An English Teacher’s Love Letter to the Curriculum That Used to Exist
I remember when drama wasn’t something squeezed into an end-of-term production slot or a “practical enrichment” box on the timetable. It was part of English, right there in the Key Stage 3 curriculum, alongside metaphors, Macbeth, and the Year 8 class jumping off the ends of their desks as Icarus tested his wings. (Apologies to the Head whose office was below my classroom.)
Back then, teaching drama didn’t feel like teaching extra; it felt like teaching English in 3D. You could take a play, throw it into the room, and watch students discover meaning by doing it, not just annotating it. There was rhythm, risk, and a healthy amount of chaos. Someone was always over-acting. Hot-seating never worked, but we still tried.
The government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review came out and the findings make it clear: something vital has gone missing in English classrooms. The Review calls for subjects that are broader, more creative and more relevant to modern life - and if that isn’t a call for drama, I don’t know what is.
The statistics are sobering:
Only one in five English teachers find GCSE English enjoyable to teach.
Just one in twenty believe it fosters creativity.
And a mere seven per cent think it builds confidence in speaking and listening.
If the teachers are struggling - what hope is there for the students? "The Review therefore believes that a fundamental change to GCSE English Language is needed" - not before time.
We lost something when drama slipped quietly out of English. Not just the scripts and staging, but the empathy, collaboration and courage that come from stepping into someone else’s shoes. The ability to interpret language through voice, gesture and imagination isn’t an “extra”; it’s English itself, embodied.
But while drama belongs within English, it must also remain a legitimate subject in its own right at GCSE. Drama isn’t just a teaching method - it’s an art form. It deserves the same academic respect and rigour as Physics or French. Cutting it down to a few classroom performances or “speaking and listening” tasks does students a disservice. And no, taking Drama GCSE doesn’t automatically mean your child is destined for a life on stage, “But Alan isn’t going to be an actor, he’s going to get a proper job”. It means learning to work collaboratively, solve problems under pressure, and listen to what isn’t being said as much as to what is.
The government’s proposals talk about a “broad and balanced curriculum” and freeing up time for “enrichment and creative subjects.” If we take that seriously, then we need to stop treating creativity as an add-on and start recognising it as a core literacy - a way of thinking, analysing and communicating.
Bringing drama back into English at Key Stage 3 isn’t nostalgia; it’s necessity. But keeping Drama alive as a standalone subject at GCSE is just as vital. We need both: the drama of English, and the English of Drama - so students can write the essay and speak in front of an audience, with confidence in both.
Because if we want young people to love English again, we have to let them act like they do.
Curriculum and Assessment Review final report: Building a world-class curriculum for all
