Newsletter 5
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George Abbot School Key Stage 4 Curriculum Booklet 2020 - 2023 George Abbot School 2 KEY STAGE 4 CURRICULUM BOOKLET Contents Page Number Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................................................................4 Key Stage 4 Curriculum .........................................................................................................................................................................6 Key Stage 4 Curriculum Model ...........................................................................................................................................................7 A Key Stage 4 Curriculum to Suit All Learners ...............................................................................................................................8 Vocational Provision ...............................................................................................................................................................................9 Online Career Resources ................................................................................................................................................................... 10 What Should I Choose For a Future Career? ............................................................................................................................... 11 Tips and advice from current Year 10 students .......................................................................................................................... 13 Description of Subjects: Core Subjects: English ..................................................................................................................................... 14 Mathematics .......................................................................................................................... 15 Science ..................................................................................................................................... 16 Biology ..................................................................................................................................... 17 Chemistry ................................................................................................................................ 18 Physics ..................................................................................................................................... 19 RE ............................................................................................................................................... 20 Alphabetical: Art and Design - Fine Art .................................................................................................. 21 Art and Design - Photography ......................................................................................... 22 Art and Design - Textiles .................................................................................................... 23 Business ................................................................................................................................... 24 Children’s Play Learning and Development................................................................ 25 Computer Science ................................................................................................................ 26 Construction ......................................................................................................................... 27 Dance ..................................................................................................................................... 28 Design Technology .............................................................................................................. 29 Digital Information Technology ...................................................................................... 30 Drama ..................................................................................................................................... 31 Food Preparation and Nutrition ...................................................................................... 32 Geography .............................................................................................................................. 33 Graphic Design ...................................................................................................................... 34 Hair and Beauty ................................................................................................................... 35 History ..................................................................................................................................... 36 Media Studies ........................................................................................................................ 37 Modern Foreign Languages: French, German, Spanish ................................................................................................... 38 Music ...................................................................................................................................... 39 Physical Education ............................................................................................................... 40 Sociology ................................................................................................................................. 41 Sports Studies ....................................................................................................................... 42 Contacts ................................................................................................................................... 43 3 Key Stage 4 Curriculum Booklet 2020-2023 “ Introduction This guide is intended for students, parents and staff, and our aim is to explain how we will structure and organise Key Stage 4 incorporating Year 9, 10 and 11. It will detail specifically the curriculum offer we have for students across the three years of Key Stage 4. We want to ensure our students have the best chance to succeed and we believe we have structured our curriculum to allow this. Our priority has been to preserve breadth of subjects studied and to provide students with guidance to create a more personalised timetable. The process we follow over the next few months will enable students to make an effective transition to a more varied and personalised curriculum for Year 9 and beyond. We aim to provide advice and guidance that is informed, accurate and impartial and to do this we have planned a programme of support which will supplement the regular careers teaching delivered through personal and social education. The key dates in this programme are: Tuesday 10 December 2019 Extended assembly on KS4 Curriculum Tuesday 10 December Year 8 Parents’ Information Evening By Friday 13 December KS4 Curriculum booklet issued Letters sent notifying parents and students of recommended number of subject choices Friday 17 January 2020 Assembly to explain interviews and online choices Tuesday 21 January Key Stage 4 Subject Presentation Evening Monday 27 January Interviews with senior staff begin Monday 10 February Taster Day – Students will experience a day of GCSE level lessons and learning Friday 7 February Interviews with senior staff end By Friday 14 February Online KS4 Curriculum form distributed Monday 9 March Deadline for return of online KS4 Curriculum form We will be writing early in the process to inform each student and their parents of the proposed personalised curriculum recommended by school, based on each student’s strengths and individual needs. This will provide the basis for any subsequent decision making and is aimed at creating a strong subject profile maximising progression opportunities post 16. Students need to have an accurate and realistic picture of themselves and their strengths and weaknesses when considering the suitability of opportunities available to them. We will arrange a personal interview for every Year 8 student with a senior member of staff. These interviews will take place between Monday 27 January and Friday 7 February 2020. The interview provides individual time for each student to discuss their personalised curriculum and any choices available to them. We will also collapse the Year 8 timetable for a day and set up a day of taster lessons that will allow students to sample GCSE learning in potential Key Stage 4 subjects. George Abbot School 4 Points to consider when making any required course choices: Achievement: students should recognise where their previous achievement has been experienced and where success is possible with the right amount of hard work. Interest: success is often related to hard work, which in turn is linked to the interest and motivation that a student has in the subject. Career and Qualifications: very few students in Year 8 know exactly the career, higher or further education path on which they would like to embark. Later on, certain subjects may become an essential requirement for certain careers but at this stage our guidance for shaping each student’s Key Stage 4 curriculum is designed to minimise restricting future career paths. Easy Choices: there can be a tendency to assume that it is easier to gain a qualification in some subjects rather than others. All subjects are rigorous in their own way. A student’s aptitude and interest in a subject will be the best guide. Course related charges: whilst parents