Welcome to Dance

The aim is to holistically develop students, contributing to their understanding of the physical, emotional, intellectual, aesthetic, social, moral, and spiritual dimensions of the human experience. To develop creative and critical thinkers; supporting students to discover the world at large and all that is around them. Helping to shape and make meanings of their lives, culture and identity.

Implementation Key Principles:

• Performance - an exploration of various dance styles/genres. Students learn about the importance in being versatile, adaptable and highly skilled. This focuses on the performance knowledge and skills: technical, expressive, mental and physical skills; safe working practices.
• Choreography - is the art of making dances, the gathering and organisation of movement into order and pattern. This involves the ability to construct dance actions, in response to a chosen idea(s)/meaning(s)and theme(s). This must be clear to the observer/audience, effectively communicating the dance/artistic intention. These skills focus on choreographic processes and devices; motifs and developments; aural setting and performance environments; structures and form.
• Appreciation – the ability to appreciate dance styles, developments, and processes; using critical appreciation skills. Students learn to celebrate artistic creations; reflect to help with improvements for future choreography/performance. The meaning of performance terms-e.g Focus, projection, flexibility; The meaning of choreography terms-e.g canon, unison, motif, action, space, dynamics, relationships, sound (found/music). This focuses on the impact they have on the audience.
• Content is rich, relevant and reflective of the diverse world in which we live.
• Learning is sequenced to enable young people to develop knowledge and skills.
• Literacy is explicitly delivered across the curriculum.
• Learning is adapted to support the specific needs of individuals.
• A sustainable approach is supported through the curriculum.
• Resilience is promoted for students by frequent (low stakes) assessment to inform teaching.

In classrooms, this may look like:

• Performances of professional repertoire/phrase material choreographed by students.
• Students developing their physical and technical dance skills.
• Practical task-based exercises.
• Independent practices focusing on rehearsal and refinement skills.
• Exploration of stimuli -looking at various ways to generate choreographic ideas.
• Critical appreciation of peer work and feedback.
• Exploration of professional performance works analysing practitioners influences and creative processes and skills (across genres).
• Dance History - A deepened understanding of professional influences and contributions to dance practices.
• Carefully planned shared schema, developed by experts and tailored by teachers to meet the needs of teaching groups
• DO NOW tasks drawing on prior learning
• Signature strategies used for Checking Understanding, such as Show Call, Show Me, Intentional Monitoring
• Shared literacy and reading strategies in place, such as Inside Outside Beyond and whole class reading work
• Precise pedagogical decisions made for students with additional needs (EHCP, SEND K, PSP, Behavioural, PA) including additional adults, alternative resources or outcomes, seating arrangements, precise deployment of signature strategies
• Teaching which alters according to student understanding demonstrated both from assessment points and within lessons.

In work produced, this may look like:

• Performing: solo or ensemble performances using physical, technical, expressive, and mental skills.
• Choreography: creating creative phrases/use of development and manipulation - choreographic devices.
• Critical Appreciation: Do Now tasks, peer feedback, teacher feedback, written analysis and evaluations of professional performance works and student works.
• Regular feedback, which addresses knowledge or skills gaps
• Opportunities for conscious practise by students (reteach episodes, ‘fix-it’ sessions, revision)
• Opportunities for self and peer assessment, engaging with success criteria
• As relevant to Key Stage, opportunities to engage with exam-style content
• Home learning will promote digital literacy in line with school strategy.

For students, this experience may include:

• Practical workshops led by professional practitioners and dance teaching staff
• Recorded performances in the classroom
• Live performance opportunities in the classroom
• Live performance opportunities outside the classroom
• Consistent staffing in lessons with teachers who know them and similar learning journeys across year groups
• Regular opportunities to engage with feedback on progress (parents’ evenings, progress grades, reports, assessment feedback, in-class feedback, marking)
• A clear sense of the curriculum journey leading to CEIAG – how can you pursue this field of study? What might it lead you to?
• Where students are taught by professionals at the start of their career, they can expect additional adults in classes supporting through a range of strategies (live coaching, learning walks, observations, team teaching).

In evaluating the impact of our curriculum, we will consider:

• Outcomes data, such as A level and BTEC Results, GCSE results, Additional qualifications (sports leaders, community languages, Entry level qualifications) and the performance of vulnerable groups within that data
• Destinations data at common points of transition from the school (Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5)
• Internal and external Quality Assurance processes (Ark review processes, governor accountability processes, internal audit processes, Ofsted)
• The development of professionals into experts in their field through their work in supporting colleagues, supporting other schools, developing curriculum resource, becoming examiners etc.

All Year 7 subjects Next Year 7 Subject - Design and Technology

All Year 8 subjects Next Year 8 Subject - Design and Technology

All Year 10 subjects Next Year 10 Subject - Drama

All Year 11 subjects Next Year 11 Subject - Drama