“Shift Happens”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNutcmyShW4
6 minutes - 25seconds
KS4 Course Choices
Helping your child to prepare for Key
Stage 4 and beyond
KS4 Course Choice Evening 1
Tuesday 20th January
1. How does the KS4 course
choice process work?
2. What courses must your child study during
KS4?
3. What courses can your child choose to study
during KS4?
4. What advice and guidance do we give about
course choices?
Resources published on the school websitewww.wilmslowhigh.com/curriculum/key-stage-3/course-choices-for-ks4/
Email queries to: [email protected]
All the resources being
used will be available on
the school website:
• presentations
• guidance materials
• weblinks
Core subjects
Mr Jones – Careers Education Coordinator
Mr Williams – PE Curriculum Team Leader
Mr Spence – English KS4 Team leader
Mr Jones – Science Curriculum Team
Leader
Mr Hughes – Maths Curriculum Team
Leader
Careers Education programme within the PHSCE curriculum – 1
• PHSCE is led by Mr Munro
• Careers Education is • coordinated by Mr P Jones
• supported by Mrs K Stephens
• with Careers Adviser input from Dr Rowe
What am I like?
What different types of qualification are there?
How do I use the information about KS4 Courses to make good choices?
What will the world of work be like?
1. How does the KS4 Course Choice
process work?
Careers Education programme within the PHSCE curriculum – 2
What am I like?
– What subjects, skills and issues do I like learning about?
– In what ways do I learn best?
• Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills
– What targets for self-development do I need to set?
1. How does the KS4 Course Choice
process work?
Careers Education programme within the PHSCE curriculum – 3
What different types of qualification are there?
– GCSEs and A-Levels
– Vocational qualifications like BTECs
– Applied learning routes like Apprenticeships
How do I use the information about KS4 Courses to make good choices?
1. How does the KS4 Course Choice
process work?
1. How does the KS4 Course
Choice process work?
Careers Education programme within the PHSCE curriculum – 4
What will the world of work be like?
– Next few years• Work Related Learning during Years 10 & 11
– In the longer term• “Shift Happens”
– How do I need to prepare? How will this affect my KS4 option choices
1. How does the KS4 Course Choice
process work?
What happens this term?
Week beginning 12th January 2015– KS4 Course Choice Assemblies
Tuesday 20th January
Course Choice Evening 1 – presentation about Core Courses
Thursday 22nd January
Course Choices Evening 2 – information stands about Option Courses
Thursday 29th JanuaryYear 9 Parents’ Evening
Monday 2nd February– Initial Course Choice survey completed on VLE
Friday 27th February– Final Course Choice Form issued
Monday 9th March– Review Day with Tutors
Friday 13th March– Final Course Choices Form returned to tutors
KS4 Course Choice Evening 1
Tuesday 20th January
1. How does the KS4 course choice process
work?
2. What courses must your child
study during KS4?
3. What courses can your child choose to study
during KS4?
4. What advice and guidance do we give about
course choices?
30 periods of 50 minutes per week
10 courses studied per week
Courses 1-4 are Core
Courses 5-6 offer some choice about science
Courses 7-10 offer free choice
PHSCE – tutor time and suspended timetable days
PHSCE =
– Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE)
Personal Wellbeing
– PSHE – Economic wellbeing
– Citizenship
In KS4 – focus on preparing for the world
of work/study skills
2. What courses must your child
study during KS4? – PHSCE
How is PHSCE covered? Form tutor
PHSCE Days
Term Topic
1 Philosophy in Focus
2 Citizenship and social media
3 Britain and the world + work experience
prep
4 Interview skills
Term Topic
1 D of E training
2 Personal finance and debt
3 Britain and Europe
4 Work related learning
5 Science and Technology day
6 Interview Skills
7 Study skills
8 Careers fair
Work Experience
Wilmslow High School believes that work experience during Year 10 is valuable:– Student feedback consistently states that important
lessons are learnt about the realities of the workplace
– Employer feedback is invariably very positive about attitudes, qualities and skills of our students
– Teacher feedback is that work experience contributes significantly to a growing maturity among students in Year 11
Work experience will take place during June Year 10 for one week.
Work Experience
Until 2011, work experience was fully
funded by the government.
School no longer receives money to pay for
the costs of risk assessing each of the
student’s placements.
In 2015 these checks are costing the school
£37 each and we have asked parents for a
£10 contribution towards this cost.
2. What courses must your child
study during KS4?
Course
Number
Course Title Ppw =
12/30
1 - CORE PE 3
2 – CORE GCSE English Language
- external exams in Y115
3 – CORE GCSE English Literature
- external exams in Y11
4 - CORE GCSE Mathematics
- external exams in Y114
Course 1 – Core PE – Mr Williams
Why is core PE an important part of
the KS4 curriculum?
Kes days are gone
Personalised learning
pathways
Personal development
- PLTS
Lifelong skills
Encourage ‘X-tra’
Health and fitness –
active body and mind
Enjoyment
What does PE look like?
Not set on ability
Personalised -
Pathway choices
Double and single
period
Maximum performers
Outwitting opponents
Creative performers
Healthy lifestyle
Coaching/Leadership
Opportunities/Accreditation
Coaching awards
Leadership
experience – School
Games makers,
Ambassadors.
Rugby Referees,
Football Referees,
Netball Umpires,
Trampolining Judges
Links with
Community Clubs
What do the students say?Years 10 and 11
“Fun”
“Appreciate that we get to choose our own
activities”
“Work with people with similar interests and
abilities”
“Enjoy high activity, game based lessons”
“Focus on things I really enjoy”
“Break from exam pressure”
Audit: 91% KS4 Students rate their lessons as
Good or Excellent in terms of Enjoyment
Courses 2 & 3 – English – Mr
Spence
English Language and English
Literature
• Students are awarded 2 GCSEs
• Students are currently taught in 4
ability bands and have 5 lessons per
week
• Both courses are assessed through
external examination
English Language (AQA)
Explorations in Creative Reading and
Writing (Unit 1)
a. Reading and analysing a range of non-
fiction and literary non-fiction texts from
the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries
b. Writing for a specific audience, purpose
and form linked to section A
How can parents support this?
Encourage reading of varied material
English Language (AQA)
Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives
(Unit 2)
a. Reading a literary text (extract) and
identifying how writers engage and
influence their readers
b. Writing their own creative text exploring a
theme identified in section A
English Language (AQA)
Non-examination assessment (Unit 3)
Allowing students to demonstrate their
speaking and listening skills by:
giving a presentation in a formal context
responding to questions and feedback
using spoken Standard English
English Literature (AQA)
Shakespeare and the C19th Novel (Unit 1)
English Literature (AQA)
English Literature
Modern Texts and Poetry
a. Drama or Prose
Is there a choice of texts?
English Literature
Modern Texts and Poetry
b. Poetry
15 poems that are set by the exam board and
studied in class (1789 – present day)
A response to an unseen poem
…and finally…
All of the literature examinations are closed
text
There are now no tiers of entry for English
Language or Literature so all students will
sit exactly the same examinations
Assessment will be carried out regularly
during the course so that the progress of all
students can be monitored
Course 4 – Maths – Mr Hughes
• Course structure
• What can I expect
my child to
achieve?
• Assessment
demands
• Support available
Course structure
Higher tier
2 year linear course
100% examination over
3x1½ hr exams
Exam board – Edexcel
Most suitable for sets 1-3
Range of grades available
9-4
Foundation tier
2 year linear course
100% examination over
3x1½ hr exams
Exam board - Edexcel
Suitable for sets 4-6
Range of grades
available 5-1
What can I expect my child to
achieve?
• Monitoring performance
GCSE 9 7 5 4 1
Y11 set A* A B C D E F G U Total
1 33 25 5 63
2 1 13 38 11 1 64
3 1 29 26 5 61
4 2 35 13 1 51
5 4 13 17 13 47
6 1 2 10 6 19
Assessment demands
Multi-step/problem solving elementEg Chris owns a clothes shop.
He bought 50 shirts at £12 for each shirt.
He chose the selling price of each shirt so that he would make a
profit of 30% on each shirt.
He sold 20 shirts at this price.
Chris then reduced the selling price of each shirt by 15%.
He then sold the remaining shirts at this reduced selling price.
Has Chris made a profit or loss?
You must explain your answer clearly.
• Assessed under 5 general headings – Number;
Algebra; Ratio, proportion and rates of change;
Geometry & Measures; Probability & Statistics
Support available (1)
• www.mymaths.co.uk
• Lunchtime support with Mr Hughes and Mrs Mackintosh
Support available (2)
Courses 5 & 6 – Science – Mr G
Jones
Route 2 – “Double” GCSE
science
• Year 10 external exams
GCSE Science
• Year 11 external exams
GCSE Additional
Science
or
GCSE Additional
Applied Science
Keeps Course 7 free to select a
different GCSE subject
For the student who prefers to have
more breadth to their portfolio of
KS4 qualifications
You can pursue GCSE A-Level
science subjects with this route
Students taught in sets based on
ability
Courses 5, 6 & 7– Science – Mr G
Jones
Route 1 – “Triple” GCSE
science
• Year 11 external exams
GCSE Biology
GCSE Chemistry
GCSE Physics
Only for students attaining
National Curriculum level of
6.5 or higher
Students taught in two-groups of
similar ability
Requires “Triple Science” to
be selected in Course 7
leaving only 3 other choices
from Courses 8 - 10
For the student already keen
to specialise in the sciences
and willing to have less
breadth to their portfolio of
KS4 qualifications
Do you need more information about
the science GCSEs before deciding?
Pages 25-34 of the Key Stage 4 Courses
booklet describe the content of the different
science GCSEs in more detail using
diagrams supplied by the AQA exam board
Science Team Leaders will be in Room 48
on Thursday 22nd January to answer any
further questions
3. What courses can your child
study during KS4?
Course
Number
Course Title Ppw =
12/30
7 – CHOICE See option booklet 3
8 – CHOICESee option booklet 3
9 – CHOICE See option booklet 3
10 – CHOICE See option booklet 3
3. What courses can your child study
during KS4?
SINGLE CHOICE ie 10% of curriculum (3ppw)
Art and Design / Art Graphic Communications / 3-Dimensional Design / Photography
Drama
Music/ Music (Technology)
PE – either GCSE or BTEC qualification
3. What courses can your child
study during KS4?
SINGLE CHOICE ie 10% of curriculum (3ppw)
French
German
Spanish
Media Studies
Statistics
ICT: two qualification pathways guided by teachers
3. What courses can your child
study during KS4?
SINGLE CHOICE ie 10% of curriculum (3ppw)
Geography
History
Religious Studies (1 year) – ‘full’ GCSE
– Followed by Sociology in Y11
Business – two qualification pathways guided by teachers
3. What courses can your child
study during KS4?
SINGLE CHOICE ie 10% of curriculum (3ppw)
Design and Technology:
– Food Technology
– Catering
– Textiles
– Resistant Materials
– Product Design
– Systems and Control
– Child Development
3. What courses can your child
study during KS4?
3. What courses can your child study
during KS4?
EXTRAS?
GCSE Dance within Core PE (Course 1)
Other suggestions?
3. What courses can your child
study during KS4?
Individual Programmes – making your
learning personalised to you
MySkills Programme
– builds on Core PHSCE programme
– Students identified by Heads of House
Personal Studies
– support course for students who work with Learning
Support
BE AWARE Courses can only run if…
– … enough students want to do them to make them affordable
Courses that need highly specialist facilities…
– … will have limited numbers of places on them
We will use our professional judgement to decide if a course is appropriate
3. What courses can your child
study during KS4?
KS4 Course Choice Evening 1
Tuesday 20th January
1. How does the KS4 course choice process
work?
2. What courses must your child study during
KS4?
3. What courses can your child choose to study
during KS4?
4. What advice and guidance do
we give about course choices?
4. What advice and guidance do we
give about course choices?
KS4
Courses
booklet
p.8
4. What advice and guidance do we
give about course choices?
How am I going to decide?
English Baccalaureate subjects at GCSE
The following core academic subjects at GCSE are termed English Baccalaureate subjects:
English; mathematics; the sciences (including computing); history or geography; a language.
This combination is believed:
• To provide a strong grounding for lifelong learning
• and enables students to maximise the post-16 progression routes open to them.
Consequently, although this will not be appropriate for all students, we do recommend that you
give very serious consideration to selecting at least one (or more) of the following subjects
through the options process:
• computing;
• French;
• geography;
• German;
• history;
• Spanish;
• triple science.
“English Baccalaureate”
Recognises GCSE achievement at grade C or better in English, maths, double science PLUS....
1 x MFL – ie French, German or Spanish from Courses 7 - 10
1 x “humanity” – ie Geography or History from Courses 7 -10
WOULD LEAVE YOU between 1 and 2 other choices from Courses 7-10
Examination reforms
Only English Lang/Lit and maths
A-G = 9 – 1 (9 = top grade)
Mainly examinations
More depth/demanding
2 years, no modules
Foundation and higher tier
November re-sits (Eng Lang/maths)
What happens this term?
Date / times Event 3
Thursday 22nd
January 2015
6.00 - 8.00 pm
KS4 Course Choices Evening 2:
Market place format in various locations around
school:
All Curriculum Teams offering courses in course
choice columns
Careers advice drop-in opportunity
Staff will be available to discuss whether the courses
they offer will suit your child. Students should
accompany parents in full school uniform
What happens this term?
Date / times Event 4
Thursday 29th
January 2015
Year 9 Parents' Evening
opportunity to discuss progress in those subjects
presently studied and gain further advice regarding
which courses to study in Years 10 and 11.
Date / times Event 5
Monday 2nd
February 2015
Deadline for return of Initial Course Choices
We will use this information to
provide additional advice and guidance to students
regarding the suitability of their initial course
choices
determine whether there should be any change to
course availability
Do the same
for Courses,
8, 9 & 10
What happens this term?
Date / times Event 6
Friday 27th
February 2015
Final Course Choices questionnaire made available
to students
What happens next?
Date / times Event 7
Monday 9th
March 2015
Review Day with tutors - advice and guidance on
option choices.
Date / times Event 8
Friday 13th
March 2015
Deadline for submission of Final Course Choices
form
What happens in summer
term?
Date / times Activities
March - July
• Analysis of student choices
• Determination of course viability – remember
courses can only run if enough students opt for
them
• Advice and guidance if new choices required
• Confirmed choices letter
Thank you for listening
Drive home safely