Key Stage 4 options

Harnessing the power of the latest technology to raise standards in teaching and learning for all

Choosing subject options in Year 9 is a major decision and an exciting opportunity for students. It is vital that choices are only made after the most careful consideration of all the alternatives. Some subjects are, of course, compulsory in Year 10 and have to be taken. As we are a Technology College we feel it essential that all students choose a technology subject and study ICT in addition to the core subjects in order to develop the skills they will need in later life. Where students are given the opportunity to select other courses, it is obviously important to maintain a broad and balanced programme of study in order to keep as many opportunities open as possible for the future.

In this section of our website you will find information about each course that is offered in Year 10. Please read the information carefully and make the most of the opportunities offered to speak with the teaching staff. At the Options Workshop Evening (28th February) there will be a formal opportunity for parents to discuss subject preferences. Students will also be provided with opportunities to find out about Year 10 and 11 subjects in the course of their normal lessons. Parents can play an invaluable role in helping students to choose appropriate option courses. Students should think carefully about which subjects they enjoy, remembering that they will be working for two years on each one. It is also important for students to consider where their strengths lie and how good they are at each subject. It makes sense to choose those subjects in which the students are going to perform their best.

So much in the future depends on students achieving good GCSE results. The more successful each student is, the more choices will be available when considering a career. At Kingsmead we offer a wide range of courses to suit many individual tastes and needs, all of which provide opportunities for pupils to be successful and help prepare them for adult life. The option process is designed to inform students and parents as fully as possible about choices in Year 10. The Options Workshop Evening will be particularly helpful in explaining more about subject content, delivery and assessment.

C.A. Hilton
Headteacher

Notes for Students

• Discuss your choices with your parents, form tutor and subject teachers.
• Study the Options Booklet carefully for information about the subjects.
• Make your own choices – your friends and family will not do the work for you!
• Do not leave any blank spaces on the form.
• Where you have to write more than one preference (Design and Technology; Options) do not leave a preference blank.

Take great care with your choices – you will not be allowed to change your courses once Year 10 has begun

While every effort will be made to give you the subjects you prefer, this cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, it is important that you give careful thought to all your preferences as you might have to do these subjects 

All students are expected to study each subject for the full two years and will be expected to complete all coursework and take examinations in every subject studies

Key Stage Four Subjects for Years 10 and 11

For the first three years at Kingsmead all students have followed a broad programme of subjects designed to give a good foundation for later studies. In Years 10 and 11 they will have the opportunity to build on this by taking many subjects further and by studying new ones. Some subjects will be compulsory – they are so important that everyone has to do them. There is also the opportunity for students to choose some of the subjects they do. Whatever subjects are studied, all students will follow a balanced programme so that they can keep their choices as wide as possible for Post-16 courses, higher education and careers. Most of our students will continue their studies in the Sixth Form – we offer a wide range of academic and vocational subjects. While no definite decisions are needed at this stage, students will find it worth bearing in mind what they think they might wish to do after Year 11 when giving subject preferences.

This section of our website is designed to give information about Years 10 and 11. Each subject is described and there is some information about the coursework, examinations and homework that can be expected.

Making Choices

During the Spring Term, Year 9 students need to think about subject preferences carefully. They need to consider the effects their decisions may have on their long-term education and career pathways. We hope that parents will discuss these choices at home and that the students will seek advice and information from their teachers at school.

The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)

Most of the courses that students will follow in Years 10 and 11 will lead to a GCSE qualification. These are assessed in two ways:

• Examinations and
• coursework completed during the two years of study.

Throughout Years 10 and 11, students will be expected to complete coursework assessments. These will be set from time to time and will form part of the final mark for the subject. Deadline dates will be issued to each student so that they know about deadlines in advance. They will need to make sure that the work they complete is the very best that they can achieve: they will need to listen to the advice given by subject teachers and be prepared to ask for help and put in extra work.

All GCSE subjects will also assess students by examinations, usually at the end of Year 11 (although there are some examinations in Year 10 and in January of Year 11). They will be tested on the knowledge, understanding and skills they have developed during their studies. Full preparation for the final examinations will be especially important. Revision will need to be ongoing for two years and the students will be given two opportunities to practise examinations – one in Year 10 and the other half way through Year 11.

The GCSE results will be awarded as follows:

A* indicates exceptional performance in the subject.
Double award subjects will result in two grades for the subject.

Homework

Homework will be set for all students throughout the two years of study. It is an important part of the students’ work. It is usually the case that the more homework completed, the more successful students tend to be. Each student will negotiate a homework timetable with subject teachers in order to give a guide as to which subjects will set work on each evening. Homework should be recorded in Personal Organisers and needs to be completed to deadlines. Much of this homework will be to continue with coursework assessments: it may involve extended pieces of work that will take several days or weeks to complete. There will always be homework to do and some time each evening must be put aside to complete it.

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