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Exam results days will involve students receiving grades across a raft of subjects, with some subjects set for a bumper year of results, thanks to a surge in entries.

However, for drama the story is very different. This year entries for drama at A level fell by almost 10 per cent, from 7,410 in 2025 to just 6,710 this year.

At GCSE, entries fell 0.9 per cent to 48,220 - far below the figure for subjects like maths, English, history or languages such as French and Spanish.

Drama is about more than acting

As someone who taught drama in the UK and internationally for 20 years and now works for the English-Speaking Union as an oracy coach, I would find this decline concerning at any time.

But with AI now rapidly reshaping how many young people learn and, in turn, employers calling for young people to have skills that are instinctively human - communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, adaptability and empathy - it becomes even more worrying.

What’s more, with oracy increasingly being valued, not least after the curriculum and assessment review called for all schools to teach it as a core skill, it also feels like schools are missing a huge opportunity.

Because despite what many pupils, and perhaps some teachers, may (understandably) think, drama is not, and never has been, simply about acting.

It is about learning to listen, negotiate, persuade, question and empathise.

It teaches young people how to express ideas clearly, adapt to unfamiliar situations and understand perspectives different from their own. It develops confidence, resilience and the ability to respond creatively when there is no single correct answer.

Walk into any drama lesson and you will see students debating ideas, solving problems together, justifying decisions, reflecting on feedback and building understanding through dialogue.

Through improvisation, role play and collaborative enquiry, students are not simply learning to perform; they are learning to think.

Learning how to ‘interthink’

These are precisely the capabilities needed in the future workplace.

Research from demonstrates that language is not simply a way of expressing thought; it is one of the ways thought itself develops.

Through purposeful dialogue, learners test ideas, justify opinions, challenge assumptions and build shared understanding.

Mercer describes this as “interthinking”, the process by which people use language collectively to think together. Rather than viewing classroom talk as an outcome of learning, his research positions it as one of the principal mechanisms through which learning happens.

On top of this, drama offers huge scope for personal development among students: ask any teacher who’s been involved in a school production and they will have stories that are about far more than the applause at the end of a performance.

They will talk about the quiet student who found the confidence to speak in front of an audience for the first time. The reluctant teenager who discovered a sense of belonging backstage. The student who developed leadership skills by organising others, solving problems and taking responsibility.

The growing national focus on oracy presents an extraordinary opportunity, not simply to improve speaking and listening, but to rethink the role of drama in our schools.

If we are serious about preparing young people for a future shaped by AI and rapid change, we must prioritise the uniquely human skills that technology cannot replace.

Drama should not be seen as an enrichment opportunity available to some students. It should be recognised as a powerful educational discipline that helps every young person find their voice.

The curtain is rising on an oracy revolution. It would be a mistake if drama remained waiting in the wings.

Georgie Ross taught drama for 20 years in the UK and internationally. She is now an oracy coach and competition lead for the English-Speaking Union, supporting debating and public speaking programmes

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