Effective learning is based upon a partnership between students, teachers, and parents. School and parents need to work together to reinforce expectations and to support students in achieving their potential. This is particularly important for success at Key Stage 4 (KS4) as students begin two year courses which involve coursework tasks as well as examinations. Work completed in Year 10 contributes towards the final grade at the end of Year 11.
It is essential that deadlines for drafts and submissions of coursework tasks are met so that teaching staff can mark and return work to ensure that students achieve the highest marks they can. Failure to complete coursework could result in no subject grade being awarded at the end of the course in Year 11.
Year 10 GCSE / VGCSE module examiantions will take place in November, Janaury, March, May and June. Marks gained in these tests and in coursework contribute to the final examiantion grade.
EnglishStudents study English and Literature as two discrete GCSE courses, although there is some overlap in the coursework components. Students on the Work Related Curriculum work towards GCSE English alongside an English Certificate of Achievement qualification.
Study on all English courses is divided into preparation for examination and completion of coursework. In class, students will study a range of literary texts as well as learning to respond to non-literary sources of information. The choice of reading materials will vary according to each student�s ability grouping, but all will study a media text, Shakespeare, pre-1914 prose and post-1914 drama for coursework, as well as producing original writing. Written coursework makes up 20% of the final grade in English and 30% in Literature.
Homework will be set regularly and will vary in nature, from individual preparation and research to the drafting and re-drafting of assignments.
MathematicsStudents are placed in sets determined by their ability in Mathematics. They are closely monitored and regularly assessed and have the opportunity to move between sets during the year.
Year 10 is characterised by being the first year of the GCSE course and students will continue to
develop their knowledge and understanding in the key areas of:-
(a) using and applying mathematics including the use of computers and particular software packages;
(b) number and algebra;
(c) shape and space;
(d) handling data including probability.
Homework will be set on a regular basis and provides an essential means of reinforcing concepts.
Assessment of the work is as follows:-We have two courses running in Year 10 - the AQA double award course with additional Science in Year 11, and the OCR 21st century Science which has a more vocational aspect to it.
21st Century ScienceThis comprises of three units of work covering core aspects of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, tested in three exams in June; the three Science s are tested separately and the mark amalgamated to provide the examination component of the final mark. Each exam contributes 25% to the overall mark. The exam consists of 'How Science Works' component which examines students' understanding of the scientific method.
Centre Assessed Unit in total 25% of final mark, consisting of:-Students can be awarded a single grade at the end of Year 10 but will progress to double GCSE with the Year 11 course, 'Additional Science'. The timing of the ISAs may mean that marks will not be submitted for entry in Year 10, instead the students' marks will be entered in their Year 11 and so receive two grades in the summer of Year 11 rather than one each year.
French / German / SpanishStudents follow the GCSE course for the AQA syllabus specification A. This is a linear course and comprises three examinations and three pieces of written coursework.
Homework is essential to success at GCSE level and is an integral part of the course. Students should expect to spend approx 50 minutes per week completing a variety of homework tasks.
Work in lessons focuses on all language skills and use is made of a wide range of teaching and learning styles as well as multi media software.
Applied French with Leisure and TourismThis course will offer students the opportunity to use language skills and knowledge in relevant and practical situations. The emphasis is therefore on production language skills in practical contexts and at the end of the two year course students will gain a full GCSE.
FormatIn Year 10 Physical Education lessons, all students continue to have access to two, one-hour lessons per week. However, in KS4, students are able to spend more time working in their preferred activities. They will be placed in a group that offers them the most suitable range of activities for their specific interests. The groups will remain together throughout KS4. Each group will specialise in a particular family of activities such as team games or individual activities. Another group offers students the chance to gain a �Junior Sports Leader Award�. Furthermore, the design of each group�s programme means that all students take part in at least two activities from the different �areas of activity� as required by the National Curriculum.
Your son/daughter will take part in lessons designed to improve fitness levels; tests will be carried out on three occasions every year to monitor his/her stamina level. If we feel there are specific problems in this area, we will contact you by letter outlining the situation. At present we offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities which can often lead on to higher levels of participation and improved fitness.
With all year groups we do try to increase their understanding of the activity as well as their practical ability. Each student's practical ability is monitored via continuous assessment. An important aspect of the work is to try to raise students' self-esteem, through allowing them different ways of "succeeding". Furthermore, students are given more responsibility for planning and organising certain aspects of their programme.
We must stress that the only way a student may be excused from participating in a Physical Education lesson is via a note, written in the student organiser, explaining the reason. Without this note, your child may well be asked to take part in the lesson.
Personal Skills ProgrammeThe main aim of this programme is to increase the personal effectiveness of students.
The programme enables students to develop a range of skills and qualities essential not only for
success in school, but also for employment and adult life as citizens. In KS4 we expect students to put
into practice the skills they have been developing in KS3, and to develop the skills identified by employers
as essential for industry:-
PRESENTATION (How I look, speak, write, behave);
SPOKEN COMMUNICATION;
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION;
APPLICATION OF NUMBER;
ICT (Information communication Technology);
ORGANISATION (How students prepare and plan for life in school and beyond);
WORKING WITH OTHERS;
PROBLEM SOLVING;
RESEARCH;
ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY/ SHOWING INITIATIVE;
EVALUATING YOUR PERFORMANCE and ACTING UPON THIS TO IMPROVE.
Students have responsibility for recording in their progress files examples of the use of these skills. Students also have responsibility for evaluating their own progress. The wider key skills or working with others and problem solving will be accredited by ASDAN at Key Stage 4. Students will be given the opportunity to use their skills and submit work for Level 2, equivalent to GCSE.
We ask parents to support us with this programme by encouraging students to use these skills, for example in being organised for school, and by encouraging students to record examples of the use of the skills in the home and the community.
OPTIONS SECTION Part A : GCSEThroughout the GCSE course, students will complete three or four pieces of coursework worth 60%, and an externally set exam final project worth 40% of the final grade.
During Year 10 and 11 you will be taught new skills and ways of developing your ideas, such as printing techniques; Batik; textiles; acrylic and watercolour painting; sculpture; and other mixed media forms.
Students are encouraged to develop their own ideas and work towards their strengths within Art. Sketchbooks are an integral part of students' coursework through which they will research and develop ideas, and link their work to artists and designers. They will experiment with ideas, materials, and surfaces in order to produce a final response.
Students are given the opportunity to work in an independent way, encouraging their individual style and interests.
Design & TechnologyDesign & Technology: Graphic Products - During this two year course students will be expected to use their creative and imaginative skills to design and manufacture a range of exciting graphic products. We will develop and build practical skills working mainly in card and paper with a big emphasis on the use of computer aided design and manufacture. Students will be required to analyse their own work as well as the work of professional designers, they will use problem solving and thinking skills to respond to a variety of project outlines. There will be a strong focus upon the development of ideas and students will need to show how they can communicate their ideas on paper as well as through modelling techniques and the use of ICT. Coursework in Year 11 makes up 60% of their final award with 40% coming from an externally assessed exam.
Design & Technology: Product Design - During this two year course students will be expected to use their practical, creative and imaginative skills to design and manufacture a range of products working mainly with resistant materials. We will develop and build practical skills working mainly in a workshop but still with an emphasis on the use of computer aided design and manufacture. Students will be required to analyse their own work as well as the work of professional designers, they will use problem solving and thinking skills to respond to a variety of project outlines. Each unit of work will require students to communicate their ideas on paper, with simple models and through ICT. Coursework in Year 11 makes up 60% of their final award with 40% coming from an externally assessed exam.
GeographyThis course offers students the opportunity to study a mix of contemporary environmental and social issues, together with traditional geography which they will explore using a variety of activities including group work, problem solving, decision making, role play, documentaries and film, presentations, debate, research and written tasks. Geographical skills including interpreting maps, satellite images and presenting data are an intrinsic part of the course and every unit is rooted int he real world with the application of theories to modern day case studies.
Areas of study include volcanoes and earthquakes, settlement, rocks and landscapes, coasts, industry, tourism and managing the world's resources. Students also complete a fieldwork investigation, which is worth 25% of their final mark.
HistoryIn History GCSE students build on their studies from year 9 by looking at the century of turmoil that was the 20th century. The context is divided into three parts. In the International Relations section the students study how the world descended into war in 1914 and the effect this event had on those fighting in and living through it. We then follow the story through the hopes of the 1920's and the descent into the chaos of the Second World War in 1939. The second part of the course studies two contrasting countries during the inter-war years. First we look at the Nazi dictatorship, the reasons behind it and the effects it had on the people of Germany. Then we study the democratic USA through the boom of the 1920's when flappers danced and Al Capone dominated the Mafia and on to the economic bust that was the Great Depression. The final coursework element, making up 25% of the course focuses on the contemporary issues of immigration and Civil Rights. We look at the reasons why Britain has proved to be a magnet for immigrants and how far we have been tolerant of those arriving here. Then we look at how blacks in the USA have improved their position from the speeches of Martin Luther King to the protests of Malcolm X.
Overall, the course has proved to be both exciting and interesting, giving students the opportunity to study the key events of the last 100 years and an understanding of how these events have impacted on the world today.
MusicStudents will be work in three main areas - Performing, Composing and Listening.
Much of the performing will focus on individual practice by the student at home and at school. Group work as well as individual work is encouraged and supported by extra-curricular activities. In composition the aim is to produce a portfolio of works which will be submitted to the examination board.
In Year 10 the following topics will be covered:-
Each topic consists of a number of compositions assignments, some short, others extended into a complete piece.
In Year 10 the Listening topics are:-
Students are examined in their practical ability in four activities chosen form at least two of the following activity areas: Game, Gymnastics, Dance, Athletic, Swimming, Outdoor & Adventurous. Furthermore, students will be assessed in their ability to plan, perform, and evaluate a Health-related Exercise Programme.
These practical components make up 60% of the overall award. The other 40% is assessed via a written examination. The areas of study upon which the examination is based are:-
Students will receive two, one-hour lessons per week in addition to their normal entitlement within Physical Education.
Religious StudiesThis course offers students the opportunity to think about the world around them and the issues facing people's lives in modern society. The areas of study are:-
Pupils will examine a range of ethical issues, looking at both Christian and Muslim attitudes. For a student to be successful in this subject they will need an open and thoughtful mind and a willingness to consider viewpoints that differ from their own. In return they will gain an understanding of world cultures and ethics that will help them to make sensue of their own lives and values.
Teaching methods - the course is supported by a variety of teaching methods including discussion, DVD, empathising and problem solving.
DramaGCSE Drama is all about understanding what it is like to put yourself in somebody else�s shoes. During the course students explore, through improvisation, a range of issues and situations from a variety of stimuli. They will also study how playwrights express their own ideas about a theme or topic and explore ways of making a play work on stage. Theatre visits will take place during the course and students will be encouraged to attend a variety of plays (both inside and outside school) to develop their understanding and knowledge of performance and production.
Students will be assessed on their ability to explore and realise ideas within a group, as well as on their performance skills. Practical and written coursework forms a substantial part of the exam (60%). Students are examined on their participation in practical workshop sessions and an accompanying written portfolio. The final part of the exam (40%) is a practical performance where students take part in a play that they have created as a group or rehearsed from a script. They can be examined on either their acting or design and technical skills.
Part B : Vocational GCSEThis vocational GCSE in Art and Design is a nationally recognised qualification which can be completed at sixteen and is equivalent to A*A* to GG.
The focus of the course is to look at how artists and designers work in the real world with students following imaginative and exciting project outlines. We will work in a huge variety of materials and media and students will build a really good range of art and design skills. There will be opportunities to work with computer aided design and manufacture, photography, textiles and the more traditional art and graphic techniques students are already familiar with. Assessment will be through the coursework as students complete each unit resulting in several design portfolios and a range of practical outcomes. There will be the opportunity for students to work with real clients and to receive genuine feedback about their work.
Business StudiesCoursework accounts for 25% of the final GCSE grade. The final examination uses a case study of a real business and students begin their revision programme in preparation for the GCSE in January of Year 11. The course prepares the students well for working in business, running a business or progressing to Sixth Form to study the subject further.
OCR National Level 2 BusinessThis course is worth the equivalent of four GCSEs grade C or above and is entirely coursework based. Real business examples are used throughout the course. It offers good preparation for the world of work, running a business or studying the subject further in the Sixth Form.