Farleigh views a good grounding in all aspects of Drama as a fundamental part of the children's development at school. It builds confidence and an awareness of the power of presenting yourself in a way which achieves your communication aims.

We are fortunate in having a strong culture of drama and speech at Farleigh. This is tied in with our ethos of promoting music in all its forms throughout school life, so that the two work in concert to give the children a rich experience of performance in all its forms.

Teaching

Pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 benefit from weekly Drama lessons taught by our Head of Drama. Units of work cover a range of acting skills, confidence-building exercises, devising, voice training and text-based work. When working from texts, students explore contemporary works, classic stories and Shakespeare. Each year group also stages their own Drama Showcase, performing to an audience of family and friends. Parts allocated in the showcases are equal and ensure all pupils have an opportunity to perform. 

Years 6, 7 and 8 continue their Drama work through staging full-scale productions, working as a company of actors. In Years 6 and 8, all students are able to take part in a year group musical, such as Aladdin Jr, School of Rock, Singin’ in the Rain Jr and Mary Poppins Jr under the direction of the Head of Drama. The aim of these musicals is to involve the whole year group and to create a strong ensemble performance. In Year 7, potential Drama scholars are invited to audition for a summer play. This enables them to explore more challenging material and to stage a production that is not a musical.

As well as performing on stage, the children are encouraged to help with devising and organising the set and prop design, to undertake costume making, to arrange musical accompaniment and to manage sound and lighting.

LAMDA

All pupils in Years 3-8 are able to register for solo, duo or group LAMDA lessons as an addition to the core curriculum. Pupils work towards LAMDA exams in these sessions and gain valuable skills.  Our LAMDA lessons are taught by an external coach.

Facilities

Farleigh is fortunate enough to have two drama spaces:

A purpose-built Theatre - well-equipped with tiered seating and professional lighting, sound and staging.

A new Studio rehearsal space - fitted with Harlequin studio flooring and floor to ceiling mirrors, especially designed for dance rehearsal and movement performance.

They are always thinking about transferrable skills at Farleigh and intertwined with drama there's a lot of focus on public speaking, debating and building confidence in the kids."
Muddy Stilettos