NATD-International Drama Conference
Saturday, June 6th 2026 Online 10:00 - 13:30
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/natd-conference-international-drama-project-tickets-1985240509806
'Drama is so vital for the young people we work with, ourselves and the humanity of the world we live in.' Sorrel Oates, NATD Chair.
This conference offers the opportunity to witness and share the outcomes of a collaborative project between teachers of Drama in Palestine and in the UK.
As each teacher recounts and illustrates their work, all starting from the same story, they demonstrate both uniqueness and unity. Whilst our contexts are very different, what brings us together is a conviction of the power of process, educational drama as a way of learning and understanding the world we live in. That and our humanity.
You will come away full of new ideas and assured as to why we do the job we do.
Transforming English Through Drama: Case Studies in Classroom Practice
Wednesday, June 10th 2026 17:30 - 20:00
Centre for Arts and Learning, Goldsmiths University of London
Transforming English Through Drama
In this edited volume Maggie Pitfield and Jane Coles bring together experienced teacher-practitioners and researchers working in the field of English/Language Arts from contexts as wide-ranging as England, Singapore and Palestine.
The contributing authors show how embedded drama approaches can revitalise the English/Language Arts curriculum and motivate young people to make personal and critical connections with the subject. This highly readable book represents an exciting contribution to very current debates about the future of the discipline. It champions a range of creative (often playful) practices that are rigorously researched and applied in classroom contexts. Taken together, the chapters serve to locate English/Language Arts as an imaginative and fundamentally humane subject.
At the launch Maggie, Jane and fellow authors will briefly speak about their chapters before taking questions and comments. Copies of the book will be on sale at a discounted price.
The National Association for the Teaching of Drama
Welcome
Registered Charity Number: 1135457
The Subject Association for Drama-in-Education.
NATD is committed to developing a child-centred, humanising curriculum with an internationalist perspective. We are constantly asking ourselves ‘what does the child need to know’ in order to be ‘at home’ in the world.
“The mind’s various elements – reason, emotion, imagination, instinct, the perception of public and private – have no naturally integrated relationship. The relationship is created culturally – which is to say we create the ‘self’ socially. It is this which makes us human. It is achieved through Drama and other arts and cannot be properly achieved by other means.”
- Edward Bond, playwright
Standing For A Child Centred, Humanising Curriculum
NATD is an association of teachers from all phases of education. At its heart is the pedagogy of Dorothy Heathcote and the methodology of Drama in Education, although all forms of Drama and Theatre are embraced.
What brings us together is our passion for education and our conviction that all young people, throughout the world, now more than ever, deserve an education that meets their needs. NATD stands for a Living Curriculum, not a National Curriculum.
What do leading educators say about NATD?
“Belonging to a subject association is a vital step for those who want to keep at the leading edge of their practice. For Drama teachers that is especially important. In my experience they are disproportionately among the best teachers I have ever encountered and they often have few colleagues and need to belong to a wider group in order to replenish the magic they weave in school and to keep the flag of drama flying.”
— Sir Tim Brighouse
“Joining NATD has been one of the most important decisions I’ve made as a teacher. The Association has brought me into contact with like-minded people from across the country and the world, who have challenged me to reflect deeply on what and how I teach. It’s much more than an association of drama teachers; the focus is on empowering child-centred pedagogy. Be warned, conferences are exhausting but you leave feeling inspired and with a renewed belief in the value and potential of teaching.”
— Matthew Milburn, Executive Headteacher
“As an association the NATD is different from many others – fundamentally its heart is the children we teach. As a school we benefit from ideas, support and a network of those who want to bring depth to learning experiences in and outside of the classroom.”