ABOUT THIS COURSE

This NEW course for Autumn 2023 is a practical course from which teachers can take away a range of effective approaches to teaching and supporting GCSE students with limited drama  knowledge and skills, enabling them to accelerate their progress to maximise outcomes in line with very able students. This course is excellent for teachers faced with this not unusual but very considerable challenge. Emphasis will also be on effective ways to approach both practical and written aspects of the GCSE Drama course with students and how to access the higher grades and engage them with Drama and theatre beyond the classroom.

---

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Discover a range of strategies to enable students with limited drama skills to achieve top band
• Take away proven methods and techniques to enable all students to devise successfully
• Gain expertise on how to teach technical theatre and terminology so students can utilise it readily
•  Learn ways to maximise outcomes in NEA written work and the written exam
• Ways of providing a rich, holistic, inspiring, wide and engaging curriculum and KS4 Drama experience

---

PROGRAMME

“I want a 9”: starting with the end goal and setting the parameters

10.00 – 10.45am

• Key general principles for achieving in Drama at GCSE
• Understanding the requirements of different exam boards and how to communicate assessment criteria effectively with students
• Unlocking ways into GCSE Drama to enable students with limited skills to capitalise on their performing and creative skills
• Auditing GCSE specifications to ensure students’ learning can be maximised and capitalised quickly
• Top tips on guiding students to create outstanding performance work so that they

---

Morning Break

10.45 – 11.05am

---

Devising Techniques for students with limited drama skills

11.05 – 12.00pm

• Developing the skills required at KS3 and building into Year 10
• Strategies for structuring and creating top band performances
• Strategies for developing written analysis and evaluation
• Practical examples of how to achieve top band practical and written NEA work
• Advice on accelerating the progress of students with limited drama skills to maximise outcomes

---

“Can someone do our lights?”: teaching technical theatre for maximum impact

12.00 – 12.45pm

• Practical strategies for teaching technical theatre effectively
• Teaching approaches and practical strategies to support students with limited skills to understand technical theatre and utilise it at GCSE level
• Strategies to give students frameworks to incorporate technical terminology effectively into their written responses to maximise marks in the written examination

---

Lunch

12.45 – 1.45m

---

What’s the question asking you to do? excelling in the written exam

1.45 – 2.45pm

• Effective strategies for enabling students to apply their practical learning of a set text to efficiently produce top band written responses
• Practical and effective strategies and ideas to help our students to structure top band written responses in the exam
• Best ways to develop analytical and evaluative skills to review live theatre

---

Raising the bar with scripted performances

2.45 – 3.15pm

•  Practical strategies for selecting and teaching the scripted NEA component to maximise marks for students with limited drama skills
• Enabling students to identify and utilise more complex performance skills to maximise marks
• The importance of unlocking the nuances of exam board jargon for students to succeed

---

Afternoon Break

3.15– 3.25pm

---

Top tips for top grades

3.25 – 3.45pm

• Effective strategies for applying SMART targets and implementing feedback to maximise marks
• Top tips on marking students’ work so that they get the marks you think they deserve
• Strategies for converting reluctant students to confident performers
• Practical strategies to engage and upskills students in Drama to excel at GCSE and beyond
• Tips for actively engaging students in their learning beyond the classroom
• Ways of providing a rich, holistic, inspiring, wide and engaging curriculum and KS4 Drama experience

---

Depart

3.45pm

---