St Edwards 8 Pages 09 - 25459:Layout 1 - St Edward's C of E School

Key Stage 4The following range of option subjects at GCSE is availableat present:Humanities: Technology:GeographyHistoryCitizenshipBusiness StudiesCreative Art:ArtDramaMusicPEMedia StudiesMathematics:StatisticsScience:Separate ScienceAstronomyApplied ICTBusiness CommunicationsGraphicsElectronicsResistant MaterialsFood TechnologyCateringTextilesChild DevelopmentLanguages:FrenchGermanSpanishMandarin [Chinese]In addition to their GCSE subjects, all students in Years 10and 11 study physical education and also undertake a coursein personal, social and health education, studying modulesto prepare them for life as adults and their role as citizensin the wider community. Current modules include:Careers (Year 10)Personal Relationships (Years 10 and 11)Drug Education (Year 10)Citizenship (Years 10 and 11)Maths: Pupils are set in 'loose' ability groups within amonth of joining Year 7.Modern Languages: French, German and Spanish haveequal weighting across the school. All students study twoEuropean languages and many study Mandarin as a thirdlanguage. In Year 7 the whole year group have tasterlessons of the same language, with half studying the secondlanguage and the other half studying the third languagein more detail. In Year 8 the students are placed in setsaccording to their ability, and at this stage the most ablelinguists will begin to study Mandarin, whilst the secondcohort will study an equal amount of both the main andtaster languages they started in Year 7 with one tasterlesson of Mandarin each fortnight. The remainder of Year 8will continue with the one main language and a second‘taster’ language as in Year 7. These arrangements continueinto Year 9, allowing students the option of studying a fullcourse to GCSE in one, two or three modern languagesduring Key Stage 4.Curriculum Year 10-11(Key Stage 4)All students study a broad, balanced and differentiatedcurriculum, the core of which consists of a full GCSE coursein English, English Literature, Mathematics, Double or TripleScience, and a full or short GCSE course in Religious Studies.A further four, four and a half or five subjects or theirequivalent in full and half subjects are chosen from anoption scheme. All students study a modern language.There is also the opportunity to study one or two otherlanguages, history and/or geography, a technologicalsubject and/or a creative subject. The majority of studentstherefore sit ten and a half or eleven subjects at GCSE,although two possible option choices are made.‘Vocational Studies’ and ‘Support’, neither of which lead toa GCSE examination. Students following one or both ofthese would therefore sit 9 or 8 GCSE’s. Those studyingthree modern languages and/or triple Science may sit upto 12 and a half GCSE’s. Constraints on the viability of someoptions sometimes occur in the form of low student choice orstaffing. Staff advice, student preference and career needsare all taken into account when students are counselled onoption choices, and detailed brochures are supplementedby meetings and interviews with parents and studentsbefore final decisions on option choices are made.Sixth FormIn October the Sixth Form prospectus for the followingyear is published and this is followed soon afterwards byan information evening for parents and students regardingthe options available in the sixth form. Students who applyfor admission to the sixth form are interviewed in the springterm. For further information about this please ask for asixth form prospectus.Personal, Social and Health Education covers financialresponsibility, personal relationships (sex education),drug education and citizenship.6