Key Stage 4 Options Year 8 into 9 John Higgins Vice Principal

“The whole point of schools is that children come first and everything we do must reflect this single goal.” Sir Michael Wilkins Chief Executive Outwood Grange Academies Trust

Given recent external influences from the government, universities and industry, we have recently changed our curriculum model to better meet the needs of our students in this new era The focus will continue to be: high quality outcomes for all students “Students First”

The New KS4 Curriculum

Course choices which are personal to each student There will be a mixture of GCSE and other approved courses (eg BTEC) Choose 3 options which students start in Year 9 and will complete in Year 10 The Academy will offer information, advice and guidance to help students choose the courses that are right for them What are the Option Subjects ?

GCSE courses tend to be assessed with a final (terminal) exam – which carries a significant weighting in the overall grade BTEC (and other vocational courses eg OCR Nationals) tend to be assessed with ongoing portfolio work and a small exam element What is the difference between a GCSE and a BTEC ?

DepartmentSubject ArtArt (GCSE) Business/ PsychologyBusiness Studies (GCSE) Business/ PsychologyPsychology (GCSE) Culture & SocietyReligious Studies (GCSE) Culture & SocietyLaw (GCSE) Culture & SocietyCitizenship Studies (GCSE) Dance/ DramaDance (GCSE) Dance/ DramaDrama (GCSE) DTChild Development (GCSE) DTGraphic (GCSE) DTFood and Nutrition (GCSE) DTProduct Design (GCSE) DTTextiles (GCSE) EnglishMedia Studies (GCSE) GeographyGeography (GCSE) HistoryHistory (GCSE) ICTInformation and Communication Technology – ICT (GCSE) ICTComputing (GCSE) MFLFrench (GCSE) MFLGerman (GCSE) MFLSpanish (GCSE) MusicMusic (GCSE) PEPhysical Education (GCSE) PEFirst Award in Sport (BTEC) Year 8 into 9 Options

Student chooses GCSE History, GCSE French and GCSE PE to study in Years 9 & 10 Sample Timetable Student (1)

YEAR 8 INTO 9 : EXAMPLE YEAR 9 TIMETABLE (September 2015) Core :Maths (4) English (4) Science (4) PE (2) RE/Life (1) Consolidation (1) Option choices :GCSE History (3) GCSE PE (3) GCSE French (3) MondayMATHSENGLISHPESCIENCE Consolidation (Core) Period TuesdayPE HistoryFrench GCSE WednesdaySCIENCE RE/LIFEENGLISHMATHS ThursdayHistory FrenchMATHSPE GCSE FridayENGLISHMATHSENGLISHPESCIENCE (Core)

YEAR 9 INTO 10 : EXAMPLE YEAR 10 TIMETABLE (September 2016) Core :Maths (3) English (4) Science (4) PE (1) RE/Life (1) Continued option choices :GCSE History (4) GCSE PE (4) GCSE French (4) MondayFrench ENGLISHSCIENCE GCSE TuesdayPE ENGLISHFrench GCSE WednesdaySCIENCE RE/LIFEENGLISHMATHS ThursdayHistory MATHSPE GCSE FridayENGLISHMATHSPEHistory (Core)GCSE

We then look at expected grades … end of Y11 in core subjects and end of Y10 in option subjects Student then … Takes GCSE Food to study in Year 11 (6 hrs per week) And also takes ‘Option Maths’ (3 hrs per week) to support their performance in GCSE Maths Sample Timetable Student (1)

YEAR 10 INTO 11 : EXAMPLE YEAR 11 TIMETABLE (September 2017) Core :Maths (4) English (4) Science (6) PE (1) Consolidation (1) Guided Pathway choices : Option Maths (3) GCSE Food (6) MondayMATHSENGLISHFoodSCIENCE GCSE TuesdayOptionSCIENCEPEFood Maths (Core)GCSE WednesdaySCIENCE ENGLISHOption Maths ThursdayFood ConsolidationENGLISHMATHS GCSE Period FridayENGLISHMATHS SCIENCEFood GCSE

Student chooses GCSE Geography, GCSE Art and BTEC Sport to study in Years 9 & 10 They are identified as needing support to achieve a good GCSE grade in English and so takes ‘Option English’ instead of BTEC Sport Sample Timetable Student (2)

YEAR 8 INTO 9 : EXAMPLE YEAR 9 TIMETABLE (September 2015) Core :Maths (4) English (4) Science (4) PE (2) RE/Life (1) Consolidation (1) Option choices :GCSE Geography (3) GCSE Art (3) Option English (3) MondayMATHSENGLISHPESCIENCE Consolidation (Core) Period TuesdayOption ArtGeography English GCSE WednesdaySCIENCE RE/LIFEENGLISHMATHS ThursdayArt GeographyMATHSOption GCSE English FridayENGLISHMATHSENGLISHPESCIENCE (Core)

YEAR 9 INTO 10 : EXAMPLE YEAR 10 TIMETABLE (September 2016) Core :Maths (3) English (4) Science (4) PE (1) RE/Life (1) Continued option choices :GCSE Geography (4) GCSE Art (4) Option English (4) MondayGeography ENGLISHSCIENCE GCSE TuesdayOption ENGLISHGeography English GCSE WednesdaySCIENCE RE/LIFEENGLISHMATHS ThursdayArt MATHSOption GCSE English FridayENGLISHMATHSPEArt (Core)GCSE

We then look at expected grades … end of Y11 in core subjects and end of Y10 in option subjects Student then … Takes BTEC Sport to study in Year 11 (6 hrs per week) And also takes GCSE Statistics (3 hrs per week) Sample Timetable Student (2)

YEAR 10 INTO 11 : EXAMPLE YEAR 11 TIMETABLE (September 2017) Core :Maths (4) English (4) Separate sciences (6) PE (1) Consolidation (1) Guided Pathway choices : GCSE Statistics (3) BTEC Sport (6) MondayMATHSENGLISHSportSCIENCE BTECChemistry TuesdayStatisticsSCIENCEPESport GCSEPhysics(Core)BTEC WednesdaySCIENCE ENGLISHStatistics Biology GCSE ThursdaySport ConsolidationENGLISHMATHS BTEC Period FridayENGLISHMATHS SCIENCESport PhysicsBTEC

What opportunities does this KS4 curriculum offer? Flexibility to take new subjects in Year 11 As a default, 4 (in some cases 5) choices over three years Learning over time for option courses in Years 9 & 10 to promote best possible outcomes for students Chance to use option time to boost grades in core subjects

Points to consider….. Begin with the end in mind !

Points to consider….. English Baccalaureate GCSE English GCSE Maths GCSE Science × 2 Humanities – GCSE History or Geography Language – GCSE French, German or Spanish Grades at C+

Basket SlotSubject Detail 1 1English Compulsory – these double count in a student’s Attainment 8 score 2Maths 2 3EBacc 1 EBacc subjects – GCSEs in Sciences, including Computer Science; Geography/History; MFL 4EBacc 2 5EBacc 3 3 6Other 1 Approved vocational, further EBacc subjects, other GCSE subjects 7Other 2 8Other 3 Points to consider….. Level 2 Threshold Measure “Attainment 8”

IAG – Choosing your EBacc subject To support good achievement in the Level 2 Threshold Measure, follow this guide when choosing options for Y8 into Y9/10: Do you want to study a Language ? Pick either Geography, History or Computer Science plus two further options Choose your Language plus two further options YES NO EBacc Subjects

Points to consider….. In 2013, 65 students at OGA achieved or exceeded their target grade in English having studied Option English In 2013, 58 students at OGA achieved or exceeded their target grades in Maths having studied Option Maths Evidence, across all our schools, points to the positive impact of Option English and Maths Option English / Option Maths

Points to consider….. Raised Participation Age: Children should be in education or training until the end of the academic year when they are 18

Who can help ? Subject staff at Options Evening and over the next few weeks VMG Mentor Older students in a mentor group Learning Manager - Mrs. Long Parents Friends – but beware of the dark side! Make use of Praising Stars © predictions

To summarise …. Three option course choices to start in Year 9 and complete in Year10; at least one EBacc option subject For the majority of students, at least one further option course in Year 11 Plan course choices for Year 9/10 – these should be the main option subjects a student wants to study; view Year 11 as a bonus year We are only collecting choices for Year 9/10 now

Student Review and Option Day Monday 26 January pm to 7.00pm Options Deadline Monday, 2 February 2015

STUDENTS FIRST