Performing Arts

The Dance curriculum at Winchmore School is designed to challenge and inspire skills in performance and choreography and every student is encouraged to realise their own physical and creative potential. Dance appreciation underpins our studies of professional dance practitioners and professional dance works to analyse, describe and evaluate dance. We are committed to developing literacy skills for all of our diverse learners.  The dance curriculum studies a variety of professional works as stimuli, and these works offer cultural influences and include the study of a range of dance styles such as contemporary, hip-hop, musical theatre, capoeira and inclusive dance practice. This ensures maximal opportunity to nurture versatile performers, thinking dancers and creative choreographers; building confidence, teamwork and self management. Beyond the curriculum, students are given the opportunity to perform at school, borough and national events, attend trips to watch professional dance performances and theatre trips and participate in specialist workshops.

 

KEY STAGE 4 & 5 

GCSE Dance

Examination board - AQA

In year 10 and 11, we run the AQA GCSE dance course. This is an option and students are able to choose this subject in preparation for KS4. Across the two years, students will study six professional dance works, develop a well-disciplined technique, choreography skills and extend their movement vocabulary to create original and creative pieces of dance work and finally, they will develop their understanding of key dance terminology and written skills when answering dance based essay questions. Students will be provided with the opportunity to take trips to watch professional works and to keep up to date with the ever changing dance industry. We also offer workshops where professionals from the industry visit the school.

 

 

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES DANCE

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES 

 

Head of Drama: Mrs N Kafouris
email: nikki.kafouris@winchmore.enfield.sch.uk
tel: 0208 360 7773 Ext 412

Studying Drama, in our diverse school community, allows pupils to develop their self-confidence through practical interaction with others. Through collaboration, problem-solving and creativity, students will learn the skills needed to become a positive and effective member of the modern world. The Drama department has a rich curriculum and is designed to support all students to unlock their creative potential and success. We aim to use drama at Winchmore to teach students about the rich history of theatre as well as developing performance skills and unlocking transferable skills.  Literacy skills are at the centre of the drama curriculum, and these are actively applied and developed through the use of oracy, use of specialist terminology analysis of scripts/texts and critical and thinking skills. The cultural capital opportunities in Drama helps us to make sense of the world around us and tries to answer life’s most important questions.  We have a rich extracurricular program which includes drama clubs both after school and at lunchtime, opportunities to see live professional shows including many opportunities for students to perform and a whole school musical on an annual basis.

Students have the opportunity to use the studios on a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday lunchtime to rehearse. This could be for performances that they are working on as part of the curriculum or extra-curricular. 

Throughout the year there are opportunities for students to showcase their work to audiences.  We are always keen for students to suggest drama that they would like to rehearse and present to an audience.

 

KS3 DRAMA

GCSE DRAMA

A LEVEL DRAMA

At Winchmore School, our Music Department is dedicated to nurturing students’ musical abilities while providing a diverse, inclusive, and stimulating curriculum. We believe that music education is essential in developing students' confidence, creativity, and cultural awareness. Our curriculum is designed to challenge and support all of our students to ensure they achieve the best possible outcomes, not only in academic success but also in life skills and cultural capital. From Key Stage 3 through to Key Stage 5, students are exposed to a range of musical styles, experience core skills in performing, composing, and appraising, and have access to specialized music technology to enhance their learning. For a more detail about Music at Winchmore School please read our Music Development Plan.

  We are committed to providing an inclusive music experience, offering instrumental lessons to all students. These peripatetic lessons, provided through Enfield Music Service (EMS), are open to everyone and can be booked at the end of each term. For students who meet specific criteria, such as being Looked After, eligible for pupil premium or free school meals, or having special educational needs or an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP), the cost of lessons is covered by the school. This support ensures that every student has the opportunity to develop their musical talents. For more information and to register, please visit the Enfield Music Service website.  

Our Music Mark Award

Winchmore School proudly holds the Music Mark Award, a recognition of our commitment to high-quality music education for all students. This award reflects our dedication to nurturing young musicians and providing a vibrant, inclusive music curriculum that allows students of all abilities to explore their musical potential. At Winchmore, music is a cornerstone of our creative and academic environment, offering students not only technical skills but also fostering qualities like resilience, collaboration, and self-expression.

As a Music Mark school, we actively engage students in diverse musical experiences, from practical lessons and ensemble performances to workshops and live performances. Our curriculum is designed to inspire, with opportunities for students to explore various genres, instruments, and styles. We also aim to provide pathways for students to pursue music at higher levels, whether through formal qualifications or personal projects that celebrate their unique talents.

The Music Mark Award is a testament to our staff’s dedication and the strong support from parents and the wider school community. We are deeply committed to ensuring that every student has access to enriching musical experiences, both within the classroom and through extracurricular opportunities. With this recognition, Winchmore School continues to champion music as an essential part of education, where every student can discover, grow, and shine through music.

To support our students' learning, we recommend a variety of online resources and apps that can help them develop their musical skills beyond the classroom. Here are some useful links and apps:

• BandLab: A free, online digital audio workstation where students can create, record, and share their own music.
• Focus on Sound: An interactive music learning platform to support understanding of music theory and aural skills for GCSE music students.
• Piano Keyboard Guide: A comprehensive resource for piano students, covering keyboard fundamentals.
• MuseScore: A popular notation software where students can access, create, and share musical scores. Winchmore School provides a premium MuseScore account for students, giving them access to a wide range of high-quality scores to support their learning.  
• Practice Material Dropbox: A collection of curated practice materials by our instrumental teachers, offering additional support and resources to help students refine their skills. 
• Instrument Lesson Timetable:  Stay informed on scheduled lesson times to ensure consistent attendance. If you sign up for instrumental lessons, this timetable will be sent to you automatically.  

We also recommend the following apps, available for Android and Apple devices:

• GarageBand: A powerful, free app for music creation, useful for composing, recording, and editing.
• Noise App: Ideal for sound exploration, sampling, and creating unique music textures.
• Time Trainer Metronome: A metronome app that helps students with timing and rhythm.
• Yousician: An interactive app for learning guitar, piano, bass, and ukulele through guided lessons.
•  
• Simply Guitar: A beginner-friendly app with step-by-step guitar lessons.
• Simply Piano: An app designed for beginners to learn piano fundamentals.
• Simply Sing: An app for vocal practice that helps students improve their singing skills through fun, interactive exercises.
• Simply Tune: A straightforward tuner app designed to help students quickly and accurately tune their instruments.

These resources and apps provide valuable tools for students to practice, compose, and refine their skills independently, empowering them to take charge of their musical journey.

 

KS3 & KS4 

MUSIC STUDIO

MUSIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN

 

Head of Department: Ms Dives
email: robyn.dives@winchmore.enfield.sch.uk
tel: 0208 360 7773 Ext

Subject lead of PE: Mr Pattrick

email: thomas.pattrick@winchmore.enfield.sch.uk 

The Physical Education curriculum is designed to challenge and support all of our diverse learners at Winchmore school to develop competence through a wide range of sports and physical activity; developing physical skills and mental capacity, teamwork and evaluation. We are committed to our students ‘learning to move’ and ‘moving to learn’ to achieve the best possible outcomes for all. Our subject implements literacy  through the development of speaking and listening, use of specialist terminology, comprehension of rules and techniques and evaluation of their own and others' performance. We offer a number of extra-curricular activities in invasion games, net and wall, striking and fielding and aesthetics which consolidate and extend their skills in the core curriculum. Beyond the curriculum,  to enrich students’ cultural capital, they are given opportunities to attend trips to watch professional and elite sporting events, compete in local and borough competitions whilst encouraging students to take responsibility for their own health and fitness wellbeing.

KEYSTAGE 3, 4 & 5

Lessons learned in sport can almost always be applied to life in general.

Darwin semotiuk

Being part of a club or team cultivates the essential human emotion of belonging and therefore gives students and staff the confidence to succeed in other areas as well as within a competitive situation.  At Winchmore, students are encouraged to pursue interests outside of school within the community through our various club links and the contribution of our school sport partnership.

We celebrate the success of students and are always inspired by their imagination, personal success and individual excellence.

 

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES 

We offer many extra-curricular clubs throughout the year and will be updating this section for the start of each term

We offer peripatetic (instrumental) lessons through Enfield Music Service (EMS). These private lessons are paid for in advance and take place during the school day on a rotation to avoid too much disruption to normal lessons. Lessons are 20 or 30 minutes long and can be for pairs or individuals. Pupils who are eligible for Free School Meals, or who are Looked-After or Adopted can have their cost of lessons subsidised by the school. For more information and to sign up, please visit https://traded.enfield.gov.uk/musicstore

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES