1. Year 9 Pathways English Baccalaureate pathway

2. What will Y10 and Y11 look like for your daughter? All students study: – English GCSE – English Literature GCSE – Maths GCSE (Foundation or Higher) – Double Award Science worth 2 GCSEs – RE (GCSE) – PE and PHSE (non-exam)

3. The core curriculum These compulsory subjects take up about 80% of the timetable We believe students should study these subjects because they provide vital skills to help them access the sixth form and the most competitive universities It is also the case that some of them are statutory

4. Changes to GCSE assessment GCSE English, Maths, Science, RE and most other subjects will be graded 9-1 in 2018 Some optional GCSE subjects will be graded A*-U This means your daughter might have GCSE passes which have been graded differently on her CV This is happening nationally and will affect all students sitting GCSE examinations in 2018

5. Changes to GCSE assessment Grade 9: top A* performers; about half of the 6.8 per cent who got A*s this year are likely to get it Grade 8: the rest of those who obtained A* but did not qualify for a 9 Grade 7: equivalent to an A grade pass Grade 6: covering those from two thirds above current C grade to top of existing B grade Grade 5: international benchmark, showing performance equals that of students getting top-grade passes in high performing countries in international league tables. Pitched at half or two thirds of a grade above the current C pass Grade 4: equivalent to a C grade pass Grade 3: equivalent to a D grade pass Grade 2: equivalent to an E grade pass Grade 1: equivalent to grade F and G passes

6. Sciences at Key Stage 4 Science is a Core subject in the National Curriculum and is a compulsory subject at Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11). All girls study aspects of all 3 Sciences: Biology, Chemistry and Physics during years 10 and 11. It is important that girls think carefully about their possible career path beyond KS4 as the choice of Science course in year 10 and 11 will affect the courses that can be taken in the future. There are FOUR possible routes on offer in Sciences with the majority of girls following route 2 or route 3.

7. Sciences at Key Stage 4 This route leads to 2 x GCSEs in Combined Science. Biology, Chemistry and Physics are studied in both Y10 and Y11. Girls must be good at examinations as the papers are sat only at the end of Y11 when pupils will sit SIX different GCSE examination papers. Biology 1+2, Chemistry 1+2 and Physics 1+2 (all papers are 1 hour 15 minutes long). The majority of pupils in the country take this course. Good grades (9-6) in Combined Science allow progression onto A’ Levels in all three Sciences. Top universities are looking for quality grades at GCSE (9/8/7) in Combined Science NOT the quantity of GCSEs taken.

8. Sciences at Key Stage 4 There is no longer any Controlled Assessment in Science. Practical work will be assessed as part of the written examinations at the end of Y11. All pupils will complete a wide range of practical work during their courses in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Pupils must complete the ‘AQA Required Practicals’, as questions will be asked on these during the final Y11 examinations.

9. We live in an increasingly scientific and technology based world where an understanding of the principles of the Sciences and engineering are vital. Recent news reports on Science include: “Tim Peake tweets spacewalk selfie” “Ebola: $5m vaccine deal announced” “Climate change: 2015 'shattered' global temperature record by wide margin” “Is there a ninth planet in our solar system?” “Diabetes: Government and NHS too slow to act, say MPs” (Ref: BBC News website 22 nd January 2016) Why are Sciences so important?

10. The pay of graduates from Science and Engineering Degrees are also some of the highest in the country: SubjectMean salaries of first degree leavers. Dentistry£30,775 Medicine£29,383 Geology£29,182 Chemical Engineering£27,722 Economics£26,940 General Engineering£26,294 Mechanical Engineering£25,703 Veterinary Medicine£25,690

11. Sciences at Key Stage 4 The Science Department has already provided guidance on the KS4 Sciences course we feel is the most appropriate for your daughter. Please feel free to discuss the KS4 Sciences routes with the Science staff tonight: Mrs. D. Hayward (Head of Sciences) Mr. A. McBurney (Teacher i/c Applied Science, KS4 Sciences Co- ordinator.) Mr. K. Smith (Teacher i/c Physics, KS3 Co-ordinator.) If you are considering studying Sciences at a top university in the future a useful resource is ‘Informed choices’ A Russell Group guide to making decisions about post-16 education 2012. (Page 21 - Pre-16 qualifications and university entry) http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/media/informed-choices/InformedChoices- latest.pdf

12. Option subjects Students will get to choose 2 option subjects This makes up around 20% of their timetable We have increased the amount of time for the options over the course of Y10 and Y11 to reflect the greater challenge at GCSE You need to think carefully about these choices We have working with students on options in the PHSEE programme and in assembly Our recommendation Our recommendation is that your daughter should chose – History or Geography – French or Spanish

13. Why are we making this recommendation? We believe she is capable of succeeding in these subjects which combine to form the English Baccalaureate We believe these subjects ensure a balanced GCSE curriculum This combination of subjects improve chances of access to facilitating A level subjects These facilitating subjects improve chances of accessing competitive university courses such as law, medicine and accountancy at leading Russell Group universities (Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Liverpool, Durham, QUB) It is a recommendation rather than a demand. This does amount to a more traditional academic curriculum so it will be challenging However, we would not make the recommendation unless we felt it was appropriate We are hopeful of being able to offer some GCSE subjects ( including Dance, Drama and Ancient History) as extra subjects in after school lessons We will always do our best to accommodate any reasonable request but can’t make any guarantees

14. What happens next? We would like students to complete the option form by Friday 26 th February Write 1 for the first choice and 2 for the second choice in each column When deciding if an option subject will run, we will factor in the number of students opting for the subject Where more students opt for a subject than we can accommodate, we will take factors such as behaviour, attendance and progress in the subject into account Please make sure you are comfortable with both subjects in both option columns PLEASE NOTE THE ADDITIONAL GCSE SUBEJCTS WE HOPE TO RUN AS AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES Students will be informed of their final option choices by the end of March

15. What happens next? Subject staff from all option subjects are available in the Sports Hall Miss Power is also available to advise on careers as is our Connexions adviser options@bellerivefcj.org http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/informed- choices/ http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/informed- choices/