SUBJECTCHOICES BOOKLET SIXTHFORM - IN itself, CHOOSING SUBJECTS TO STUDY IN THE Upper School IS ONLY ONE PARTICULAR DECISION POINT IN A MUCH LARGER SCHEME OF EVENTS THAT WILL SEE PUPILS MAKE FURTHER DECISIONS OVER Higher Education AND Careers. IT IS AN IMPORTANT DECISION THAT CAN BE SEEN AS THE START OF A PROCESS WHICH RUNS FROM NOW UNTIL THE PUPILS LEAVE IN THE SUMMER OF , BUT IS NOT THE ONLY DECISION POINT THAT WILL AffECT THEM DURING THEIR TIME AT Wellington. Pupils MAY START THIS PROCESS FROM DIffERENT situations. While SOME PUPILS WILL HAVE A CLEAR IDEA OF THE SUBJECTS THEY WISH TO STUDY AND THE CURRICULUM WHICH IS BEST SUITED TO them, OTHERS MAY NOT HAVE A CLEAR IDEA yet. Some PUPILS MAY HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO STUDY AT University; OTHERS MAY NOT REACH SUCH DECISIONS FOR A while. Of course, EVEN THOSE PUPILS WHO THINK THEY HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT THEY WILL choose, MAY END UP CHANGING THEIR minds. The PURPOSE OF THIS BOOKLET IS TO SET OUT A FRAMEWORK FOR MAKING THESE decisions. IN CONJUNCTION WITH PRESENTATIONS FOR PARents, ASSEMBLIES FOR PUPILS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARENTS AND PUPILS TO MEET WITH TEACHERS TO DISCUSS THE options, IT IS HOPED THAT PUPILS WILL HAVE THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO MAKE INFORMED AND SENSIBLE decisions. IN ADDITION TO THIS booklet, THERE IS MORE DETAILED SUBJECT SPECIfiC INFORMATION ON THE College’S website: www.wellingtoncollege.org.uk/academic/curriculum/subject-choices/. Making Subject Choices Those WHO HAVE SEEN THE PROCESS IN PREVIOUS YEARS WILL KNOW THAT A COLUMN STRUCTURE WAS PUBLISHED WHICH DETAILED WHICH SUBJECT combi- NATIONS WERE POSSIBLE AND WHICH WERE not. This YEAR THERE IS A CHANGE TO THAT PRocess. Subject COLUMNS WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED IN Advance. Instead, WE WILL REQUEST SUBJECT CHOICES FREE FROM THE LIMITIATIONS OF SUBJECT columns. WE HOPE THAT THIS CHANGE WILL REMOVE THE ANXIETY OF PUPILS WHOSE INITIAL CHOICES DID NOT fiT THE SUBJECT COLUMNS BUT FOR WHOM IT WAS POSSIBLE TO CHANGE THE TIMETABLE STRUCUTRE AND HENCE Sep ACCOMMODATE THEIR options. Over THE LAST COUPLE OF years, AROUND % OF REQUESTED SUBJECT COMBINATIONS HAVE BEEN ACCOMMODATED AND Oct THERE IS NO REASON THAT THIS NEW SYSTEM CANNOT OffER THE SAME HIGH Michaelmas TERM NoV SUCCESS RATE OF SATISFYING fiRST CHOICE selections. Of course, THERE ARE STILL LIMITATIONS TO WHAT CAN BE OffERed. WE WILL Dec INITIAL INFORMATION FOR Pupils AND ParENTS ENDEAVOUR TO ACCOMMODATE AS MANY fiRST CHOICES AS IS possible, BUT Jan THE College DOES NOT HAVE INfiNITE RESOURCES FOR STAffing. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ALL COURSES ARE OffERED SUBJECT TO demand. IN particular, TH Form ParENTS Feb SOME SUBJECTS WHICH TYPICALLY HAVE FEWER OVERALL NUMBERS OF PUPILS Subject Choices Deadline Mar ’ ConferENCE MAY ONLY RUN IN EITHER THE A LeVEL OR THE IB. Scope TO CHANGE SUBJECT CHOICES IF NECESSARY Apr The TIMELINE FOR MAKING CHOICES May Pupils WILL HAVE MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO fiND OUT ABOUT THE VARIOUS Summer TERM Jun GCSE Exams SUBJECTS ON Offer. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THEY DISCUSS THIS DECISION WITH Jul THEIR PARents, teachers, tutors, HOUSEMASTERS AND HOUSEMISTResses. By THE TIME OF THE Fifth Form ParENTS’ ConferENCE ON THE TH January, Aug WE HOPE THAT PUPILS WILL HAVE REACHED A DECISION AND THIS EVENT IS A GCSE Results USEFUL TIME FOR PARENTS TO discuss, AND HOPEFULLY CONfiRM this, WITH Sep Scope TO CHANGE SUBJECT CHOICES POST RESULTS teachers. TherE IS THEN A FURTHER MONTH WHICH INCLUDES EXEAT FOR fiNAL Oct Assessment WEEK DECISION MAKING BEFORE SUBJECT CHOICES ARE DUE ON TH February (the Michaelmas TERM Monday STRAIGHT AFTER EXeat). Subject CHOICES WILL BE SUBMITTED BY THE NoV PUPILS AND PARENTS WILL BE NOTIfiED OF WHAT HAS BEEN chosen. Dec Jan Changing Subject Choices Feb While WE HOPE THAT PUPILS AND PARENTS HAVE REACHED A WELL THOUGHT Lent TERM THROUGH DECISION THAT THEY WANT TO STICK with, CHANGES ARE INEvitable. Mar Late changes, HOWEver, WILL BE SUBJECT TO SPACE IN SETS AND THE TIMETABLE STRUCTURE THAT IS SET OUT IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE CHOICES MADE FigurE : The TIMELINE OF THE BEFORE THE deadline. While IT CANNOT BE GUARANTEED THAT ALL CHANGES SUBJECT CHOICES PROCEDURE AND AFTER THE DEADLINE CAN BE accommodated, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE THE Upper School KEY Events. VAST MAJORITY OF CHANGES IN THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE BEEN possible. Changes TO SUBJECT CHOICE DECISIONS WILL BE DEALT WITH DURING TERM time, BUT DURING HOLIDAY PERIODS CHANGES WILL BE DELAYED UNTIL THE START OF THE NEXT term. This IS BECAUSE IT CAN TAKE A FEW WEEKS IN THE HOLIDAYS TO COMPLETE DISCUSSIONS WITH ALL PARTIES WHEREAS THE SAME CAN USUALLY BE ACHIEVED DURING TERM TIME WITHIN A FEW days. IN addition, WE WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THAT PUPILS MAKE CHANGES DURING OR AFTER THE GCSE EXAMS SINCE THEY SHOULD BE BUSY ENOUGH AS IT is; THERE IS A DEDICATED SUBJECT CHANGE PROCEDURE WHICH WILL BE IN ACTION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE Michaelmas TERM . TherE ARE OFTEN MANY CHANGES MADE DURING THE fiRST FEW DAYS OF term: HOWEver, THESE ARE USUALLY COMPLETE BY THE END OF THE fiRST TWO weeks. Further DECISIONS For THOSE PUPILS DOING IB, THERE IS LESS FACILITY TO MAKE CHANGES TO THEIR SUBJECT CHOICES SINCE THE IB REQUIRES THE STUDY OF SIX subjects, ALTHOUGH SOME PUPILS RETHINK THEIR HIGHER AND STANDARD LEVEL options. For THOSE PUPILS STUDYING FOUR OR fiVE A Levels, HOWEver, THERE ARE VARIOUS POINTS AT WHICH THEY MAY DECIDE TO DROP A SUBJECT IF IT IS APPRopriate. Such CHANGES TEND TO BE MADE AT THE END OF Michaelmas AND Summer terms. Choosing A Curriculum WELLINGTON College IS PROUD TO BE ABLE TO OffER A TWIN TRACK CURRICULUM IN THE Upper School. The IB AND A LeVEL PROGRAMMES ARE BOTH RIGOROUS AND WELL REGARDED BY UNIVERSITIES AND EITHER CURRICULUM WILL VERY suit- ABLY ACT AS A STEPPING STONE TO THE FULL RANGE OF FUTURE EDUCATION AND EMPLOyment. HoWEver, THE TWO CURRICULA ARE DIffERENT IN NATURE AND IT IS THIS DIffer- ENCE WHICH GIVES OUR PUPILS THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAILOR THEIR CURRICULUM TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL needs. By ITS NATURe, THE IB SUPPORTS A SPECTRUM OF SUBJECTS AND ENFORCES A DEPTH AND BREADTH TO A PUPIL’S curriculum. For THOSE PUPILS WISHING TO PURSUE FUTURE COURSES OF STUDY WHICH REQUIRE A BREADTH OF ABILITY, THE IB IS AN EXCELLENT choice. These PUPILS INCLUDE POTENTIAL MEDICS OR THOSE WISHING TO PURSUE THE LIBERAL ARTS PROGRAMME AT A US UNIVERSITY, BUT COULD ALSO INCLUDE THOSE WHO HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF ACADEMIC TALENTS OR THOSE WHO WISH TO MAINTAIN A BROAD INTERest. At THE SAME TIME THE Higher LeVEL SUBJECTS ALLOW PUPILS TO GO INTO DEPTH AND TO DEVELOP SPECIALISATIONS WHICH THEY CAN TAKE ON TO Higher Education. The A LeVEL PROGRamme, ON THE OTHER hand, NATURALLY LENDS ITSELF TO A SELECTION OF FEWER subjects. The VAST MAJORITY OF A LeVEL PUPILS WILL LEAVE WITH THREE OR FOUR subjects. ThE A LeVEL CURRICULUM LENDS itself, THEREFORe, TO THOSE WHO WISH TO DEVELOP A MORE FOCUSSED fiELD OF STUDY AND FOR WHOM THE BREADTH OF SUBJECTS IN THE IB WOULD PROVIDE TOO MANY DISTRACTIONS FROM THEIR GENUINE INTERests. While THESE PUPILS MAY NOT HAVE A COMPLETELY fiRM IDEA OF WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO GO ON TO do, IT IS e.g. Humanities OR Maths LIKELY THAT THEY WILL BE SPECIALISING IN A CERTAIN RANGE OF SUBJECTS. For A AND Sciences etc... LeVEL PUPILS IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE SELECTION OF SUBJECTS IS SUCH THAT EACH SUBJECT fiTS WITH AND SUPPORTS THE others. A LeVELS FolloWING A REVIEW OF A LeVELS THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED AN OVERHAUL OF THE A LeVEL SYSTEM WHICH IS NOW FULLY implemented. The MOST A LeVEL Subjects SIGNIfiCANT CHANGE IS THAT ALL A LeVELS ARE NOW LINEAR courses. This Ancient History MEANS THAT THE ENTIRE GRADE IS AWARDED ON THE BASIS OF THE EXAMS SAT Art IN THE Upper Sixth year. While AS EXAMS CONTINUE TO Exist, THEY ARE A Art History * SEPARATE QUALIfiCATION AND DO NOT COUNT TOWARDS A fiNAL A LeVEL GRade. Art TEXTILES Biology Many SCHOOLS ARE TACKLING THIS NEW SYSTEM IN MANY DIffERENT ways. Business WELLINGTON College HAS BEEN RUNNING A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL TWO YEAR LINEAR Chemistry SYSTEM IN THE IB AND SO IT WAS DECIDED TO FOLLOW A SIMILAR COURSE WITH Classical GrEEK THE A LeVEL PROGRamme. WE DO not, THEREFORe, ENTER PUPILS FOR THE AS Computer Science Dance EXAMS AT THE END OF THE LoWER Sixth YEAR SINCE THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED Design Engineering FOR University ENTRANCE AND DO NOT COUNT TOWARDS A fiNAL A LeVEL GRade. DrAMA Economics English Choosing A LeVEL Subjects FrENCH Further Maths The A LeVEL SUBJECTS THAT ARE OffERED ARE SHOWN IN TABLE . Pupils MAY GeogrAPHY CHOOSE FOUR SUBJECTS FROM these, ALTHOUGH IN CERTAIN CIRcumstances, German IT MAY BE ADVISABLE TO ONLY CHOOSE THRee. Pupils WHO WISH TO TAKE History Latin Further Maths MUST ALSO CHOOSE Maths A LeVEL AND MAY CHOOSE A Mandarin FURTHER THREE SUBJECTS IF THEY wish. This WOULD GIVE A MAXIMUM OF fiVE Maths A LeVEL subjects, ALTHOUGH MOST Further Mathematicians WOULD ONLY Music Music TECHNOLOGY CHOOSE FOUR subjects. Only Further Mathematicians WILL BE ABLE TO OPT PE FOR fiVE subjects. PhotogrAPHY Just BECAUSE A SELECTION OF SUBJECTS IS OffERED DOES NOT NECESSARILY Physics Politics MEAN THAT THESE SUBJECTS WILL FORM A GOOD combination. A LeVEL stu- Religious Studies DENTS ARE ADVISED TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE SECTION ON CHOOSING SUBJECTS Spanish AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN TABLES AND . TABLE : THE A LeVEL SUBJECTS of- FERED FOR September . All The Fifth Column COURSES ARE OffERED SUBJECT TO demand.