Extra-curricular
Extra curricular opportunities rival those of the private sector and are second to none within normal secondary education. We offer a great mix of student led and staff led projects ensuring that hundreds of children have an opportunity to get involved. We are also really pleased to see students from across the school taking part, and not just our Drama students. In addition to the annual productions below we also seek to provide opportunities for our students to get involved in a wide variety of projects and since 2023 our pupils have attended workshops run by The Marlowe Theatre, National Youth Theatre, CONNECTIONS, Geko Theatre, Half-a-String, NEW VIEWS, and Kent Youth Ambassador, Josephine Buchan BEM.
HOUSE DRAMA (KS3-5)
A popular intercollege competition where each house creates an original play based on a simple title or theme. Points are awarded for various aspects including involving participants from every year group. Our Sixth Form students often take on the role of writers, producers and directors and students work independently to create some really entertaining plays.
SCHOOL PRODUCTION (KS3-5)
We work alongside the Music Department to produce a whole school musical every year. In recent years our students have performed classics such as ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and more contemporary shows such as ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and ‘Chicago’. The productions are so popular that multiple ensembles are used to ensure as many students as possible have an opportunity to take part.
KS3 DRAMA CLUB (KS3)
On Friday Lunchtime we run a Key Stage 3 drama club. This provides our students with a more relaxed setting to explore practical drama and develop their confidence outside the classroom.
NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE (KS4-5)
Starting in 2023 we now offer our students the chance to audition for the prestigious National Youth Theatre. We run a series of workshops and a pre-audition process to provide our students with the best possible chance of breaking-in to what is considered the most demanding and rewarding theatre programme in the country (if not the world). We are very proud that since taking part in this programme six of our students have been selected to take part in the National Youth Theatre and we look to build on that success over the years to come.
CONNECTIONS (KS4-5)
Since 2023 we have been taking part in the National Theatre's CONNECTIONS programme. This programme is only open to young people aged 13-19. All three productions to date (Kiss, Marry, Push off Cliff / Brain Play / Sycamore Gap) have been performed at the school and transfered to the Gulbenkian Theatre, with Brain Play being selected to feature at the National Theatre in London as part of the CONNECTIONS festival.
NEW VIEWS (KS5)
In 2025 we took part in the National Theatre's NEW VIEWS festival for the first time. This programme is an opportunity for up to 12 students to work with a professional playwright to produce their own plays. In 2026 one of our Y12 students, Enya Allinson, had her play 'A Trial on Gentle Hands' featured at the festival as one of only six plays selected nationally.
We also have an Elite Drama Group, HOUSELIGHTS which is open to our older students or those who exhibit real talent early on. To find out more please take a look at the HOUSELIGHTS page.
SHAKESPEARE FOR SCHOOLS (KS3-5)
Up until 2024 students from Year 7 to Year 13 took part in the popular Shakespeare for Schools program in conjunction with our English department. This interesting take on Shakespearean classics provides our students with an opportunity to get involved with Shakespeare in a practical way and to perform on a professional stage.