C URRICULUM INFORMATION EVENING Tuesday 2 nd February 2016

T HE C ORE C URRICULUM GCSE Maths GCSE English Language GCSE English Literature Science – this will be at least 2 GCSE qualifications SRS – including PSCHE, Careers and GCSE Religious Studies PE

T HE C ORE C URRICULUM – MORE DETAILS 6 GCSE qualifications from the core subjects This represents 30 hours of the 50 hour fortnightly timetable Students have a choice as to what they study for the remaining 20 hours of the timetable

C HANGES TO GCSE S IN M ATHS AND E NGLISH Students in the current year 10 will be the first to sit the NEW GCSE exams in English Language, English Literature and Maths Students in the current year 9 will therefore be the second cohort of students to sit these new exams All assessment is in the form of examinations at the end of the course (May/June 2018) – no more coursework There will be an increasing focus in school on ensuring students are ready for the pressures of 100% examination-based courses

T HE IMPORTANCE OF M ATHS AND E NGLISH Though we want our students to leave school with a wide range of skills and knowledge, we place high importance on students leaving school with good levels of literacy and numeracy Students who don’t achieve a ‘good’ grade in Maths or English are required by law to continue studying the subject(s) beyond the age of 16 This requirement holds true whatever a young person wants to do after GCSEs (stay at school, go to a further education college, begin an apprenticeship) At present, a good grade in GCSE is considered to be a C – more about how this is changing later

MATHS AND ENGLISH Staff from the English and Maths departments are available tonight They will be able to discuss changes to the specification, the new grading system, course content etc.

CHANGES IN OTHER SUBJECTS GCSEs for the vast majority of the remaining subjects are changing for this year group The current year 9 will be the first cohort of students to sit the new GCSEs in the following subjects: Science, Art, Computer Science, Drama, Food, Textiles, Geography, History, French, German, Music, PE, Dance, RS As with Maths and English, these new-style GCSEs will have a much greater focus on end-of- course exams, with most ‘coursework’ no longer part of the courses

S CIENCE As part of the Core Curriculum, all students will study Science through years 10 and 11 Most students will work towards a minimum of 2 Science GCSE qualifications Students with a particular interest/ability in Science may choose to study for 3 Science qualifications instead. This is known as the Triple Science option

T RIPLE S CIENCE Students opting for Triple Science must be prepared to work hard. These students will end up with three separate GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Students must bear in mind the fact that this option means that there will be 9 separate Science exams at the end of the two-year course

GCSE GRADES For the new GCSEs the grading system will look very different The lettered grading system (A*-G) is being replaced by a numbered grading system Grades will range from 9 to 1, where 9 is the highest grade. This is for all ‘reformed’ subjects. Of the subjects offered at Thirsk, two remain ‘unreformed’ for a further year, so will continue with the A*-G scale. The subjects are Business Studies and Graphics.

W HAT MIGHT MY GCSE RESULTS LOOK LIKE ? English Literature – 7 English Language – 8 Combined Science 6-7 Maths – 9 Religious Studies - 7 Business Studies – B French – 8 Graphics – A* Textiles - 7

O PTION C HOICES Beyond the core curriculum, students can choose a further four subjects These will be studied over the remaining 20 hours of the fortnightly timetable Students will therefore leave year 11 having gained 10 qualifications

O PTION C HOICES For all students, a minimum of ONE choice must come from the list below: Triple Science Computer Science History Geography French German

W HY THOSE SUBJECTS ? Science, Computer Science, French, German, History and Geography are known as ‘Ebacc’ subjects This stands for ‘English Baccalaureate’. These subjects are considered to be challenging and are highly valued by future employers, colleges or universities. We want to make sure every student leaves school with the best CV possible, which is why we want all students to study at least one.

O PTION C HOICES For all students, a minimum of ONE choice must come from the list below: Triple Science Computer Science History Geography French German

T HE OTHER OPTION SUBJECTS Students have three further free choices.

GCSE SUBJECTS Art & Design Business StudiesGerman Computer ScienceGraphics DanceHistory DramaMusic Food and NutritionPE FrenchTextiles GeographyTriple Science

V OCATIONAL S UBJECTS Subjects which have an emphasis on practical skills Directly relevant to the real world outside of school Often link to particular career routes Flexibility in the timing and style of assessment – fewer end of year exams than GCSEs A significant coursework element remains in these qualifications, unlike most GCSE courses Beneficial if you are able to manage your time well throughout the year and can work to deadlines Nationally recognised qualifications at an equivalent level to GCSEs. Graded differently (Distinction*, Distinction, Merit, Pass)

V OCATIONAL S UBJECTS Engineering (BTEC) Information and Communication Technology (Cambridge National) Health, Social and Early Years Care (Cambridge National) Music (BTEC) Sport (BTEC)

W HAT MIGHT MY GCSE RESULTS LOOK LIKE ? English Literature – 7 English Language – 8 Combined Science 6-7 Maths – 9 Religious Studies - 7 Business Studies – B French – 8 Graphics – A* Health and Social Care – M

E NGLISH B ACCALAUREATE A student can say they have achieved the ‘Ebacc’ if they have gained good grades in English, Maths, Science, one language and one humanity (History or Geography) For those who have ambitions to go on to university after college/sixth form it is a good idea to try to achieve this measure Some courses are very competitive, and some universities may consider GCSEs as well as A-Levels to help them differentiate between excellent candidates. Having the full English Baccalaureate could help a young person’s chances in accessing the course of their choice at college/university

W HAT HAPPENS NEXT ? Options form given out tomorrow Tutors will go through the form with students Students complete form – parents/carers MUST sign it Students return form by Monday (to form tutors) Before Easter, students will hear if they are able to do their preferred choices or if a reserve choice has had to be used This could be for different reasons – subject combination, numbers choosing a subject Make sure you think carefully about your reserve choice

T HESE CHOICES WILL AFFECT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE !

P OOR REASONS FOR CHOOSING A SUBJECT Mates, can all be together... Teacher is fab! Easy course – complete myth Don’t like anything else Brother took this subject..... Mum says I should do it

G OOD REASONS FOR CHOOSING A SUBJECT Career idea, subject links well Based on knowledge from Curriculum Information Evening and Booklet Love of subject Assessment method suits me Researched topics of study Subject matches my hobbies Subject matches my skills and strengths

R EMEMBER ! The final choice is yours, made through listening to and asking all the right people.

W HAT HAPPENS NEXT ? Options form given out tomorrow Tutors will go through the form with students Students complete form – parents/carers MUST sign it Students return form by Monday (to form tutors) Before Easter, students will hear if they are able to do their preferred choices or if a reserve choice has had to be used This could be for different reasons – subject combination, numbers choosing a subject Make sure you think carefully about your reserve choice