Making a crisis out of a drama: the relationship between English and Drama within the English curriculum for ages 11–14

Abstract

This paper critiques a recent initiative arising from the British Government's National Literacy Strategy for secondary schools. The initiative focuses on Drama within the English curriculum for 11–14‐year‐olds (Key Stage 3). Taking issue with the imposition on Drama of the objectives‐led curriculum model of the Key Stage 3 Framework for teaching English, I examine whether the ‘focus on Drama’ during 2003/04 has led to a higher profile for Drama within English and facilitated curriculum collaboration between English and Drama teachers, as claimed. The article draws on evidence from a small‐scale research project involving student teachers of English and Drama on teaching practice in London schools. I conclude that the KS3 Framework model of curriculum development and training does not promote collaboration in English and Drama teaching that is genuinely creative, and I identify some approaches which could offer an alternative.

Notes

1. In an article for Research in Drama Education, Fleming et al. report on their research into the impact of the National Theatre's three‐year ‘Transformation’ drama project ‘on young pupils' reading, mathematics, attitude, self‐concept and creative writing in primary schools’ (Fleming et al., 2004, p. 177).

2. A useful example of a joint curriculum initiative can be found in Joe Winston's account of his work with primary school teachers to integrate Drama and English. These projects have produced positive effects on the children's writing, as observed by their class teachers, in such areas as motivation, ideas for and length of writing, originality, an enriched vocabulary, and a more precise sense of audience. He notes that whilst Drama will not teach children basic reading and writing skills or the rules of phonics, its ‘value lies in the exciting contexts it can provide to stimulate higher order skills of inferring meaning from text, of critically engaging with it and, where appropriate, of expressively articulating it’ (Winston, 2004, p. 28).