Academic Drama

At a recent Forest Futures careers day we asked a group of high-powered business people to identify the skills they really wanted from school-leavers.

They came up with a list. Forest then looked at the school curriculum and found that arguably only one school subject (which was, at that time, missing from our academic curriculum) encompassed all the qualities on the list: communication skills, creative thinking, confidence, collaboration, self-control, discipline, problem-solving, tolerance, and empathy – all capabilities that are developed strongly in Drama.

We are very happy to announce that academic Drama has now been introduced from September for Year 7 to expose all pupils to the opportunities that already culminate for many, in wonderful school productions and through the ever popular House Drama.  Forest School’s Deputy Head Co-Curricular Gemma Van Praagh says “We want our pupils to leave school with a skills-set to maintain good mental health, maintain their physical wellbeing and to be creative, ambitious, well-rounded contributors to society.”

Creative subjects offer an opportunity for all children to develop their self-expression and confidence. But there are practical applications as well.  Music is already in the curriculum, but learning an instrument or learning lines for a play improves concentration, memory and most importantly for us, perseverance and resilience.  Sports and creative subjects deliver tangible evidence of the power of practice, collaboration and determination.