At KS3 our students will:
Through our KS4 Performing Arts options programme we allow our students to build on and embed the performance, practice and examination skills that prepare them for further learning. We encourage students to be self-motivated, articulate and passionate. Students learn to build their creative skills and practise their discipline in a safe and supportive environment. The Arts training also helps to support mental health and wellbeing through exploring the creative process.
Lesson PowerPoints consider cognitive load to ensure pupils can access the core information that they need.
Modelling is used in practical lessons to support tasks and create consistency of expectations across all lessons.
Core skills are repeated termly and built upon each year. Do it now tasks reinforce these core skills, helping students prepare for the lesson and build upon previous learning.
Where written work is undertaken modelled examples are shown.
During department and link meetings we discuss pupils with SEND and respond to their needs effectively. Checking SEND pupils are making progress, if not we must make reasonable adjustments to their experience based on data we hold.
When planning our schemes of work, we ensure there are links to styles, artists and instruments which are relevant to our learners. Building on existing schemas of knowledge
When planning lessons, we use pupil passports and IEP documents to ensure our pupils individuals needs are known about and correct strategies/resources are used. Knowing your pupils and agreed provisions
During department and link meetings we discuss pupils with SEND and respond to their needs effectively. Checking SEND pupils are making progress, if not we must make reasonable adjustments to their experience based on data we hold
We regularly check class charts to check for changes to individual needs and refresh our memories of required strategies. Knowing your pupils and agreed provisions, changes are regular.
Within the classroom we have a set seating plan or group plan to enable us to easily identify pupils with SEND. You can pinpoint SEND pupils and the seating plan is planned to ensure positive outcomes and timely support. RADAR is supported by this
Entry routines are consistent. Pupils know what to do if they have forgotten their equipment or book.
All students are greeted at the door when entering the Drama Hall.
Where pupils are struggling to start the do it now task, this is noticed swiftly and we quickly support them in a positive way. Responding to classroom feedback and ensuring 100% compliance and valuable time is not lost.
We use routine and procedure to ensure all pupils know what to expect. All pupils benefit from clear routine from class to class. This will globally help the pupils with diagnosed and undiagnosed ASD.
We welcome every student into the classroom with a positive comment, ensuring all pupils feel welcome. Building positive relationships is the single most important action when working with ALL pupils but in particular those who often get left behind (SEND).
We ensure we take cognitive load into account; handouts are created to provide pupils with all resources that are required. Very important to avoid wasting time on copying things that can easily be reproduced. This simple action can help pupils with limited motor skills to feel that they are to behind all of the time. (also, your diagrams are probably clearer)
We use learning at Pilton techniques to engage all pupils; including, 100%, radar, and circulation to ensure all pupils understand the task. Techniques are great for all pupils...particularly SEND
We communicate clearly with our TAs to ensure they understand how they can best support the learning, making time to seek their advice for selected pupils. TAs at Pilton are so knowledgeable about our pupils, research shows that clear teacher/TA dialogue and positive relationships make a significant difference to the impact of TAs
When using cold call we pre warn identified pupils or use our circulation to pre check for accurate responses. Building self esteem and setting them up for success NOT failure.
During independent tasks we circulate consistently, looking to identify misconceptions or opportunities to give 1-2-1 support. We need to know what is being produced by our SEND pupils so we can close gaps more quickly and provide quality feedback to the EHCP process.
When unknown or new individual needs show themselves during a lesson we communicate this to SENDCo. It helps to have a history of need and gives us the abiltiy to act quickly when gaps appear.
Verbal feedback is given to pupils in each lesson, students are given developmental areas to work on too. Key areas of misconception are retaught after assessments.
We mark the work of SEND pupils with clear comments tailored to them. No point in writing complex sentences if they can’t be understood!
We use exit tickets and other AfL to inform our next lesson.
At KS3 our pupils will: Develop an understanding of a variety of music genres, drama techniques and dance techniques to enable them to express themselves and perform using different styles and cultural influences.
Pupils will learn and develop skills in performance and evaluation ensuring they are able to reflect on their performances and performances of others. Pupils will become confident in themselves and feel able to express themselves through the Performing Arts.
Our pupils have varying range of musical experiences from KS2 and little exposure to music in all it’s different contexts. We aim to develop the pupil's cultural capital and understanding of music through the different tasks and performance activities. n Music pupils have a lesson every week and the learning is scaffolded to ensure pupils gain a depth of knowledge in the 3 main areas of listening, composing and performing. In the performing arts there are some common themes running through KS3 and into KS4 and the key
vocabulary is embedded for each year leading to a deeper understanding.
Drama is intended to provide the foundation of drama techniques and skills to be able to explore different topics, texts and subjects whilst also using drama as a tool to explore the world around them.
Students will be introduced to drama techniques which include still image, role play, teacher in role, sound collage, and conscience alley. Through acquisition of this powerful knowledge, students will then be empowered to explore the world of the drama whilst exploring the key issues presented. Students will also be introduced to both naturalistic and abstract drama form. They will be expected to adopt and sustain a role within a variety of situations and begin to analyse and evaluate their own work and that of others. Over the year, students will explore a range of themes originating from different sources including music, play texts, pictures and poetry.
Drama is an essential subject to help students build self-confidence, develop teamwork, communication and leadership skills, all whilst exploring and challenging perceptions about the world they live in and themselves. Through powerful knowledge, a student can explore a new role, try out and problem solve very real problems from their own life or problems faced by characters in literature. For example, exploring the character of Christopher in ‘The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-time’, allows students to experience and develop their understanding of someone who sees the world very differently.
Our intent is to deliver a Dance curriculum that is engaging, challenging and creative for all pupils. The KS3 curriculum in Dance will assess students’ knowledge, social emotional skills as well as physical abilities. The Dance curriculum covers a wide range of styles and creative tasks and is designed and sequenced to challenge all students and also address gaps in learning.
The Dance curriculum introduces students to the many different dance styles as well as improving problem solving in groups. Each topic is carefully selected and ensures that every child has access to improving their fine motor skills. Pre-choreographed sequences are taught at the start of each topic and then, using that material, the students are asked to develop this movement by means of a series of short tasks. Students are never asked to dance on their own in front of others and always choose the people they want to work with in order to gain confidence when leading up to an assessment.
