to the work of the arts and their creators, performers and consumers.
Our over-riding ethos in Performing Arts is the right to be an individual, respect the work and ideas of others and to promote equality and a voice for all.
