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Creative & Performing Arts

The creative and performing arts faculty is an exciting and vibrant area of school with events, fixtures and performances throughout the year. The Art, Drama, Music and PE departments combine to provide a wealth of opportunities reaching from Basketball and Badminton to Gospel Choir, Drama club and Cheer-leading.


Every child is welcomed in to the Creative and Performing Arts faculty regardless of their experience or ability. A wide range of concert performances, musicals, sporting fixtures and informal events take place continuously throughout the year giving every child the chance to take part and reach their potential.

The Drama Department

Drama is taught to all Key Stage 3 students for 1 lesson per week. Students take part in lessons which develop their understanding of how to shape practical Drama using a wide variety of techniques and resources. Topics studied range from Physical Theatre and popular culture to real issues such as teenage crime and drug abuse. Drama at Key Stage 4 is an optional subject. The course is run in three parts:
- In part one of the course pupils use Drama to express feelings and ideas about a range of issues
- In part two of the course students look at a play to see how a playwright expresses their feelings about a theme or topic and they act out parts of the script.
- The final part of the course involves the performance of a script or a devised performance.

Students perform regularly as a part of their programme of study. However, Directing and Technical skills such as stage management, lighting and set design are also actively encouraged.

The Department is committed to Drama remaining an inclusive subject, with strong cross-curricular links.  We work closely with the Music Department, and have strong links with PSHCE and English Departments.
The central aim of drama is to enable students to look closely at the human condition, and the world around us, with all its contradictions and tensions.  This is approached through the protective field of drama.

Recent and up and coming performances

  • Christmas Concert 2006 - a fantastic evening giving a new look at the traditional Christmas story.
  • 'The day the world changed' - A performance by the year 10 GCSE drama group exploring the issues
  • 'So you thing you’re a star ' - A talent showcase entirely organised and hosted by the year 10 BTEC Performing Arts Group
  • Little Shop of Horrors - The Immanuel interpretation of the well known and loved musical
  • Summer Cabare - Another opportunity to see the range of talents within school



The Music Department

The Music Department is a busy and active hub within the school with a wide and varied range of activates and participants. The department caters to all tastes ranging from Gospel singing to Rock, from Jazz to African drumming and with everything else in between. Pupils from all year groups regularly take part in the activates on offer, performing both in and out of school to large and varied audiences.
Lessons take a practical 'hands-on' approach with topics including Song Writing, Caribbean Music, Rap and Popular styles, European Classical traditions and African and Asian traditional music. Pupils are engaged through a wide range of compositional and performance based activates which encourages them to look in detail at the different styles and cultures found in the Arts and the emphasis is placed on enjoyment and participation regardless o experience and ability. Visiting artists and performers are also used to further supplement this learning through both performances and workshops offered to the pupils.

Instrumental and vocal tuition is offered to all pupils (for a subsidised rate) in all the main areas. These include Woodwind, String, and Brass instruments as well as drum kit, keyboard, electric and bass guitar and vocal lessons.

The extra-curricular life of the department (and indeed the faculty) is what sets it aside within the school. More than 150 pupils take part weekly in the range of activities offered out of lesson times. Activities offered by the music department currently include Gospel Choir, Music Theory tuition, Elastic Band (Beginner orchestra), Jazz Band, Samba Band(Latin American carnival music) and Djembe Ensemble (African Drumming).

The music department is a welcoming community and the atmosphere is one of support and development. All are welcomed and helped to reach their potential in which every area they seek to succeed.