Recreation Road Infant School

Drama Policy 2008

This policy is written with reference to the teaching and learning policy and equal
opportunities policy. It takes in to account the Revised Primary Strategy, Foundation
Stage Profile and Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools.

Why Teach Drama?

We believe it is a powerful teaching medium that will:
• Utilize children’s natural ability to play and imagine other worlds
• Provide purposeful and meaningful contexts, both real and imaginary, for learning
• Provide opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills- aiding understanding and
thinking skills
• Provide opportunities to develop imagination and creative thought
• Create a community, allowing for social learning
• Be active – allowing children to explore the space around them
• Provide opportunities to develop empathy
• Require and develop emotional engagement
• Bring to life worlds and experiences that cannot really be experienced in the
classroom
• Provide opportunities for a power shift – it can be open ended and not led by teacher’s
knowledge
• Provide opportunities for self awareness and respect to develop
• Provide real opportunities for inclusion
• Remove risk-emotions, situations, problems can be explored in a safe, controlled way
• Be fun

Aims
With reference to Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools (DfES 2003)
We will use Drama as a learning medium to;
• Ensure every child succeeds
• Build on what learners already know
• Make learning vivid and real
• Make the learning an enjoyable and challenging experience
• Enrich the learning experience
• Promote assessment for learning

Drama in Practice
We believe Drama is a powerful tool for learning, both in its own right and in developing skills across
the curriculum. A range of drama strategies and conventions will be used within much of the learning.
See Appendix 1: Drama Strategies and Conventions.

Cross curricular links

The National Curriculum 2000 states that ‘Teaching should ensure that work in speaking and listening,
reading and writing is integrated’. Drama can fulfill this requirement. It is statutorily part of the
English curriculum and a social art form. It allows for ideas to be created and initially expressed

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kinesthetically, visually and/or verbally before moving on the written form. As well as the language
and literacy, there are strong links to PHSE and citizenship curriculum, Philosophy for children and
thinking skills.

Other areas of the curriculum can be supported and developed depending on the theme of the drama.
For example:
• History- people and events
• Geography- events in settings
• Science and Numeracy- problem solving for people
• Art- develop settings and use visual skills
• IT- research to inform situations
• Music- develop auditory skills and enhance dramatic scenes

Progression and Assessment

Assessment is carried out in accordance with our assessment policy. This is through:
• self and group assessment by the children based on explicit learning objectives
• observation of children’s work and performance during drama sessions – noting both
levels of engagement as well as outcomes eg writing opportunities

Future Action
• use of drama in a wider range of curriculum areas
• drama planning in place
• reflection of drama practice in place
• continued support of staff through discussion, training and peer group support
• further development of the use of role play areas
• collaboration with PLN schools

Monitoring
Subject Co-ordinator – Dene Zarins
Link Governor –
Monitoring is achieved by the senior management team and subject co-ordinator through discussion,
observation, monitoring of planning and staff development. The link governor for drama will also
monitor the impact of drama and report to the full Governor Body

The use of relevant role play areas can also be used to monitor how drama is being developed through
the school.

The policy will be reviewed in line with the SIDP policy review timetable.

Policy agreed by Governing body Date:

Headteacher:

Chair of Governors:
Dene Zarins 16/1/08

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 APPENDIX 1: DRAMA STRATEGIES and CONVENTIONS

1. TEACHER IN ROLE: Establishing, negotiating, depending, sharing of dramatic context, steering

the Drama on.
2. CEREMONIES: Specially devised to notable events.
3. RITUALS: Specific to a culture, or theatrical.
4. MIMED ACTIVITIES: As films, dreams, drawing attention to occupation, tool use, performed at
life rate or slower
5. STILL IMAGES: In the manner of drawings, photos, posters, sculptures, waxworks, tapestries,
freeze frame on video, etc.
6. NARRATION: Marking time elapse between episodes, as an aid to reflection, to create
atmosphere, to give information, to control actions etc.
7, INTERVIEW/INTERROGATIONS: As journalists, detectives, scientists, historians, documentary
makers, government officials, jurors etc.
8. MEETINGS to present information, plan action, make group decisions, suggest strategies for
problem solving- in the manner of a parish/tribal council, public enquiry, protest gatherings, etc.
9. RE-ENACTMENTS A known event is recreated exactly in order to reveal its dynamics and
tensions.
10. SOUNDTRACKING: making sounds to fit a given piece of action or as in ‘sound pictures’
11. THOUGHT TRACKING: Revealing publicly the private thoughts/reactions of roles at specific
moments in action. Contrasting outer form with inner understandings.
12. REPORTAGE: Interpretation of events through journalistic conventions and registers, in the
manner of front page stories, TV/Radio, News, investigative journalism etc.
13. GIVING WITNESS: In the manner of oral history/testimony or in evidence at enquiry, court
case.
14. COLLECTIVE DRAWING: Giving form to imagined images.
15. SMALL GROUP PLAY MAKING As a means of representing group hypothesis showing alternative
views/courses of action, expressions of existing understandings.
16. ANALOGY: Working through parallel situations that mirror themes in the principal situation.
17. MANTLE OF THE EXPERT: Adopting a viewpoint endowed with specialist knowledge as
historians, scientists, social workers, mountain climbers etc.
18. GAMES: As test of skill, endurance, patience, to reveal a games structure found in situations
such as blocking, escaping, hiding etc.
19. STIMULATIONS: Emphasising social processes and dynamics as in management or institutional
decision making, logistics , problems, etc.
20. DEFINING SPACE: Building imagined environments to work in.
21. COSTUMING: Accurately representing clothing or objects relating to a role, or roles in the
drama, imagined or real.
22. DIARIES< LETTERS< JOURNALS< MESSAGES: Written in or out of role, as in ship’s log,
travellers diary, letters home, instructions for others.
23. OVERHEARD CONVERSATIONS: Spies reporting back, eavesdropping, considering the truth of
rumours or gossip, recreating key pieces of dialogue.
24. TELEPHONE/RADIO CONVERSATION: Seeking information/giving instructions across a
distance, communicating with an imagined person ‘outside’ the drama.
25. MAKING MAPS/DIAGRAMS: In or our of role- routes, mapping new territory, representing
problem solving strategy, escape routes, means of entry etc.

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26. CAPTION MAKING: Devising slogans, titles, chapter headings etc.
27. FOLK FORMS: Devising ‘traditional’ art forms for an imagined culture, using or working with
traditional art forms of an existing culture.
28. NOISES OFF: Working with/against an imagined pressure that is not actually present i. e. hiding
from an imagined enemy, preparing for an important visitor, following instructions from the outside.
29. HOT SEATING: Groups as themselves interviewing roles about backgrounds, motivations,
characters etc.
30. PREPARED ROLES: Working with/from stimulus of a role that has been previously prepared,
role is authentic throughout, working as resource for teacher. Maybe another teacher, Teaching
Assistant etc.
31. ROLE REVERSAL: Where roles are reversed within the fiction. Indians simulating cowboy
behaviour/ crew simulating captain’s response to their actions.
32. FORUM THEATRE: Scenes acted out but audience has right to intervene and change the scene
directly or indirectly.
33. MARKING THE MOMENT: As a review of work done, individually returning to the physical or
spatial position that represents where/when their own ‘moment of perception’ occurred.
34. ROLE ON THE WALL: As a visual way of gathering and recording information about a role on a
large outline of that role.
35. CONSCIENCE ALLEY: Sometimes referred to as Decision Alley or Thought Tunnel. As a way of
holding the moment still and involving the whole class in giving an opinion/ making a decision/being the
voice of the conscience- usually in a double line format.
36. COLLECTIVE ROLE: Sometimes known as Collective Voice- where all speak as a character in a
drama at particular points.
37. VISUALIZATION: Children respond to a language laden with visual reference and imagery by
visualizing the scene/ character in their ’mind’s eye’. This could be followed up by them adding detail
verbally, or by producing a picture.
38. PAIRED STORYTELLING STORYMAKING: Participants tell each other the drama as a story at
different points, either as storytellers or as characters within the drama.
40. EYEWITNESS: Eyewitnesses to a scene can be interviewed to find out more. Sometimes what
the eyewitness can see of a scene is deliberately restricted i.e. through a telescope, peeping through
fingers.
41. SPEAKING OBJECTS: Where participants are invited to become objects in a scene. The
objects that they become can speak and maybe to comment about the characters/scenarios.
42. SENSORY TOUR: Involves one child leading another (who has his eyes closed) and helping the
led child to imagine they are somewhere else. For example the ‘led’ child’s hand might be led to touch
a curtain and he/she may be told that it is the Magician’s cloak that is being touched.
43. READING IMAGES THROUGH SENSES: This involves thinking and responding in a multisensory
way to an image or artifact. For example, when looking at a picture, children may be asked to talk
about the sounds and smells, as well as the sights and to say what they are touching within that
picture and what it feels like.

With reference to:

• Jonothan Neelands – Conventions for Dramatic Action
• Patrice Baldwin – With Drama in Mind
Dene Zarins 16/1/08

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Referenced from Jonothan Neelands- Conventions for Dramatic Action

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Dene Zarins- AST 2008

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‘Drama is an inclusive learning medium that encourages and develops enquiry
and creativity, and group problem solving is central to it. It is accessible to a
range of learners and offers strategies that match a range of learning styles.
It is motivating and enjoyable and involves challenging and supporting children
to succeed individually and together. Children bring to it what they know as a
starting point and, through action and imagination, make the learning vivid and
real.’

Drama In Mind- Real Learning in imagined Worlds- Patrice Baldwin 2004