Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

YEAR 8 OPTIONS EVENINGJANUARY 2016

WELCOME

Dr IngatePrincipal

KEY STAGE 4 CURRICULUM & OPTIONS PROCESS

Mr ConnorAssistant Principal

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

WHAT ARE OPTIONS?

All students in all secondary schools across the country take part in an options process.

Options is the term used to describe the subjects you choose to study at GCSE level.

Options allow you to make choices about what you study at school and what qualifications you will achieve at 16.

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

WHY A THREE YEAR GCSE?

Greater depth of learning – Students knowledge, skills and understanding can be developed over a longer, more sustained period of time.

Greater personalisation – Students have earlier ownership of their educational pathway and research has shown that this is vital in securing highly motivated learners, good behaviour and improved outcomes.

Greater level of challenge – Students are introduced to more complex ideas and material at a younger age to stimulate progression.

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

EDUCATIONAL REFORM

NEW GCSE’s

From September 2016 all subjects will be running new GCSEs. Many subjects will become examination only with controlled assessment or coursework units being removed or slimmed down in value. There will also be a new grading system for GCSE.Grades will now run from 1 – 9 as opposed to the ‘old’ system of G – A*.It is fair to say that the new GCSEs are more challenging and require a greater depth of knowledge.

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

EDUCATIONAL REFORM

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

EDUCATIONAL REFORM

BTECs.

Equivalent qualification to GCSE.

Some eight million people can boast a BTEC qualification.

Modular, Academic, practical, skills-based.

As with GCSEs they have been redesigned to satisfy more challenging criteria.

BTECs will be assessed and graded using a different system from GCSE.

Provide excellent progression to Sixth Form, College and Apprenticeships.

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

EDUCATIONAL REFORM

ENGLISH BACCALAUREATE (E BACC)

Not a separate qualification in itself but a government driven expectation. All schools nationally have to ensure increasing numbers of students are studying for E BACC subjects.

Recognises good performance (Grade 5 or above) in the following: English (Language or Literature)

MathsScience A Modern Foreign Language (French, Spanish or German)A Humanities Subject (History or Geography)

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

FUTURE PROGRESSIONAll students now have to stay in education or training until the age of 18.

The majority of Birchwood students enter sixth form after GCSEs. This requires a strong set of results (GCSE grades averaging 4/5 or above) across all of your subjects. Most of these (80%) will also go on to university.

Some students opt for college courses. These will require GCSE grades averaging 3/4 or equivalent BTEC grades.

A smaller number of students will opt for apprenticeships. This number is likely to grow as the government have pledged to provide three million apprenticeships by 2020. Grade requirements will vary.

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

THE CORE CURRICULUM

ENGLISH All students will study for both English Language GCSE and English Literature GCSE.

MATHS All students will study Maths GCSE.SCIENCE The majority of students will study Triple or Double Science

GCSE. Some students will study Core Science GCSE.PE All students will still receive compulsory core PE. This is not

examined.SOCIAL STUDIES All students will receive an hour a week. This includes

statutory units on Religious Studies, Citizenship & PSHE.

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

PATHWAYS EXPLAINED

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

Pathway 1 and 2Students who are a capable of taking Triple or Double Science and are considered strong linguists will be expected to follow this pathway. In total they would study for 11 or 12 GCSE level qualifications and be expected to progress on to sixth form or equivalent to study A levels.

Core Core Core Core Core Block Block Block

English Maths PE 

Triple or Double Science

Social Studies 

HistoryGeography

 

FrenchSpanishGerman

 

MusicArt

DramaDanceFrench

StatisticsPE

HistoryReligious Studies

Geography Media OR Film Studies

R.M. OR Graphics OR Textiles Food

ICT BTECBusiness Studies BTEC

Health & Social Care BTEC 

(Maximum two tech to be taken)

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

Pathway 3

Students who are able to do the Double Science course and at least one Humanities or Language subject. In total they would study for 10 or 11 GCSE level qualifications and be expected to progress on to sixth form, college or an apprenticeship.

Core Core Core Core Core Block Block

English Maths PE 

Double Science Social Studies  

HistoryGeography

FrenchSpanishGerman

 

MusicArt

DramaDanceFrench

StatisticsPE

HistoryReligious Studies

Geography Media OR Film Studies

R.M. OR Graphics OR Textiles Food

ICT BTECBusiness Studies BTEC

Health & Social Care BTECConstruction BTEC

 (Maximum two tech to be taken)

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

Pathway 4

Students who require to work at a more manageable pace suited to their needs and should achieve at least 5 GCSE’s or their equivalent. They may also would benefit form work related learning later in the programme. Students will progress to college or onto apprenticeships.

Target Average Level 4

Core Core Core Core Core Block

English Maths PE 

Science Social Studies MusicArt

DramaDance

PEReligious Studies

Media OR Film StudiesResistant Materials OR Textiles OR Graphics

Business Studies BTECHealth & Social Care BTEC

Construction BTEC ICT BTEC

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

THE OPTIONS FORM

Options forms will be allocated to students on the different pathways.

Subjects should be ranked in order of preference when making choices.

A reserve subject must be considered carefully and treated as a viable choice.

Some courses will be dependent on student numbers and some courses will have a limited capacity. This may therefore lead to changes to some allocations.

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

TIMELINE

Friday 22 January- Year 8 interims.

Friday 22 January- Option Booklets taken home.

Tuesday 26 January - Options forms given out.

Tuesday 26 January - Options Evening.

Tuesday 1 March - Year 8 Parents Evening.

Thursday 3 March - Deadline for completed options forms to be handed in.

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

INFORMATION, ADVICE & GUIDANCE

Parents and carers – What might you want to do in the future? Which subjects are you strongest at or enjoy the most? Which subjects do your parents think are your best?

Older siblings – What was their experience of options choices? Is there anything they would have done differently?

Form tutors – Advice and guidance on the options process.

Subject teachers – These are the best people to speak to if you are unsure about your suitability for a subject or if you are still unsure of what a subject will be like.

KS4 Options booklet – Contains all the information

Careers guidance websites https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/youngpeople/Pages/Youngpeople.aspx

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge

MAKING SENSIBLE CHOICES

• Don’t panic!

• A successful combination.

• It’s about YOU, not your friends.

• It’s about the COURSE, not the teacher.

• The ‘reserve’ is important.

• Take your time – Thursday 3 March.

Birchwood High School your dreams, your future, our challenge