The Performing Arts Department at Morton Academy comprises of both Music and Drama. The department provides students with a high-quality and inspiring education, that seeks to ignite curiosity, fascination, and a passion of the Performing Arts. Teaching strives to equip students with the knowledge and skills relating to a diverse and inclusive variety of genres, styles, practitioners and performers.

The Performing Arts Department has a wide offering of extra-curricular activities and clubs. Pupils have the opportunity to perform in the school choir, join an small orchestra or just come along for a play at music club. Similarly, drama club offers pupils a space to be creative and express themselves in a relaxed and supportive environment.  

Currently pupils at Morton Academy received one 100-minute lesson per fortnight and cover a total of five topics each year. Throughout KS3 pupils follow a varied and diverse curriculum that prepares them for study at KS4 and gives a wide variety of cultural experiences.

There are two Performing Arts based options offered at KS4 which are: Eduqas GCSE Music and Edexcel BTEC Level 2 Performing Arts.

The purpose of the Performing Arts curriculum is to:

• Enable all pupils to develop their performance potential through engaging experiences, recognising that music and drama as art is an important part of cultural identity.
• Promote that music and drama performance benefits both cognitive development and character development.
• Promote an understanding of world cultures and movements both historical and modern and the work of other actors and musicians.
• Encourage and prepare students for lifelong musical and theatrical learning and appreciation, both in and out of school, including preparation for further study if appropriate.
• Provide the opportunity and freedom for pupils to express themselves and develop their own ideas using a range of instruments and techniques.
• Enable pupils to master techniques and instruments that they may never have experienced before.
• Produce pupils who see enjoy going to theatres and concerts and can verbalise their understanding and appreciation of Performing Arts.

The development of Cultural Capital is at the heart of the Performing Arts department. Topics are carefully selected to ensure pupils experience a diverse and inclusive education, and introduce pupils to a variety of cultures, religions, and behaviours from the ever-changing world.

We regularly welcome guests and visitors to the department to share their story and inspires the pupils of Morton Academy to achieve their ambitions and dreams. Whilst trips to local productions, and theatres further afield, seek to broaden pupils’ experiences of the Performing Arts.

As a Performing Arts department the United Learning core values underpin all that we do. We strive to create pupils who are:

• Ambitious and want to achieve their best in every lesson. They show good focus and engagement in all lessons.
• Confident and can stand up in front of others and showcase their hard work and creativity. They have the confidence share thoughts and opinions in class.
• Creative and can create and develop ideas from an initial idea to final performance.
• Respectful and supportive of their peers, by encouraging and supporting those who perform and showcase their work.
• Enthusiastic by giving everything a go and tackling each challenge head on.
• Determined and don’t give up even when it they really want to. They achieve things they never thought they could through sheer determination.

Furthermore, we recognise and understand the importance of careers and guidance information. Explicit careers information and guidance is shared throughout the year at a variety of opportunities. We explore the abundant Performing Arts based job opportunities that pupils can access from an education in the Performing Arts. A large variety of topics include reference to and learning about real-life practitioners, as well as referencing where the skills and knowledge can be used outside of the classroom.

Miss Natalie Wilkinson – Subject Leader for Performing Arts

Miss Marilyn Cuthbert – Teacher of Drama

Miss Megan Smith – Teacher of Drama (Maternity Cover)