Our curriculum is broad and balanced by looking at contrasting styles and genres. The curriculum has a focus on cross-curricular links to help students to explore other parts of the curriculum through dance and to embed learning from other subjects. The curriculum also looks at wider PSHE and how students can explore themes such as cultural differences, historical and political issues. Through their dance education, students will develop many transferable skills including: confidence, leadership, and the ability to self-manage and collaborate effectively with their peers. We aim to equip our students with the necessary skills and resilience to succeed in a career within the performing arts industry. Dance has a wide range of physical and mental health benefits for students including increased fitness levels, stronger bones and muscles and reduced stress levels. The benefit of dance is not only that of increased exercise, but the participation in an art form, which is routed in technique, and giving the opportunity for a creative outlet.
In Key Stage 3, the dance curriculum at Monkton Wood aims to provide a solid foundation for students’ understanding and abilities in dance. Students start with a baseline assessment to evaluate their prior knowledge and attainments. They learn key techniques, terms, and principles related to dance, such as health and safety, choreography, performance, and appreciation. Various dance styles and stimuli are introduced, including Bollywood, contemporary, ballet, and world dance. Students explore different choreographic devices, performance skills, and the significance of stage lighting. The curriculum is interdisciplinary, linking dance with subjects like PE, drama, art, PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education), English, geography, RPE (Religious, Philosophical, and Ethical Studies), music, DT (Design and Technology), textiles, history, and geography.
At Key Stage 4, students studying Dance currently follow the GCSE AQA Dance certificate.
The AQA GCSE Dance is a two-year course that allows students to develop as performers, choreographers and critical thinkers. The qualification combines practical dance skills with written analysis and is assessed through two components. Component 1: Performance and Choreography (60%) is the practical element, where students perform two set phrases and a duet or trio, and create their own choreography in response to a stimulus. Component 2: Dance Appreciation (40%) is assessed through a 1 hour 30 minute written exam, where students demonstrate their knowledge of choreography and performance skills, evaluate their own work, and analyse professional works from the GCSE Dance Anthology. Throughout the course, students develop creativity, technical ability, collaboration and confidence while gaining a deeper understanding of dance as an art form.
From September 2026
From September 2026, Key Stage 4 Dance will move to offering the Pearson BTEC Level 2 Certificate in Performing Arts as the sole qualification. This course continues to provide a practical and industry-inspired approach to learning, enabling students to develop performance skills, creativity, collaboration and confidence through coursework-based assessment and practical performance projects.
