Creative & Performing Arts

Physical Education (PE)

• Teamwork – The PE department work very closely as a team and working together co-operatively within PE lessons, squads and the school is a key focus at Moira House.
• Enjoyment – the main aim of the PE department is to ensure that all girls enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle.
• A Level – Girls at Moira House are offered courses in both A Level and GCSE Physical Education and achieve outstanding results.
• Motivation – The PE department’s enthusiasm for their subject and the wonderful sporting facilities that Moira House has to offer helps to motivate all girls to take part in sport and to succeed.
• Winning – Individual and team successes are achieved in sport at Moira House across the age ranges and in a wide variety of sports. A number of girls represent the county in sports such as hockey, netball, cricket and tennis and England trials have been attended by girls in hockey and golf.
• Opportunity – Girls follow a broad and varied curriculum and an extensive extra- curricular programme is also offered.
• Responsibility – Girls are encouraged to take on leadership roles and this culminates in a leadership course in Year 11 which all girls follow.
• Kinaesthetic – Girls are encouraged to be creative and expressive in gymnastics, trampolining and dance and pupils aspire towards the very popular Founders’ Day displays held at the end of the year.

Music

Class music lessons at Key Stage 3 develop the core musical activities of Performing, Composing, Listening and Appraising. Girls are encouraged to engage in music in a practical way exploring a wide range of musical styles and genres. Traditional instruments, together with a suite of 11 keyboards and 11 computers running Cubase 5 and Sibelius 6 software help support this work.

GCSE music is a great opportunity for girls to develop their interests further across a broad range of music, including popular styles and music of other world cultures. At A Level, girls pursue the academic study of music in a more rigorous way. More than two thirds of the course is devoted to creative composition and the preparation of performance recitals.

In every key stage girls have access to our new state of the art digital recording studio allowing for the recording and creation of music at the very highest standards.

Art & Design

We run a colourful and lively department at Moria House, the main studio is on the top floor of School House, with a lovely view of the sea. The girls take part in outdoor sketching and enjoy visits to galleries both local and in London. The GCSE groups start their two year course with a popular day at Charleston Farmhouse and Berwick Church, as we are very fortunate to have a home of the Bloomsbury Group on our doorstep. Art is a popular choice at AS and A Level and we also offer AS level Photography with the option to work with both digital and analogue formats, as our facilities include a photographic dark room.

Co- curricular activities on offer include life drawing classes for the sixth form students and an Art activity group, which gives our girls the opportunity to create some ceramic pieces and to enter national competitions. A notable success was one of our students winning the WWF painting challenge and having the opportunity to paint in David Shepherd’s studio for a day.

Each June, the department holds an exhibition of all the work produced and assessed for GCSE and A level, which provides a wonderful opportunity for the students to have their artwork put on public display.

Design Technology (DT)

Design and Technology at Moira House School gives girls the chance to be highly creative and original in their design studies. They have a great opportunity to develop their skills and to become aware of an exciting design process.

DT is a very popular subject at both key stages 3 and 4 and our pupils really enjoy their designing and making experiences and are generally very enthusiastic about the projects which they undertake. Our aim is to give the girls a sound range of practical skills and understanding within the design studio and workshop environment.

Pupils produce some exceptionally well made projects at key stage 3 and especially at GCSE level in key stage 4. In doing so they have stretched themselves to design and make products to a very high and exciting standard which also gives them an enormous sense of confidence, achievement and satisfaction.

Food Technology (DT)

Moira House was quick to recognise the importance of including Food Technology in the school curriculum. The subject is offered to all classes at key stage 3 and is an optional activity for older students.

Lesson time is devoted to as much "hands-on" practical work as possible, so that the girls become familiar with following recipes instructions. They also practise all the basic cookery techniques and work with a wide variety of ingredients including fruit, vegetables and herbs grown in the school gardens.

The girls thoroughly enjoy their Food Technology lessons and are justifiably proud of their finished results. They collect their cookery at the end of the day, so that they can show off their achievements to those at home.

Drama

Drama is an important part of life at Moira House. The girls have timetabled lessons throughout both the Junior and Senior school and there is also plenty of opportunity for extra-curricular Drama.

The Senior school stages two major productions each year and often have the opportunity to perform at a local professional theatre. Recently, the girls in years 10 to 13 staged a fantastic performance of “Little shop of Horrors” at the Devonshire Park theatre – a wonderful experience for all those involved!

There is also a thriving Speech and Drama department at Moira House and every year the school is visited by an examiner from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. The girls have the chance to attain certificates in Speech and Drama from preliminary level up to Gold medal standard.

The teachers in the Drama department at Moira House are mainly people who have acted and directed in the Drama profession. Many girls choose to take Drama for GCSE and Theatre Studies for A Level and the experience of working with these practitioners is invaluable.

If you love drama there are loads of opportunities to get involved at Moira House!