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Inspection report 2010
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English and Drama
English and Drama are delivered together in a single department at The Upper, and – together – these subjects occupy a central position in the school’s curriculum. All members of the department are specialists in both English and Drama and all staff contribute passionately towards delivery of their subjects both within and beyond the curriculum. The department offers an enviably wide range of opportunities to all pupils at The Upper and every member of the school will come into contact with our activities at some point in their time with us: for many this will have life-changing consequences.
The department today inherits the celebrated Perse ‘Play Way’ tradition of teaching English and Drama, which nurtured such eminent figures as the seminal critic F.R. Leavis and the influential director Sir Peter Hall. At the same time, we are keen to address the exciting contemporary challenges of our subjects, setting out to introduce all our pupils to the many facets of English and Drama today, enthusing them about reading, writing, speaking and listening, drama, literary appreciation and response, and the opportunities of the post-digital age. We aim to enable all members of the school to flourish academically in our subjects, inspiring them to degree level and beyond whilst experiencing some of the cultural riches of language, literature and the theatre.
Beyond the curriculum, the department organises a wide range of activities in which all Upper pupils can participate, including an extensive programme of in-house drama productions, debating and public speaking events, trips to the theatre and other cultural events, clubs, societies and competitions. We were delighted to welcome the Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy to address a recent meeting of our Literary Society. Each year we take one of our in-house Drama productions on tour to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Sixth Formers studying A level English Literature are able to join our literary excursions in October half-term to New York and Dublin (in alternate years). As part of the school’s Enrichment programme, members of the department run options in Performing Arts and in Journalism.
