Drama

At Olveston CEVC primary School, we believe that drama and performance are vital components of a well-rounded education, fostering creativity, confidence, and collaboration among our pupils. At the bottom of this page you can find a selection of images from the incredible events.

Why do we invest so heavily in drama at Olveston?

We believe that drama provides opportunity to:

• Foster Creativity and Expression: We aim to provide our pupils with diverse opportunities to express themselves creatively through a variety of dramatic arts, including acting, storytelling, and musical performance.
• Enhance Communication Skills: Drama serves as a powerful tool for enhancing verbal and non-verbal communication skills, enabling pupils to articulate their ideas, emotions, and responses effectively.
• Promote Emotional Intelligence: Through role-play and character exploration, we seek to cultivate emotional intelligence by encouraging pupils to understand and empathise with different perspectives.
• Encourage Teamwork and Connection: Our drama and performance offer is designed to foster a strong sense of teamwork, helping pupils to learn how to work collaboratively and value the contributions of their peers. Creating a sense of belonging and connection.
• Developing self-esteem: We recognise that children can excel in many different ways, performing on a stage can be a life changing event.

What do we do for drama and performance at Olveston?

As a school we work with our Drama specialist, Mr Jeremy Bonney, who provides weekly lessons that build to create truly magical experiences for our children.

Throughout the academic year we put on a number of big performances:

• Our KS1 Nativity
• Year 3 – The Toy Shop
• Year 5 – Evacuees
• Year 6 – The end of year performance
• Whole School Proms
• KS2 – Young Voices

What is the impact of our performance approach?

• Enhanced Skills and Confidence: Pupils demonstrate improved communication, creativity, and critical thinking skills, as evidenced in their performances, peer feedback, and self-reflections.
• Increased Participation: We observe a high level of participation in drama-related activities, both in the classroom and in extracurricular settings, indicating a strong enthusiasm and recognition of the value of drama.
• Improved Academic Performance: The skills developed through drama positively influence pupils’ literacy and oracy outcomes.
• Emotional and Social Development: Pupils show heightened resilience, empathy, and social skills, contributing to an inclusive and supportive school environment where students feel safe to express themselves.
• Positive Feedback from Stakeholders: Feedback from parents, pupils and teacher highlight the transformative effect of our approach, noting increased confidence in pupils and a shared sense of pride in their achievements.

We are really proud of our drama and performance approach and feel it is a cornerstone of our wider personal development. Not many schools can put on a show the way we do at Olveston!