The children get regular opportunities to demonstrate their flair and skills in presenting their ideas and plays through drama. This is partly through role play scenarios, drama used within the English curriculum and also through the staging of larger plays. All Year 1 pupils take part in a staging of the nativity at a local church each year. Year 2 pupils deliver a nativity musical each year and Years 4 and 6 also each produce a musical performance for parents at the end of the year. Recent performances have included The Wizard of Oz (Year 4), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Year 4), Bugsy Malone (Year 6).

We also try to extend the theatrical experiences of the children by both bringing in theatrical groups into the school and by taking the children to local and national theatres to see shows.

Children at our school are all involved in dance within the  PE curriculum (please see the PE section for more details about these units of work). All year groups work on a unit of dance per year.  In Key Stage One (Years 1 and 2) classes work on at least two units of dance per year.

Royal Ballet Primary Steps
Since 2007 we have been working with the Royal Ballet School as part of their Primary Steps Programme to spot gifted children who may have the potential to excel at ballet and to allow children who would not normally access ballet training to be given the opportunity.

This has involved the Year 3 staff being trained at the Royal Ballet in Floral Street, Covent Garden, on how to support the ballet teacher in identifying children with a talent in ballet. 

The Royal Ballet sends dance teachers to work with the Year 3 classes, who have a 1 ¼ hour lesson every week for 6 weeks during the Autumn term.  At the end of the block, the children perform to their parents to show them what they have learnt.  The ballet teachers select six to eight children who then go on for a further audition with other children in the area.  From this group, children are selected to receive free ballet tuition for two years.

Since the scheme began, we have had eighteen children who have received this tuition, and indeed three children from our school are now performing with the Royal Ballet in White Lodge.

Year 3 Royal Ballet first lesson of the year