Key Stage 3

Students in Year 7 study Dance within one 50-minute timetabled lesson per week and in Year 8 the curriculum time is on rotation with Music. 

At Key Stage 3, we introduce students to a wide variety of performance and choreography-related skills through alternating foci each half term. In each new half- term, students build upon previous skills alongside learning new skills.  

Within Key Stage 3, students are taught how to perform set routines that highlight different dance styles, encouraging them to demonstrate physical, expressive and mental performance skills. They are encouraged to show commitment, concentration, confidence and use their memory to replicate set routines. Such skills are re-visited, developed and strengthened throughout Key Stage 4 in a solo and group setting. 

Within Key Stage 3, students are introduced to the skills needed to choreograph their own routines, predominantly in a small group setting. They will develop the knowledge needed to include important choreographic principles, in order to convey an intent. 

Students have the opportunity to learn about many different genres of dance, including: Commercial Dance, Street Dance, Bollywood, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, Rock and Roll and stimulus-based work to develop choreography. 

Home learning is carefully planned within the curriculum to provide students with an opportunity to practice, embed and apply the knowledge that they have been taught in lessons. 

Key Stage 4

Students may choose to study AQA GCSE Dance from Year 9 which is delivered over one double and one single lesson per week. 

Dance is a powerful and expressive subject and so encourages students to develop their creative, physical, emotional and intellectual capacity, whatever their previous experience in the subject. Students will study a range of dance styles allowing them to choose any style to perform and choreograph in, providing it meets the assessment criteria. 

The aim of GCSE Dance is to engage students, through the medium of dance, to develop as effective and independent learners and as critical and reflective thinkers. Students are encouraged to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding of a range of dance styles through the process of performances, creating and appreciating dance. Students develop technical, physical and expressive skills through which they are able to communicate choreographic intention and develop their individual qualities as performers.  

In Year 9, students start the GCSE Dance course. It is approached as a foundation year whereby students strengthen their learning and understanding of key performance skills and choreographic skills. By the end of the first term, students will have been assessed as a performer and within a duet/trio as a choreographer. Each proceeding half term will alternate between a performance and choreographic focus, working as soloists or duets or bigger ensembles.  Students build on the skills learnt at Key Stage 3 in order to start Year 10 with a clear understanding of how performances and choreography work are assessed.   

In Year 10, students are introduced to separate theory lessons, where they will spend 1 half term per professional dance work (6 works = 6 half terms). They will learn about and develop their knowledge of the production features and facts related to the dance works. In practical lessons, term 1 will support the theory lessons by practically introducing each professional dance work, with 2 weeks for each dance work. After Christmas, the solo set phrases are taught (1 per half term) and then after Easter, students spend the final term working in duet / trios to collaborate with staff to create and perform a duet / trio piece with a clear intention.   

In Year 11, students continue their separate theory lessons, and revisit the 6 professional dance works, learning in greater depth about movement content, choreographic skills and similarities and differences. Practical lessons see students working on their final choreography piece. All choreography skills learnt in Years 9 & 10 are embedded in this final piece of work. After Christmas, students then re-visit previous performance-based work and use formal feedback to strengthen their work.      

At Key Stage 4, home learning is important as it provides an opportunity for students to practice exam questions and consolidate their learning.   

Enrichment Opportunities

Students are offered several extra-curricular opportunities in order to further their dance experience, which includes: Key Stage 3 Dance club, Key Stage 4 open studios, Dance Ambassadors, showcase and production involvement.  

Assessment

Key stage 3  

Students are assessed every half term and will focus on either chorography and performance.  

Students are given planned time to improve on their work following feedback, however this may not always be in the next lesson, for example. Half term 1 focuses on performance, followed by half term 2 which is choreography-based. In half term 3, when students return to performance, they then use feedback from their previous performance module to improve their skills.  We pride ourselves on timely verbal feedback given immediately in lessons to address misconceptions and stretch students alongside more formal feedback sessions.   

Key stage 4  

Written examination: 40% of total marks 

The written paper focuses on critical analysis and perceptive understanding of professional dance works, as well as using dance terminology to reflect on and evaluate own performance and choreographic work. 

Practical Examination through controlled assessment: 60% of total marks 

The practical elements focus on choreography and performance. Candidates demonstrate their physical competence and effectiveness as a performer. They also have to choreograph their own work to demonstrate their ability to select appropriate action, dynamic, spatial and relationship content in response to a chosen stimulus.