The purpose of all art is to explore the meaning and purpose of existence and in the Arts we find new ways of understanding the world, ourselves and our own place within it. To engage in the Arts requires a willingness to let go of ourselves, our preconceptions and our reservations, and be carried along by a spirit of creativity and imagination. It also requires self-discipline and hard work. The main expressions of artistic endeavour at Reading Blue Coat are music, drama, public speaking, painting and sculpture. Pupils’ endeavours in the Arts are highly successful and widely acclaimed, including internationally. We welcome the support of parents and friends at all of our concerts, recitals, debates and exhibitions.
Atop our curricular and co-curricular provision, we are also pleased to offer LAMDA:
The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is one of the UK’s oldest drama schools and has been offering practical examinations in communication and performance subjects for more than 130 years. Reading Blue Coat is proud to be able to offer LAMDA lessons as an opportunity for our students to further develop confidence in a safe, encouraging and fun environment, whilst working towards vital personal skills, such as developing a clear and expressive voice, a strong physical presence and creative performance.
LAMDA exams may be used as a ‘Skill’ towards the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme and are nationally recognised qualifications of excellence in communication and performance. They greatly enhance a student’s profile when applying for work and higher education. Grades 6-8 (the equivalent of AS Level and above), qualify for additional UCAS points and many companies and universities value the LAMDA qualifications highly.
LAMDA lessons are available in a variety of disciplines, including public speaking, acting, verse and prose, reading for performance, and even mime. Pupils are offered one 35-minute lesson per week, conducted during the school day, and the lesson times are rotated weekly, to avoid continually missing the same lesson period. Blue Coat is a recognised Private Examination Centre, which is of great advantage to the students, who appreciate the opportunity to rehearse and perform in familiar surroundings.
The Drama & Dance Department at Reading Blue Coat fosters and celebrates the gifts and talents of all students. It aspires to provide inspiring and effective access to Drama & Dance across the curricular and co-curricular provision.
CURRICULAR DRAMA All pupils participate in formal academic Drama lessons in the Lower School and have the option of Drama in Year 9 as a one-year pre-GCSE course. As part of the GCSE & A-Level Drama curriculum, the department offers both acting and technical/theatre design pathways to ensure all students can reach their potential within the GCSE & A-Level courses.
Students in Year 7 & 8 are currently being taught one lesson a week of Drama. The focus here is on the introduction of key drama terms and the foundation of theatre history. At Year 9, students will explore genres and plays as a foundation to GCSE Drama, as well as developing key skills in both stage lighting and sound.
Years 10 and 11 will receive four periods of teaching per week as part of their GCSE as they follow the Eduqas specification. As part of the course, students learn about key practitioners such as Bertolt Brecht, Constantin Stanislavski and Augusto Boal. Students explore plays as a director, actor or designer and they learn to reinterpret work to create their own devised performances. Year 12 and Year 13 Drama candidates will be following the Eduqas specification at A Level.
Extending student learning and engagement comes by enabling educational visits as regularly as possible. This is partially achieved through Theatre Maker Days. Students visit a range of theatre and performance venues in order to see different genres, styles and companies. London and Oxford are visited during the academic year as well as smaller local venues such as The Mill in Sonning.
Dance is being introduced into the curriculum from September 2023, with the appointment of the new Head of Dance.
CO-CURRICULAR DRAMA Here at Blue Coat, we aim to stage three annual productions. A larger Drama production is directed in the Autumn Term. The production is aimed at giving students an opportunity to perform at the best standard whilst exploring a wide variety of dramatic literature.
In the Spring term there is a large school musical which encourages mass participation across the Middle and Senior Schools. Past musicals include Les Misérables, Our House, Billy Elliot and Footloose.
A significant Lower School Production starts rehearsals in the Spring Term and has been performed outdoors in the Summer Term. The cast is made up of students from year 7 and 8.
TECHNICAL THEATRE CO-CURRICULAR Every production at Blue Coat is supported by a student crew. The crew build skills in lighting, sound and set design. They are mentored by our Theatre Technical Director. The highest standards in Health and Safety are adhered to when working with young people in the performances spaces of Way Hall and the Drama Studio.
There are currently three specialist teachers in the department, one whom is the Director of Drama, and the other two being a Drama and English teachers as well as Deputy Head of Co-Curricular. We are also supported by an additional Drama teacher who teaches in the Lower School. Technical Theatre training is currently delivered by the Theatre Technical Manager.
DANCE Dance will have a prime focus in the co-curricular realm of the school, with weekly lessons, in a variety of styles being offered. Further details of these styles and lessons will be announced in September when the new Head of Dance joins RBC.
House Drama is a fiercely competitive co-curricular event in the autumn term, completely led by students. In September and October, our Senior School students take on the roles of playwright, director and actor to produce a 30-minute play based on a set theme or genre. House Drama competitions in years gone by have included farce, Shakespeare’s tragedies, pantomime and soap opera.
STUDENT INTERVIEW “Hi, I’m Frances and I’m a Year 13 Drama student at Reading Blue Coat. Over the last two years, my time in the Drama department has been incredible, helping me grow out of my shell and become a better, brighter person. All the Drama teachers are kind, helpful and enthusiastic and the extra resources from the school are amazing. The Drama Studio is well equipped, and the school has fantastic sound and lighting support to really bring our Drama to life. All these things continue to enable me to reach new heights as a young actor and director, and I have been stretched and challenged to create drama performances greater than I ever could have hoped for. As a class, we have been able to visit the West End and many other theatres as part of our course, which has been a real treat for us to all enjoy! With regards to co-curricular Drama, the Drama department is also amazing at getting all kinds of students involved in the frequent productions; our most recent musical ‘Footloose’ was great fun to be part of (and a great success).
MR CHRIS BOND – Theatre Technical Manager “I love teaching theatre design. Seeing students develop their interest and understanding of design, encouraging them to create complex sound effects and dramatic, atmospheric lighting, which both enhances and supports the production, is extremely fulfilling as a teacher.”
MR JOSHUA STONE – Teacher of Drama & English “For me, Drama is the most successful subject at helping students understand and navigate the world around them; the study of different genres, performance styles, playwrights, practitioners and theatre-makers encourages students to deconstruct society’s varying cultural, political and social structures. Consequently, Drama invites students to develop a sensitivity to the way these structures affect the relationships between individuals and groups of people so much so they learn a completely new non-verbal language.”
MISS AMY THOMAS – Teacher of Maths & Drama:
“I personally love teaching Drama because it encourages students to learn more about who they are as a person and through creative engagement, they further learn about others and the world around them.”
Music thrives at Reading Blue Coat.
Its young musicians and many of the staff are involved in numerous performances throughout the year, including the Grand Concert, a number of chamber concerts and recitals, a Jazz Cabaret, the Swing into Summertime outdoor concert, music festivals and an annual musical theatre production.
Past musicals have included Footloose The Musical,Billy Elliot, Little Shop of Horrors, Anything Goes, Oliver!, Evita, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, and Grease. More than a third of pupils learn instruments, and many of these pupils take part in our co-curricular programme.
There are many ensembles for pupils to join: a 60-strong choir, Chamber and Treble choirs, Barbershop group, Concert Band, String Ensemble, Saxophone Group, Guitar Ensemble, Swing Band, Wind Band, Piano Trio, Brass Ensemble, Senior Brass Group and many rock and pop groups. Our visiting instrumental staff provide tuition on a wide range of orchestral instruments plus piano, organ, voice, guitar (classical, electric and bass) and drums, and pupils are regularly entered for Associated Board Exams.
Restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic have not stopped play! During the Spring Term of 2021, we were able to hold our Biennial Music Festival, which saw more than 150 performances from well over 100 pupils from across the School. The finale, which was streamed live on Monday 29 March 2021, is available to watch here.
The art of public speaking and debating is a real strength at Blue Coat; we have developed a strong internal structure to foster interest and commitment from the students. Blue Coat regards the ability to speak in public as a vital skill, as a result, students take part in a course during their Activities programme in Year 7 and 8.
For those wanting to hone their skills further, a team of staff run an after-school weekly club at Junior, Middle School and Senior level. Boys and girls present public speaking evenings for parents and compère the many concerts that are held throughout the year. There are House competitions in both debating and public speaking and House Just a Minute which are fiercely contested.
In addition, weekend training sessions are given to those chosen to represent Blue Coat in external competitions, such as the Woodley Festival and Rotary Youth Speaks, and we are proud to have been national Rotary champions. Middle School pupils are involved in English-Speaking Union Competitions; and the Seniors do all of this plus annual international competitions, travelling to compete in America and Canada annually.
Model United Nations (MUN) is an educational simulation of the real United Nations Conference, teaching pupils about international relations and diplomacy. At a typical MUN conference, pupils represent countries, organisations and people, and must work together to solve simulated versions of real-world problems.
MUN stretches and challenges pupils abilities to research, speak publicly, debate and work in team and leadership roles. At the end of a conference, for which pupils will have researched and prepared their respective arguments, delegates will vote on the solutions to real-world problems, presented to them by their fellow student-delegates. The conferences also offer excellent social opportunities to meet like-minded students from across the country and indeed internationally.
MUN is open to pupils throughout the School, and recommended for all!
