Subject · GCSE and A level

Drama

Which schools in England make Drama a big part of the curriculum, and where results are strongest. Entries and grades from the 2025 performance tables.

What the data says

Drama GCSE was taken in 2,526 schools in England in 2025, with 48,154 entries — about 7% of the Year 11 cohort.

Nationally 27% of entries achieved grade 7 or above. The tables below show the schools where the largest share of pupils take the subject, and where grades are highest (schools with at least 20 entries).

At Sylvia Young Theatre School (Westminster) 51% of the year group took Drama.

At A level, Drama was offered in 1,120 schools and colleges, with 5,243 entries — roughly 2% of A level students.

GCSE: schools where the largest share of pupils take Drama

Entries as a share of the Year 11 cohort (schools with at least 40 pupils in the year and 15 entries). England: 7% of pupils.

#	School	Local authority	Entries	Cohort	Share	Grades 7–9
1	Sylvia Young Theatre School	Westminster	41	81	51%	39%
2	Tring Park School for the Performing Arts	Hertfordshire	35	72	49%	69%
3	The Henrietta Barnett School	Barnet	48	104	46%	98%
4	North London Collegiate School	Harrow	49	109	45%	98%
5	King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls	Birmingham	66	148	45%	79%
6	St Edward's School	Gloucestershire	18	41	44%	39%
7	The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College	Hertfordshire	81	185	44%	47%
8	Elstree Screen Arts Academy	Hertfordshire	43	101	43%	16%
9	Thorpe House School	Buckinghamshire	17	42	40%	6%
10	Lichfield Cathedral School	Staffordshire	25	62	40%	36%
11	LeAF Studio	Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	31	78	40%	32%
12	King Edward VI High School for Girls	Birmingham	33	84	39%	91%
13	Woldingham School	Surrey	35	92	38%	60%
14	Sydenham & Dulwich Girls GDST	Lewisham	33	87	38%	36%
15	Streatham & Clapham High School GDST	Lambeth	42	111	38%	76%
16	The Peterborough School	Peterborough	17	45	38%	12%
17	Devonport High School for Girls	Plymouth	46	123	37%	83%
18	Manor House School	Surrey	17	46	37%	41%
19	Heathfield School	Bracknell Forest	16	44	36%	38%
20	Francis Holland School	Westminster	29	81	36%	86%
21	Queen's Gate School	Kensington and Chelsea	18	51	35%	56%
22	St James Senior Boys' School	Surrey	23	66	35%	13%
23	Eltham College	Bromley	46	132	35%	83%
24	Kew House	Hounslow	29	85	34%	21%
25	Bedford Greenacre Independent School	Bedford	22	66	33%	27%
26	Northampton High School GDST	West Northamptonshire	24	72	33%	50%
27	Sir William Borlase's Grammar School	Buckinghamshire	50	151	33%	74%
28	The Clere School	Hampshire	29	88	33%	3%
29	Queen's College, London	Westminster	21	64	33%	95%
30	Dame Allan's Schools	Newcastle upon Tyne	48	147	33%	42%
31	Nottingham Girls' High School GDST	Nottingham	26	80	33%	50%
32	Woodbridge School	Suffolk	23	72	32%	91%
33	Lancaster Girls' Grammar School	Lancashire	45	141	32%	76%
34	Bedford Free School	Bedford	31	98	32%	6%
35	Burgess Hill Girls	West Sussex	17	54	31%	47%
36	John Ruskin School	Westmorland and Furness	15	48	31%	0%
37	Chigwell School	Essex	34	109	31%	74%
38	Caister Academy	Norfolk	34	109	31%	21%
39	Manchester High School for Girls	Manchester	36	117	31%	94%
40	Sherborne School for Girls	Dorset	24	78	31%	50%

GCSE: schools with the highest share of grades 7–9

Schools with at least 20 entries. England: 27% of entries graded 7–9. High grades often reflect who is admitted (selective and independent schools) as much as teaching.

#	School	Local authority	Entries	Cohort	Share	Grades 7–9
1	Brighton College	Brighton and Hove	32	217	15%	100%
2	Channing School	Haringey	30	116	26%	100%
3	South Hampstead High School GDST	Camden	27	105	26%	100%
4	The Leys School	Cambridgeshire	21	95	22%	100%
5	North London Collegiate School	Harrow	49	109	45%	98%
6	The Henrietta Barnett School	Barnet	48	104	46%	98%
7	Hampton School	Richmond upon Thames	32	204	16%	97%
8	Putney High School GDST	Wandsworth	26	107	24%	96%
9	Queen's College, London	Westminster	21	64	33%	95%
10	Highgate School	Haringey	41	182	23%	95%
11	St Paul's School	Richmond upon Thames	20	201	10%	95%
12	University College School	Camden	39	183	21%	95%
13	Manchester High School for Girls	Manchester	36	117	31%	94%
14	Reigate Grammar School	Surrey	41	163	25%	93%
15	City of London School for Girls	City of London	27	100	27%	93%
16	Epsom College	Surrey	27	184	15%	93%
17	Chelmsford County High School for Girls	Essex	50	180	28%	92%
18	Chesterton Community College	Cambridgeshire	24	190	13%	92%
19	Royal Grammar School Worcester	Worcestershire	23	148	16%	91%
20	Woodbridge School	Suffolk	23	72	32%	91%
21	Surbiton High School	Kingston upon Thames	34	154	22%	91%
22	King Edward VI High School for Girls	Birmingham	33	84	39%	91%
23	St Albans High School for Girls	Hertfordshire	33	130	25%	91%
24	Charterhouse	Surrey	22	195	11%	91%
25	Westcliff High School for Girls	Southend-on-Sea	29	184	16%	90%
26	Newstead Wood School	Bromley	28	156	18%	89%
27	Beaconsfield High School	Buckinghamshire	28	179	16%	89%
28	Latymer Upper School and Latymer Prep	Hammersmith and Fulham	26	193	13%	88%
29	Forest School	Waltham Forest	25	151	17%	88%
30	Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School	Bexley	25	189	13%	88%
31	Heckmondwike Grammar School	Kirklees	41	206	20%	88%
32	Aldenham School	Hertfordshire	24	105	23%	88%
33	King's High School	Warwickshire	23	118	19%	87%
34	Bancroft's School	Redbridge	22	116	19%	86%
35	Francis Holland School	Westminster	29	81	36%	86%
36	Sevenoaks School	Kent	28	245	11%	86%
37	Haberdashers' Boys' School	Hertfordshire	21	156	13%	86%
38	The Harrodian School	Richmond upon Thames	20	96	21%	85%
39	St John's School	Surrey	20	131	15%	85%
40	The Tiffin Girls' School	Kingston upon Thames	33	176	19%	85%

A level: schools and colleges where the largest share of students take Drama

Entries as a share of A level students (at least 30 A level students and 10 entries). England: 2% of A level students.

#	School	Local authority	Entries	Cohort	Share
1	CAPA College	Wakefield	46	92	50%
2	Tring Park School for the Performing Arts	Hertfordshire	25	70	36%
3	Ormiston Rivers Academy	Essex	15	48	31%
4	Hurtwood House School	Surrey	42	159	26%
5	ArtsEd Day School & Sixth Form	Hounslow	13	53	25%
6	St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy	Northumberland	13	63	21%
7	Elstree Screen Arts Academy	Hertfordshire	15	76	20%
8	Archway School	Gloucestershire	12	62	19%
9	Wreake Valley Academy	Leicestershire	15	78	19%
10	St Edmund's School Canterbury	Kent	11	59	19%
11	Stratford Girls' Grammar School	Warwickshire	19	107	18%
12	The Hart School	Staffordshire	10	60	17%
13	Westholme School	Blackburn with Darwen	10	62	16%
14	St Marys Calne and St Margarets Prep	Wiltshire	10	63	16%
15	The King Alfred School	Somerset	11	74	15%
16	Eaton Bank Academy	Cheshire East	12	82	15%
17	The St Marylebone CofE School	Westminster	23	162	14%
18	The Blue School	Somerset	14	100	14%
19	Kingsbridge Academy	Devon	15	114	13%
20	The Belvedere Academy	Liverpool	14	114	12%
21	Collingwood College	Surrey	12	98	12%
22	Lytchett Minster School	Dorset	12	101	12%
23	Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School	Kent	18	152	12%
24	Truro School	Cornwall	10	86	12%
25	Bushey Meads School	Hertfordshire	14	122	11%
26	St Thomas More Catholic School	Haringey	11	98	11%
27	Dauntsey's School	Wiltshire	16	143	11%
28	Guildford High School	Surrey	10	90	11%
29	Worth School	West Sussex	11	101	11%
30	Brookfield Community School	Derbyshire	14	130	11%
31	Clevedon School	North Somerset	10	94	11%
32	Aldenham School	Hertfordshire	10	94	11%
33	Clacton County High School	Essex	11	104	11%
34	Hampton College	Peterborough	11	106	10%
35	Hillview School for Girls	Kent	17	164	10%
36	Bedales School	Hampshire	10	97	10%
37	Windsor Girls' School	Windsor and Maidenhead	10	97	10%
38	The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College	Hertfordshire	25	243	10%
39	Norton Hill Academy	Bath and North East Somerset	11	109	10%
40	Lady Manners School	Derbyshire	10	100	10%

What pupils learn in Drama, stage by stage

England has no national year-by-year syllabus: exam boards and schools set the order within each stage. These are the statutory blocks from the Department for Education, so a parent can see what a child meets in Years 7–9, what every GCSE candidate must cover, and what waits in the sixth form.

Years 7–9Key Stage 3

not offered as a separate subject

Years 10–11GCSE

17learning outcomes · statutory GCSE subject content; Higher-tier-only outcomes are marked

Year 12A level, typically first year

not offered as a separate subject

Year 13A level, second year

not offered as a separate subject

What GCSE Drama teaches · Years 10–11

17 learning outcomes from the Department for Education’s statutory subject content, grouped by topic. Each outcome belongs to one of twelve fields of knowledge used across startfrom.today: Arts & Humanities (14), Social & Cultural Skills (3). Exam boards add detail on top of these; the outcomes themselves are the same whichever board a school uses.

Study requirements3

study a complete performance text and extracts from a contrasting performance text — performance text, textual study
participate in a devised performance and a performance from a studied text — devised performance, text-based performance
experience live theatre as a member of the audience — audience experience, live performance

Knowledge and understanding8

explain the genre, structure, character, form, style and language of a performance text — character, genre, structure
explain the social, historical and cultural context of a performance text — historical context, social context, theatrical convention
explain how meaning is communicated through performance conventions and use of space — performance convention, use of space
explain how relationships between performers and audience shape meaning — performer-audience relationship
explain how design elements of set, costume, lighting and sound communicate meaning — costume, lighting and sound, set design
explain how an actor's vocal and physical interpretation communicates character — physical interpretation, vocal interpretation
use drama and theatre terminology appropriately — theatre terminology
explain the roles of performer, director and designer in contemporary professional theatre — designer, director, performer

Skills6

research and develop ideas to interpret a performance text — interpretation, research
devise and rehearse drama to realise artistic intention for an audience — devising, rehearsal
refine and amend work in progress through the rehearsal process — refinement, rehearsal
contribute individually to a collaborative live theatre performance — collaboration, ensemble performance
analyse and evaluate their own process of creating live theatre — creative process, self-evaluation
analyse and evaluate live theatre work by peers or professionals — critical response, performance analysis

Source: DfE GCSE drama subject content (2017), Open Government Licence v3.0. Outcomes are split into single actions and rewritten only where the original bundled several; wording otherwise follows the DfE text. Methodology.

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