Key Stage 4 Options 2017 Information for Year 8 Welcome! From Aspiration to Success

Options 2017 Information for Parents   Why are changing to a 3-year Key Stage 4? GCSEs are going to be more challenging GCSEs will have more content than before Many other schools are doing the same To allow enough time to: cover the content go into enough depth revisit content over the 3 years

Options 2017 Information for Parents   Our Principles To provide a broad and balanced curriculum High expectations and achievement for all students To support and challenge all students to achieve their best To equip students for life after school

Options 2017 Information for Parents   Qualifications: GCSE = General Certificate in Secondary Education BTEC = Business and Technology Education Council. These are vocational, practical and developed by the Education and Business sectors in partnership Foundation Learning = Some students will take this course instead of French and Humanities. We will speak to you about this if we think your child would benefit from the course New Grades 9-1 = The Government calls GCSEs grades 9-5 ‘good GCSEs’ Entry level: Grades below grade 1

C and D: Arts, Technology Sport, ICT, A and B: French, History, Geography, Religious Studies, Citizenship Core: English, Maths, Science, Lifeskills and PE 2 subjects: 3 lessons each per week Core: English (5), Maths (5), Science (5), Lifeskills (1), PE (3) 9 qualifications

a Modern Foreign Language The English Baccalaureate: This is a Government measurement of success. For the EBacc, students would need to achieve 9-5 grades in: English Language Maths 2 Sciences (GCSE) AND a Modern Foreign Language History OR Geography. Some universities like to see this on an application. A language qualification gives people an advantage when applying for jobs and courses.

Triple Science: This leads to 3 separate GCSEs in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. This benefits young people looking to go on to study and work in areas like medicine and higher level engineering. The Science Faculty will select students who have the potential to study and do well in three Sciences.

Blocks A and B: French Geography History Religious Studies Citizenship BLOCK A   P or O (Preferred or Other) French and Hist P  Geog There is an expectation that students in the Immersion French group will take French BLOCK B RS Citizenship

Blocks C & D: Interested in Computer science? Tick the box P and O in Block C and also P and O in Block D to show your PREFERRED and OTHER choices Block C:   Block D: Art  P Industrial Product Design Drama Product Design: Graphics BTEC Music Textiles BTEC Dance Food Technology  O ICT (Don’t make this a P in both blocks or put ICT as an O) BTEC Sport (Don’t make this a P choice in both Blocks) Triple Science   There will be 2 weeks of Lifeskills lessons for students to work through the Options booklet. The deadline for the Options form is Thursday 9th March