1 | CollegeClifton 2022/23 — Together, we are Clifton BookCurriculum Sixth Form 2022/23 cliftoncollege.com
Pg. 92 Subject Choices
Pg. 36 English & Modern Foreign Languages
Pg. 22 Science
Pg. 68 Music & Drama
The Sixth Form Journey
FacilitiesContents
Pg. 06
Pg. 20
Pg. 74 Creative Subjects
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Additional Support
Pg. 19 ICT
Pg. 90
Pg. 56 Politics, Economics & Business
Pg. 32 Mathematics
Pg. 12 Admission to the Sixth Form
Pg. 52 Philosophy, Ethics & Theology
Pg. 62 Physical Education & Sport
Pg. 15 University & Careers Support
Pg. 14 EnrichmentAcademic and Scholarship
Pg. 84 Computing Pg. 88 Sector E
Pg. 44 Classics Pg. 48 Humanities
Pg. 18 Libraries
Dr Tim Greene Head of College
StudentsDear
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This booklet gives you atSixthareopportunitiesrangeaboutinformationthewideofacademicthatavailabletoaFormstudentCliftonCollege.
Choosing which subjects to study in the Sixth Form is not an easy decision, so it is very important that you spend time exploring the many possible options to gain an understanding of what is involved in the study of each subject. The choice of A Levels or BTECs is clearly an important step in your future academic career, influencing the university and degree courses to which you can make a successful application. If you are finding it difficult to decide what is best to do next then do please come and see me or the Deputy Head (Academic) or Head of Sixth Form and we will be happy to discuss the options with you.
The shared cultural experiences that students encounter in the Sixth Form foster life-long friendships and provide the foundations for our strong, supportive community. However, we encourage students to follow their own interests, both academic and co-curricular, and to draw on the College’s myriad resources in pursuit of excellence and self-fulfilment. The College is justifiably proud of the Nobel Prize winners and distinguished actors, engineers and military leaders amongst its alumni; but it has never sought to produce a ‘model’ type of student and those joining the Sixth Form should view their journey ahead with excitement, optimism and an open mind.
Expectations are high, and there will be challenges to overcome, but students will find themselves supported at every stage by dedicated, highlyqualified teachers and support staff.
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The FormSixthJourney
Clifton combines the traditions of an historic British public school with the values of a community.globally-mindedprogressive,
I hope you find the following pages both informative and of interest.
Nicholas Mills Head of Sixth Form
The vast majority of our Year 11 students choose to continue into the Sixth Form. Here they are joined each year by roughly 50 talented students from other schools in the UK and overseas, who enhance the richness and diversity of the Sixth Form and help make it such a dynamic and stimulating environment.
Self-discovery and personal development lie at the heart of any student’s journey through Clifton’s Sixth Form, forming the basis of a happy and successful life beyond school. The opportunities provided by the College are boundless, both inside and outside of the classroom, and everything we do is aimed to encourage leadership, perseverance and resourcefulness, underpinned by a tolerance for others.
—An inspirational learning environment
At the heart of all teaching and learning in the Sixth Form is boundslifepreparationdevelopment,ofencouragementtheintellectualinforbeyondtheofClifton.
Clifton also enjoys an unrivalled science heritage with numerous Nobel Prize winners amongst its alumni. This legacy is reflected today in the highly equipped and well-staffed
Science School, which includes the Stone Library containing approximately 5,000 scientific
of our most cherished buildings is the beautiful Grade II listed Chapel, which has provided a focal point for the College community over the years, hosting services, concerts and a wide range of other events.
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Our A Level and BTEC teachers encourage intellectual risk taking, and deliberately create an environment where students are free to question, free to discover, free to try and free to succeed. Although every student has different abilities, talents and levels of confidence, we believe they all have a unique contribution to make and we ask each to aspire to the highest standards of which he or she is
Anotherbooks.
The Percival Library is a beautiful Grade II listed building, home to more than 15,000 books, a multi-use seminar space and a dedicated Careers Hub. This and other specialised buildings, such as the Joseph Cooper Music School and the Redgrave Theatre, ensure our students have access to firstclass facilities, which enhance their educational experience.
Thecapable.distinctive, historic buildings at Clifton provide an inspirational backdrop for learning with an enviable mix of modern facilities and traditional 19th century architecture.
The extensive offering of games, activities and events that take place outside of the classroom are more than just add-on extras, they form part of the well-rounded education that is the ‘Clifton lifestyle’. In the Sixth Form as throughout the Upper School, students lead busy, active and fulfilling days, where they are able to learn valuable skills and discover new enthusiasms and talents. The school week is balanced between lessons, sport, drama, outdoor pursuits, CCF, community work, clubs and societies ranging from code breaking to mountain biking or climbing.
Clifton provides a secure, attractive and potential.theirequippedindividuals,andwell-roundedtoyoungenvironmentchallengingforpeoplebecomecapabletofulfilownunique
Inter-House competitions in many aspects of school life, including drama, art, music, debating and sport, are keenly contested and allow students to challenge themselves in areas never previously considered, and to discover new talents.
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a well-established programme to thoroughly prepare students for Oxbridge and Medicine applications. Additionally, every year we support students in their successful application to leading universities overseas, such as in the USA and in Europe.
A Clifton education truly provides limitless opportunities and the Sixth Form in particular is a time when both academic and personal futures are shaped.
The academic foundation and quiet confidence instilled in our Sixth Form students enables them to venture in any direction they choose. Leavers progress to the UK’s elite universities. Upwards of 80% of Cliftonians go on to Russell Group universities or 1994 Group university and there is
—An all-round education
There is no such thing as a typical Cliftonian. All students can be themselves and form friendships that last a lifetime, whether they have been in the school from age 2 or from age 16. The school provides a real sense of community, with many opportunities in the years after Clifton to network and join together again through the Old Cliftonian Society.
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The benefits of a single-sex House, in conjunction with mixed tutor groups and a co-educational learning environment, encourage
Unlike some schools, we do not offer Houses that are exclusively Sixth Form; we believe that the sense of ‘family’ and the opportunities for leadership are best provided in a House with a 13-18 age range. However, we recognise that, as a group, the Sixth Form also needs to have its own identity and space, so the Houses are designed to allow this and the Junior Common Room located in the Crypt provides a social focus for Sixth Formers from every House to meet together and socialise.
The communityClifton brings together girls and boys, day pupils and religiousboarders,faiths and nationalities.
students to value each other as brothers and sisters in their Houses and respected colleagues in the classroom. Through common experiences and varied social interaction, individuals learn to appreciate and respect each other, building a community with strong cultural awareness. Our Sixth Form students set a strong example in this regard.
—The Sixth Form Lifestyle
At present, 39 subjects are offered as A Level or BTEC options (see the index on page 92). Most students initially follow four subjects in the Lower Sixth, before narrowing this down to three subjects during the course of the Michaelmas term.
In addition, we operate a ‘Sector E’. Sector E allows students to pursue additional interests, in areas such as performance (LAMDA) or photography, or to choose an additional two-year GCSE, AS or BTEC course, such as a Modern Foreign Language. Where necessary, others may take the opportunity to re-sit Mathematics or English GCSE.
We require three grade 7s or above, and three grades 6s at GCSE* as the requirement for external and internal entrants to Clifton College Sixth Form.
At Clifton we offer a wide range of A Level subjects.
In all cases, the Head Master will review each student’s performance and admission to the Sixth Form is at his discretion. Individual departments also have minimum entry criteria which are detailed in this booklet (please see curriculum pages *Please19-86).
However, some students may choose to continue with four subjects. Students will not sit AS examinations at the end of the Lower Sixth, but it may be suggested in some circumstances, and some students may choose to sit AS examinations at the end of Upper Sixth.
Admission to the Sixth Form
A Levels are highly appropriate qualifications for preparing students for entry to university, and allow students to study subjects in which they have a particular interest, and to explore these in depth. However, there are an increasing number of routes into Higher Education and the world of work for which other qualifications may be more appropriate. That is why we also offer a small number of BTEC Level 3 qualifications alongside our suite of A Level courses.
note: throughout this booklet any mention of ‘GCSE’ is used to refer to GCSE or IGCSE.
—Entry requirements—AS and A Levels
Is there a particular degree or career I am interested in? For example, if you are planning to do Medicine at university, you
contribution to a co-curricular activity, improved application in lessons and many more.
There are a number subjectsdecidingthemselvesshouldquestionsofstudentsaskwhenwhichtochoose.
The points mount up and when designated totals have been met, students' efforts will be rewarded, hopefully spurring them on to reach the next target.
At A Level you will study subjects in far more depth than at GCSE, so you need to have a genuine interest in the subject to sustain the enthusiasm that will underpin your work.
What do I enjoy doing?
Praise points are also regularly awarded to students during lessons and co-curricular activities, recognising many different aspects of effort and achievement such as contribution to class discussion, excellent effort in prep, excellent
should almost certainly choose Chemistry, whilst Biology and Mathematics are advisable. For Engineering at top universities, Mathematics and often Physics are essential whilst Further Mathematics is strongly advised. Natural Sciences courses also have specific requirements. The Head of Sixth Form can give you more advice on these requirements.
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All Sixth Form students are assigned a tutor who oversees their pastoral wellbeing and progress.academic
Each tutor group of about eight students is composed of a mix of boys and girls, day students and boarders from within a year group. This diversity encourages
The Upper School at Clifton operates a two-week timetable consisting of 30 periods, most of which are 50 minutes long.
Sector E and one for a PSHE lesson on Wednesday afternoon. The remaining periods are for private study, and the appropriate use of these is a key study skill for students to learn.
You may also find it useful to visit the Russell Group’s Informed Choices website www.informedchoices.ac.uk or the Unifrog platform to help you understand which subjects open up different degrees.
—Academic progress
Subjects have 12 periods per fortnight in the Lower Sixth and 13 in the Upper Sixth. Most subjects split these lessons between two teachers. In addition to timetabled lessons, some lessons are allocated for
you need to speak to your parents/guardians, but you may also find it helpful to speak to your mayDeputyHeadtutor,Housemaster/mistress,HeadsofDepartment,ofSixthForm,andtheHead(Academic).Italsobehelpfultospeak to current members of the Sixth Form.
students to engage with a range of views when discussing topical issues and to become familiar with different aspects of school Atlife.every half term and end of term, students will receive either a grade or written report assessing their effort and Theattainment.attainment grades (A*-U) are not examination predictions but give an indication of how well they have performed in that period when judged against the examination standard.
What am I good at? Naturally, you need to take account of your ability in a subject. On this point, please also see the regardinginYoupredictoroftheoretical,atbasedexample,onnotpage.subjectrequirementsdepartmentalatGCSEforeachontherelevantsubjectHowever,youshouldjustchoosesubjectsbasedyourcurrentgrades.ForPEatGCSEisheavilyonassessedwork,whilstALevelitismuchmoresoyourcurrentlevelattainmentmaynotbeagoodoffuturesuccess.willprobablyneedhelpmakingtherightdecisionsubjects.Obviously
—The weekly structure
In order of priority, the questions should be as follows:
Tutors will use all this information to give praise where relevant or to suggest strategies for improvement, which may include targeted academic intervention. It is important to establish good study skills and time management, another area in which tutors can assist.
—Choosing subjects
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With student societies ranging from the Scientific Society to the Modern Foreign Language Film Society, student-led publications such as The Clifton Herald and The Clifton Scholar, regular guest talks by leaders in academia, business and the voluntary sector, subject conferences and inspiring trips, each student can find their true academic niche in the Sixth Form at Clifton.
Any student demonstrating the traits of an academic scholar can join this elite group at set points each year, and through continued excellence remain part of it, during their time at Clifton.
At the heart of academic enrichment in the Sixth Form is the Extended Project Qualification. Open for all Lower Sixth students to join, the EPQ consists of two parts: a taught course, through which those enrolled receive instruction in indispensable academic and research skills, and the opportunity to apply those
Academic Enrichment and Scholarship
The benefits: a coherent programme of academic challenge and scholarship mentoring that equips students with the knowledge, mental agility and academic skills they need to thrive in the very top academic environments around the world.
Studentsproject.
skills through completing an independently-driven research
have almost complete freedom in choosing the topics of their projects, which can focus on secondary or primary research, design and construction, or event management, and are assigned individual supervisors to support them throughout the process. The EPQ offers students invaluable preparation for their lives beyond
—
Veterinary Science courses, are invited to join the Pippard Society.
Our belief that each individual student has the capacity to excel academically underpins everything we do at Clifton. It drives the highest standards of teaching and learning within our classrooms and the breadth of enrichment opportunities we offer our students.
LowerCollege.Sixth
This provides students a programme of preparation for their most ambitious applications through centralised sessions focused on academic skill development and disciplinespecific sessions focused on subject knowledge and the skills required for specific university entrance tests such as the BMAT, UCAT and TSA.
students who anticipate making applications for highly competitive courses at elite universities, such as Oxford, Cambridge and leading universities in the US and Europe, or applications for Medical or
And for those students especially motivated to shine academically there is our sector-leading scholarship programme, neatly summarised by ‘Growth, Opportunity and Accountability’. In the Sixth Form, this takes the form of the Kendrew Society.
Most Cliftonians apply to UK universities, but there are always candidates who go further afield, including to the USA, Canada, Hong Kong and continental Europe. The College has considerable expertise in all these areas, but students should
—The application cycle
from outside the College; but they must realise that it is their future and they must reach decisions with which they are happy.
The LowerLentunderwaycycleapplicationreallygetsintheTermoftheSixth.
Each year a handful of students may chose to enrol on an apprenticeship scheme or another alternative to university. Plenty of guidance and support is available to such students via the Careers Hub (see below).
There is a wealth of advice and support available to Sixth Form students throughout the
—University entrance
It is very much the norm university.moveCliftoniansfortoonto
There is both breadth and depth of advice and support on which students can draw.
University & Careers
—Advice and support
Morning, which lays out the university application process.
A great deal of time and effort is devoted to ensuring that wise and sensible choices are made by each and every student.
Predicted UCAS grades, informed by the end of year exams, are submitted by
teachers at the end of the Summer Term and are then reviewed at the start of the Michaelmas Term of the Upper Sixth. It is at this point that students start to send off their applications, with the strong recommendation that all applications are submitted well before the end of the Michaelmas Term.
Subject teachers provide specialist advice as required, notably in the putting together of UCAS personal statements.
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There are plentiful online resources available to support students in their research of universities and courses. In particular, all students are registered on the Unifrog platform (www.unifrog.org) that encourages them to
In the second half of the Summer term Lower Sixth students are able to begin the process of filling in their UCAS applications. At this point they must start to focus their thinking in terms of their chosen course and likely destination.
university application process. The whole cohort is overseen by the Head of Sixth Form, supported by Lower and Upper Sixth Senior Tutors.
Applicants need to reply to their offers by May of the Upper Sixth, and advice is available again at this stage.
explore the widest range of higher education pathways. The Careers and Higher Education Hub adjacent to the Percival Library also provides a dedicated space where students can gain advice and pursue their Students'research. involvementHousemistressbyapplicationsindividualaresupervisedtheirHousemasterorwithplentyoffromtheirtutors.
A university education can be very worthwhile but it is a significant commitment both in terms of time and cost, and students should embark on their applications with plenty of accurate information and selfStudentsawareness.will receive guidance from teachers, Housemasters/mistresses,tutors, the Head of Sixth Form, the Head of University Entrance, and experts
CollegeClifton 2022/23
make their intentions known as soon as possible if they are intending to apply overseas.
Students are also encouraged to visit university open days, particularly in June.
At this stage, students are encouraged to start considering their options and researching the possibilities. Parents and guardians are also brought onboard at this point by means of a Lower Sixth Information
A useful guide is mostly 9s or A*s at GCSE, with perhaps just a few 8s.
The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge are two of the world’s preeminent institutions. Competition for places at these universities is fierce but an attractive and realistic option for the most academically able and ambitious students.
—Oxbridge
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Applicants for Veterinary Science, Medicine and Dentistry should also expect to be interviewed. Guidance is provided to all Sixth Form students about interview technique and in the Michaelmas Term of the Upper Sixth they have the opportunity to sign up for practice interviews with members of staff.
A decision to apply to either Oxford or Cambridge should not be taken lightly and should ideally follow discussions with relevant subject teachers, tutors and curiosity.workacademicareOxbridgeOxbridgepreparationskeenbebutrelevantoftargetedCandidatesHousemasters/mistresses.willbegivensupportandplentyguidancefromwithintheacademicdepartment;suchstudentsneedtohighlyself-motivatedandtotakeontheextensiverequiredforanyapplication.admissionstutorslookingfor“scholars”withtalent,anexcellentethicandrealintellectual
In addition to interviewing candidates, both Oxford and Cambridge make use of some extremely demanding admissions tests for which lots of preparation is required.
—Interview practice and support
A credible applicant will exhibit a genuine passion for their subject, evidenced by plentiful wider reading and additional independent work.
The consideration of an Oxbridge application begins seriously in February of the Lower Sixth year, but suitable candidates will have had to perform extremely well at GCSE.
While majoritytheof UK universities choose not Cambridge.notablyareapplicants,interviewtheresomethatdo,Oxfordand
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In addition, various members of staff are able to give expert guidance on the complex world of gap year opportunities, which are popular with a significant number of students, and the relevant resources are easily accessible in the Percival Library or online.
The Head of Sixth Form can also advise and assist those Cliftonians who plan to move directly into the world of work, in withconjunctiontheHead of Careers.
—Employment and gap year options
The libraries at Clifton College play a crucial role in enjoyment.readingandacademicsupportingsuccessencouragingfor
Libraries
School also has its own dedicated maths and science libraries, the latter of which contains 5,000 scientific books and periodicals and is home to some rare books and manuscripts, including a first edition of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.
The Percival Library is staffed by three professional librarians who support teaching and learning, encourage reading for pleasure and provide a relaxed, creative and welcoming space. Housed in a beautiful Grade II building that dates back to 1870 (and is often compared to Hogwarts), the library contains 15,000 books, magazines, DVDs, graphic novels and manga. Students also have access to ebooks and audiobooks and online databases such as JSTOR, a vast collection of academic
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journals. The librarians run an inspiring and engaging programme of activities, competitions and author events throughout the year as well as many co-curricular clubs and societies. Creative Writing Group, Pride Society, Board Game Club, Film Society and the Clifton Herald student newspaper are all facilitated by the librarians. A team of dedicated and enthusiastic student librarians help to make the Percival a fun, creative and vibrant space for all.
Adjacent to the Percival Library is the Careers and Higher Education Hub, where students can find expert advice and research their post-Clifton
Theoptions.Upper
There is also excellent ICT provision throughout the College. A state-of-the-art fibre optic network links more than 700 computers located in nine computer suites, academic areas and Houses. All classrooms have network points, as do all House libraries and student studies. The Percival Library has some 40 network points for student laptops. Students can also connect to the school network via wireless hubs throughout the Thecampus.ITDepartment, which supports the development of the College’s use of ICT, is made up of eight technicians and developers. A dedicated Help Desk is available for students to solve any IT issues they might have.
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All subjects use ICT in their teaching, including the use of the College Intranet as a teaching resource, where an extensive range of learning materials can be located by students, both inside and outside of the classroom.
“A state-of-theart fibre optic network links more than suites.”incomputers700locatedninecomputer
ICT at Clifton is a high priority, both as a subject in its own right and as a means of subjects.learningteachingenhancingandinall
Information TechnologyCommunicationand
Facilities
Our combination of heritage and modern facilities make for a magical learning environment that inspires our students and offers resources to develop their individual skills and talents.
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BookCurriculum
FormSixth
Dr Malcolm Grohmann Head of Biology Science
“By studying biological systems we better understand both ourselves and the world we live in.”
Additional features
Popular combinations with other subjects include Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and Geography but students also choose to study Biology alongside a range of Arts subjects.
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Finally, in collaboration with the Geography Department, we have offered summer expeditions with operation
Grade 7 (or A) in GCSE Biology and grade 6 (or B) in Mathematics; a good level of competence in Chemistry.
The department follows the linear Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) specification,
Medicine, veterinary, dentistry, pharmaceutical, occupational health, education, biomedical research, microbiologyconservation,managementenvironmentalandTV,foodandtonameafew.
Biology is an intrinsically interesting and universally accessible subject. It is the scientific study of life and, as such, it encompasses the investigation of living organisms and life processes, from the molecular, through cells and individual organisms, to populations and whole communities of animals and plants. Since we are living things, by studying biological systems we better understand both ourselves and the world we live in. Therefore, we can make more informed decisions on our own health and our Ourenvironment.ALevelcourse helps students develop essential knowledge and understanding of biological concepts and scientific methods.
Course content and assessment
RequirementsEntry
Course Offered
with formal assessment at the end of the Upper Sixth. Our integrated approach to the teaching of our subject considers biological concepts alongside their relevant contexts. Each of the topics that make up the A Level course are introduced with a context related to the modern world and the application of Biology. Biological principles are introduced when required to aid understanding of the context, so that the theory always has an obvious relevance. Practical work is integrated within the delivery of each topic.
The Lower Sixth year starts by considering the risk of certain lifestyle choices and genes on health, then follows with the control of development, biodiversity and natural resources, with mathematical and practical skills embedded throughout. The Upper Sixth year then goes on to further consider ecology, immunity and forensics. It then culminates with topics such as the nervous system, respiration and learning. A Level assessment in the Upper Sixth comprises three 2 hour papers which cover all course material, including experimental methods and mathematical skills. The third paper additionally involves questions on a pre-release scientific article. Students complete core practicals in class over the two year period, and this enables them to achieve the ‘practical endorsement’ which is awarded at the end of the A Level course.
Facilities and staff
What subjects does combineBiologywith?
help students at all times. The Biology Department is equipped with five modern laboratories, an ICT suite and a lecture theatre. We have an impressive collection of zoological specimens and live animals, and a newly developed pond and wildlife garden. The Stone Library, a dedicated science library, has a superb collection of books, periodicals and online journals. Clinics are held every week by a member of the Biology Department for anyone wishing to have some extra help.
Biology
Importantly, studying Biology leads to a wealth of careers and is at the forefront of many modern developments. Manipulation of genetic systems in both animals and plants, to increase food supplies or produce medicines, for example, has enormous potential to revolutionise our lives. Biologists will be required to further develop this technology and devise safe Ourapplications.coursesare also
The team of six staff are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and hope to inspire, engage and
Potential careers
particularly well suited to those interested in vocational degrees such as Medicine and Physiotherapy.
Pupils with a Medicine, Veterinary or Dentistry aspiration are also supported on a weekly basis to help with university applications.
Wallacea. Recent destinations have included Mexico and Madagascar.
The Biology Department aims to inspire students above and beyond the curriculum. We organise several exciting events for the Sixth Form throughout the year, including a field trip to Wales to study succession, a CSI evening, a conservation study session in Bristol Zoo and a trip to the Bristol University labs to participate in a real biological investigation. Students also have the opportunity to compete in the Biology Olympiad in June. Bonus biology and natural history clubs also encourage pupils to stretch and challenge themselves, be it through dissections or through the study of the genetics of fruit flies.
A Level Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield)
Facilities
Potential careers
“Chemistry is unusual for thinking.”andwithpracticalcombinationitsofskillsbothlogicalconceptual
Samantha Palmer Head of Chemistry
We study the OCR A course which challenges students with a well balanced mix of theoretical and practical
Chemistry is most often chosen alongside other science subjects. It is also advantageous to study Mathematics to assist with the high mathematical content of the specification. If choosing Chemistry to continue studying the subject at degree level, Mathematics is essential.
Course content and assessment
A Level OCR A Chemistry
RequirementsEntry Offered
technical support. The students also have access to the Stone Library, the Science ICT facilities and the Kendrew lecture theatre.
Thecontent.course is split into six modules and, although there is no longer any examined coursework, students are expected to be able to answer exam questions on practical work and are awarded a practical endorsement as part of the A Level.
Clinics are held in the library on a weekly basis by a member of the Chemistry Department for anyone wishing to have some extra help or tuition. Students also take part, and have had considerable success, in both the RSC Chemistry Olympiad and Cambridge Chemistry Challenge competitions. There are also opportunities to compete against other schools in the RSC Analytical Chemistry Competition and visit the University of Bristol and their chemistry laboratories. The research without-borders trip which we have organised in recent academic years enables students to interact with real life researchers and develop their communication skills.
The Chemistry Department is equipped with five modern laboratories with superb
Research scientist, doctor, pharmaceutical R&D and quality assurance, veterinary science, materials scientist, chemical engineer analytical chemist, accountant, patent attorney, teacher to name a few popular examples.
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What subjects does combineChemistrywith?
Chemistry
featuresAdditional
Chemistry is unusual for its combination of practical skills with both logical and conceptual thinking. The A Level course is spiral in structure with each level of learning building on the last, with many topics from the GCSE revisited and explored in more detail. Students will begin to picture the atom as more than just a disc on a piece of paper, and understand how the interactions of protons and electrons can explain everything from the colour of a crystal to the structure of a pharmaceutical drug. Although challenging, Chemistry A Level provides the tools to understand the world around us whilst also teaching a range of skills applicable to almost any university course. Chemistry is compulsory for all those wishing to study Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Sciences at university.
Grade 7 (or A) in GCSE Chemistry and Mathematics. Course
“Physics delves into the concepts that explain the universe, from the very small subatomic right through to cosmology.”
Patrick Jones Head of Physics
The practical skills learnt are also valuable at degree level and Physics is compulsory for all those wishing to study Engineering at top level universities.
RequirementsEntry
Acoustic scientist,geophysicist,consultant,healthcarelecturer/school teacher, metallurgist, engineer,actuary,scientist,protectionnanotechnologist,meteorologist,radiationadvisor,researchtechnicalauthor,dataanalyst,nuclearpatentattorney, engineer (e.g. civil, software, biomedical), computer scientist, environmental telecommunicationsscientist,researcher.
We place a great importance on practical work, and students will carry out experiments at every opportunity. This enables them to achieve the ‘practical endorsement’ which is awarded at the end of the A Level course.
Course Offered
Facilities and staff
Additional features
the foundation for many careers. Studying Science subjects, Computer Science, Business, Architecture and many others at university all benefit from the logical and mathematical thinking skills that are developed at A Level.
Physics clinics are held every week and are run by a member of the Physics staff for anyone wishing to have some extra help or Wheretuition.possible,
What subjects does combinePhysicswith?
A Level AQA
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taught by two Physics teachers who will go through different sides of the course.
trips within and outside of the UK are organised to bring the Physics learnt to life and see its applications in action! For those interested in a challenge, students can enter the British Physics Olympiad and attend a Stretchy Physics lunchtime
The A Level is divided up into several manageable chapters with three exams at the end of the two years. Students will be
Physics is most often chosen alongside other science subjects, including DT. Economics is also a popular option. Mathematics must be studied with the Physics course.
Physics
Physicstogether.lays
Physics is about the world around you, the way it works and why it behaves the way it does. It delves into the concepts that explain the universe, from the very small subatomic right through to cosmology. Studying Physics A Level will start you on the journey of discovery into understanding how it all fits
Our five Physics teachers (all subject specialists) are passionate about their subject and are committed to communicating it enthusiastically. The Physics Department is equipped with five modern teaching rooms, a project lab and an ICT suite. Students also have access to the department’s Stone Library.
Course content and assessment
Potential careers
At Clifton College we follow the AQA A Level Physics course. This covers different topics rigorously and ensures a good breadth of Physics which relates to the real world. For example, in Year 1, students will study electricity by considering sensors used to make measurements; they will also learn mechanics in terms of car safety features, and approach Quantum Physics by looking at the research performed at Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN, based in Geneva). Similarly, in Year 2, the more challenging topics of magnetic and electric fields are studied with application in mind.
Grade 7 (or A) or above in GCSE Physics and a grade 8 (or high A) in GCSE Mathematics.
Additionally,club!the Department puts on a variety of lectures each term (in the past we've had talks on: quantum computing; careers in engineering; space flight, and particle Physics).
Facilities and staff
Psychology is the study of human behaviour and experience. It seeks to explain why we behave the way we do and how our minds work. It is directly relevant to you, your friends and society in general. Where does our behaviour come from? Are we born with our personalities, or do we learn to be the people we are? Questions such as these lie at the heart of Psychology. If you are at all interested in how we learn, how our memory works, why some of us have phobias and how other people influence us, then Psychology is the subject for
We follow the Edexcel GCE specification. Psychology is a linear assessment qualification so students are examined on the full content of the course at the end of the two years.
the topical areas of Clinical Psychology and Child Psychology as well as completing a synoptic review of the content from both years. These topics are all covered in two of the three exam papers that students take at A Level. The third paper is on Psychological Skills which is more of a synoptic paper assessing the debates, studies and research methods taught over the two years. Though coursework is not directly examined, a new feature of this exam is that at the end of each topic students will create, carry out and write up their own practical investigation. Questions within the exam could then focus on the practical research students have carried out.
The Psychology department aims to inspire students in all areas of Psychology, even beyond the curriculum. We run a regular Psychology society throughout the year where students and staff given talks on a range of topics outside the curriculum such as: Psychology and Interrogation Processes, Psychology and Warfare, Subliminal Messages, The Psychology of Music to name a few. We run a regular cohort trip to a Psychology Conference at Bristol University and also take the L6 to Bristol Zoo in the summer term. Clinics are run when needed throughout the year, especially in the run up to exams.
What subjects does combinePsychologywith?
Due to it's versatile nature and the fact that it is a science that also holds the analytical features of essay subjects Psychology combines well with a very wide
Requirements
Psychology
Studyingyou!
Course Offered
Entry
Potential Careers
Additional features
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We have three members working in the department; all of whom are subject specialists, have a passion for Psychology and bring the subject to life in the classroom. Our classrooms are equipped to teach all content to the highest level with a wide range of interaction and student engagement.
A Level Edexcel Psychology
Psychology will help you to develop skills that will be beneficial to your other subjects. You will be taught effective essay writing skills, and alongside this, you will be encouraged to become a critical thinker who can analyse the strengths and weaknesses of different theories and pieces of research. You will learn about research methods and you will design and carry out practical investigations. Psychology lessons need your input; you will be encouraged to develop your communication skills so that you can contribute to debate and discussion and present your ideas in an effective way.
If you want to work in any career that involves people then Psychology can provide a huge benefit. You could go on and become: Any type of psychologist, physiotherapist, counsellor, teacher, HR, advertiser, journalist, PR, media, forensics, charities, healthcare to name a few.
Course content and assessment
Grade 5 (or B) in GCSE Biology, Mathematics and English.
range of subjects from the arts to the sciences. Common subject combinations are: Biology, Geography, Business, English, PE, Languages.
In the first year students will study four modules which give students the underpinning of the main areas of Psychology: Biological, Cognitive, Learning and Social. In the second year students will learn about
Assessment is carried out both internally via case studies, practical write ups, or projects and externally through formal examinations.
Susannah Griffin Head of Psychology
The course comprises of 2 examined units; Psychological Approaches and Applications (examined in January of Lower Sixth) and Health Psychology (examined in January of Upper Sixth) and 2 coursework units; Conducting Psychological Research in Lower Sixth and Psychopathology in Upper Sixth.
Psychology is taught as a science and therefore combines well with other science subjects. However, due to its written and analytical components, it also combines well with both creative subjects and the humanities. It is for this reason that Psychology is well regarded by universities.
the A Level, a good level of spoken and written English is necessary for success.
The Psychology Society meets roughly every third week and is largely student run; students are invited to present on a psychological topic of their choice and these are encouraged to be outside the syllabus so that students can gain an insight into how Psychology functions in the wider world.
Clinical psychologist, forensic psychologist, occupational psychologist, sports psychologist, health care professional, counsellor, researcher, teacher/ lecturer, human resources, business analyst, recruitment consultant, media, marketing.
The Psychology Department is located in the Fyffe Centre which has both excellent facilities and spectacular views across the Close. The department has two classrooms, each of which is equipped with interactive whiteboards. There is a wide range of resources, including Psychology books, magazines and DVDs.
The Psychology Department has two members of staff, with each class being taught by both teachers to ensure a diversity of skills and teaching styles.
Psychology“Studying will also help you to develop skills that will be beneficial to your other subjects.”
Course Offered
Students must have a genuine interest in Psychology and an ability to manage regular deadlines in order to satisfy the requirements of the continual assessment in the
As a department we have run several trips including visits to the Phobia Clinic at Bristol Zoo, university conferences and workshops at Bristol University.
Course content and assessment
The BTEC brings together knowledge and understanding (the cognitive domain) with practical and technical skills (the psychomotor domain). This is achieved through learners performing vocational tasks that encourage the development of appropriate vocational behaviours (the affective domain) and transferable skills. Transferable skills are those such as communication, teamwork and research and analysis, which are valued in both higher education and the workplace.
PsychologyApplied (BTEC)
RequirementsEntry
The Psychology Department also offers regular revision clinics in the Lent and Summer Terms. These clinics help by offering extra support to those who require it but also develop the general written and analytical skills that students of all abilities should possess.
What subjects does combinePsychologywith?
Potential careers
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate Facilities and staff
Ascourse.with
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Additional features
This course provides a broad basis of Psychological study through applied learning equating to one A Level which can be combined with studying other A Levels or BTECs.
Theapplications.Kendrew
SchoolScienceThe
The Stone Library is situated on the ground floor and contains more than 5,000 scientific books. Volumes date from the 16th century to the present day, including subscriptions to all of
Room is a wellequipped small lecture theatre located on the top floor of the Science School. It is regularly used by classes in all three sciences and for meetings of the Scientific Society.
the main scientific periodicals and a first edition of Principia Mathematica by Isaac Newton (1687). The collection also features books recommended on reading lists for university
“Volumes date from the 16th century to the present day, subscriptionsincluding to all of the main scientific periodicals and a first edition of Newton.”MathematicaPrincipiabyIsaac
The Science School has been completely refurbished to provide modern state-of-the-art laboratories on all three floors, whilst retaining the historic charm and tradition of what was one of the first purpose-built science buildings at a major public school.
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“If considering a degree in Mathematics, its excellence as an academic discipline should not be ignored.”
Helen Evans Head of Mathematics
Mathematics
subject choice at Clifton, with over half the Sixth Form opting to continue its study. These large numbers enable us to create five ‘single’ Mathematics classes, and we find that effective streaming of these classes enables us to alter approaches and provision accordingly.
There are currently 13 members of staff who teach in the Mathematics Department. There is a wealth of experience within the department and we pride ourselves on the level of support offered to the students, as well as outstanding subject knowledge, and a desire to remain innovative and conscious of developments in mathematics and education.
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Students who wish to apply for degrees in Mathematics or related subjects are prepared for interview and university entrance tests and are also encouraged to read around the subject and deliver presentations to their peers on extension topics. Students are also offered opportunities to represent the College in competitions organised with local schools, and historically they have experienced a lot of success.
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The Mathematics Department has several well-equipped classrooms as well as the Bradley Room, which contains a well-stocked library and provides an ideal venue for seminars and meetings.
Students follow the linear A Level Mathematics Edexcel 9MA0 specification. The content is 100% prescribed and features a large element of Pure Mathematics as well as covering areas of Statistics and Mechanics. The assessment features three papers at the end of Upper Sixth, all allowing use of a calculator, with the first two focusing on the Pure content and the third on the Applied content (Statistics and Mechanics).
There is also an emphasis on Mathematics beyond the constraints of the A Level specifications. Students in the Sixth Form are entered for the UK Mathematics Trust Senior Mathematics Challenge. At the very top end, a handful of students will also qualify for the first round of the British Mathematical Olympiad. There is also the opportunity to take part in a Mathematical Enrichment Activity on Monday afternoons where they will compete in The National Cipher Challenge and other national problem solving competitions.
Potential careers
What subjects does combineMathematicswith?
If considering a degree in Mathematics, its excellence as an academic discipline should not be ignored; graduates in the subject are in high demand. Studying the subject at A Level will also help develop analytical, research and problem-solving skills. Not only can it provide the knowledge to tackle scientific, mechanical, coding and abstract problems, it will develop skills to help with planning projects, managing budgets and even debating Mathematicseffectively.isthemost popular
Studying Mathematics helps you develop skills in logical thinking, problem-solving and decisionmaking, which are valued by employers across many job sectors. Jobs can range from, but are not limited to, being an investment banker, accountant, engineer, meteorologist.insuranceoreconomist,programmer,actuary,teacher,universitylecturertoanunderwriterora
Galileo realised that the study of Mathematics was vital for the fields that he was interested in, and students nowadays wishing to go into further education to read Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, Computer Science and Actuarial Science must study Mathematics as an A Level course. Degree courses in Economics, Chemistry and related courses also usually contain a significant mathematical component. Those going on to study Medicine, Biological Sciences and the Social Sciences and even Philosophy may find that Mathematics is recommended, but even if not, they may have to undertake further mathematical training at some stage, and this can be a challenge for a student who has not studied the subject for two or three years.
RequirementsEntry
Course content and assessment
andFacilitiesstaff
Grade 8 (or high A) in GCSE Mathematics.
Course Offered
A Level Edexcel Mathematics
Mathematics combines well with all the sciences and social sciences. Equally, studying Mathematics alongside essay subjects, such as English or
History, can help keep options open for a wider range of possible degrees and careers.
Mathematics
Facilities
Students taking Further Mathematics overwhelmingly find it to be an enjoyable, rewarding, stimulating and empowering experience. It is a challenging qualification, which both extends and deepens your knowledge and understanding beyond ‘single’ A Level Mathematics. Students who study it often say it is their favourite subject.
It is highly unusual for schools to have more than one class of Further Mathematics in each year group: at Clifton we have two. This gives us tremendous flexibility in tailoring our provision for students with varying abilities and Itrequirements.isalsorarefor
The Mathematics Department has several well-equipped classrooms as well as the recently added Bradley Room, which contains a well-stocked library and provides an ideal venue for seminars and meetings.
RequirementsEntry
Ideally a grade 9 at GCSE. Entry is also subject to assessment by the Head of Mathematics.
Additional features
departments to have a majority of Mathematics teachers who are able to teach the relevant modules as we do at Clifton. The popularity of the subject at Clifton is in part due to the consistent success that the students achieve in their results.
Students will follow the linear Edexcel Further Mathematics 9FM0 specification. They must study ‘single’ Mathematics, which is co-taught alongside the Further Mathematics course. The content will be 50% prescribed and 50% optional. The prescribed section of the new specification will focus on further study of Pure Mathematics and the optional content will feature two choices from the following areas: Pure Mathematics, Mechanics, Statistics or Discrete Mathematics. The assessment will feature a minimum of four papers at the end of Upper Sixth with the first two focusing on the compulsory Pure Mathematics content, and the third and fourth (and any extras) testing the optional topics.
Course Offered
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A Level Edexcel Further Mathematics
Students who take Further Mathematics find that the additional time spent studying mathematics boosts their marks in ‘single’ A Level Mathematics. Studying Further Mathematics consolidates and reinforces A Level Mathematics work, encouraging the best possible Itsgrades.study makes the transition from Sixth Form to university courses which are mathematically rich that much easier as more of the first year course content will be familiar. Students planning to take a degree such as Engineering, Sciences, Computing, Finance/ Economics, etc, or perhaps Mathematics itself, are advised to study Further Mathematics as it introduces new topics, such as matrices and complex numbers, that are vital in many STEM degrees. Students who have studied Further Mathematics find the transition to such degrees far more straightforward.
MathematicsFurther
Course content and assessment
For someone who enjoys mathematics, it provides a challenge and a chance to explore new and/or more sophisticated mathematical concepts. As well as learning new areas of Pure Mathematics, students will study more statistics and mechanics.
Sophie Cuesta Head of English Language
“English lessons at Clifton have inspired over 700 Cliftonians to write.”
English LanguagesModern&Foreign
Course content and assessment
We observe language in different settings as part of the A Level course, including visiting a local primary school to hear children read. We also run a trip to the English and Media Centre event at UCL, where we hear lectures from eminent linguists such as David Crystal and Deborah Cameron.
English Language A Level is an engaging, challenging and stimulating course. It is very different from GCSE English. It is not an opportunity for development of one’s general ability to use the language; it is the study of how others use language, both written and spoken, and the chance to explore areas of personal interest through writing.
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Facilities and staff
A Level AQA English Language
The English CuestaDepartmentLanguageisledbySophieandcomprisesthree
At A Level, students undertake an extended independent language investigation. They also study the history of the English language and some of the key influences on our language, as well as attitudes to language change. The second component in the A Level course focuses on children’s language development – how and in what ways children develop the skills of speech, reading and writing.
The course would lend itself to the study of Linguistics at university, or it would complement Modern Languages or English Literature courses. Career paths could include journalism and the media, law, politics, publishing or other jobs in which the use of language is key.
Grade 6 (or B) or above in GCSE English Language and Literature.
The study of English Language combines well with most other arts subjects, such as Literature, History and MFL. It also works well with subjects such as Psychology and Business Studies.
RequirementsEntry
The first year of study offers an introduction to the building blocks of our language - lexis, grammar/syntax, phonology, discourse structure - and students are required to analyse language precisely and systematically. They are also given opportunities to explore areas of sociolinguistics, such as the influence of gender, power and technology on the language that we use. The definition of a text is very broad in Language and you are as likely to analyse the language used in a spoken transcript of a conversation between friends, as you are to look at more conventional written texts.
English Language (and Linguistics)
experienced members of staff.
There are two exam papers at A Level, 1. Language, the Individual and Society and 2. Language Diversity and Change. They are worth 80% of the A Level. There is also a coursework component, which focuses on an independent investigation and a piece of original writing.
There are plenty of opportunities for independent research as part of the A Level. Students have enjoyed investigating topics such as the effect of gender on teachers’ language, celebrities and changes in accent and dialect in their rise to fame, generational differences in use of text language, and linguistic techniques used by barristers in cross-examinations.
There are also plenty of opportunities for creative writing on the course.
featuresAdditional
What subjects does combineLanguageEnglishwith?
are taught in bright, spacious, well-equipped rooms, all boasting state-ofthe-art interactive boards, and stunning views of the Close and the College. There is a separate meeting room for lectures, seminars, and visiting speakers, as well as extensive ICT facilities on site.
The English DepartmentLanguageishoused at 4/5 Worcester Road, where we teach alongside English Literature and the Modern Foreign Languages EnglishDepartment.lessons
Course Offered
featuresAdditional
A Level Edexcel English Literature
English Literature
The English DepartmentLiteratureishoused at 4/5 Worcester Road, where we teach alongside English Language and the Modern Foreign Languages Department.
Course Offered
a Shakespeare play alongside another dramatic work (either tragedy or comedy). Options include Othello, Hamlet, King Lear, The Taming of the Shrew, and Twelfth Night. They will also study two prose texts with a shared theme, at least one to be pre 1900; and a selection of contemporary poetry, including post 2000 poetry and the works of a named poet or literary period. Options this year include Science in Society (Frankenstein and The Handmaid’s Tale) and Women in Society (Tess of the d’Urbervilles and A Thousand Splendid Suns).
The study of English Literature combines very well with the sciences, social sciences and other arts subjects. Some of our most successful students have combined English with Mathematics and Physics, or Biology and Chemistry, and have found the variety of work refreshing and the course stimulating and rewarding.
Students and teachers are encouraged to follow their own particular tastes and interests as far as possible. The courses are frameworks, not corsets, and imaginative and individual approaches are encouraged. The department’s stress is unequivocally laid on the vital importance of reading and its subsequent rewards, which invariably include good writing.
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A knowledge of foreign language, ancient or modern, is advantageous to those wishing to go on to study English at university.
The two-year course consists of three externally examined papers (80%) and one coursework component (20%). The qualification requires the study of eight literary texts plus unseen Studentspoetry.willstudy
Course content and assessment
The department follows the Edexcel English Literature specification. The aims and objectives of the Edexcel Advanced GCE in English Literature include enabling students to read widely, engage critically and creatively with a substantial body of texts, develop their knowledge of literary analysis, explore the context of different text and others’ interpretations of them, and explore the changing traditions of English literature.
RequirementsEntry
The coursework element involves the free choice of two texts linked by theme, movement, author or period, and will be between 2,500-3,000 words. Possibilities so far have included: The Great Gatsby, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Road, The Wasp Factory, Brave New World, The History Boys, Atonement, Hamlet, The Bell Jar, Beloved, Jane Eyre, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, Dracula, Arcadia, Brideshead Revisited, The Tempest, 1984, Death of a Salesman, Grapes of Wrath.
Facilities and staff
Anyone who has enjoyed English Literature at GCSE will benefit from the A Level course. There is much continuation of material and literary concepts and teaching in the first year is intended to develop knowledge and skills to be carried over into the Upper Sixth. Studying English Literature will give you the opportunity to explore texts in depth and to discuss and debate in class; the lessons are lively and stimulating, and your opinions and perspectives are Englishwelcomed.Literature is extremely well regarded by both universities and employers, due to the huge range of transferable 'soft skills' it helps to develop. Numerous Cliftonians who have read English at university have embarked upon successful careers in a range of areas: law, business and commerce, the civil service, architecture, film, theatre, radio, television, journalism, engineering,medicine,andeducation at all levels.
What subjects does with?LiteratureEnglishcombine
We work very closely with the library, taking full advantage of its range of excellent resources and the opportunity to welcome visiting speakers and authors. Trips to the theatre enhance our students’ understanding of, and engagement with, drama texts.
English lessons are taught in bright, spacious, well-equipped rooms, all boasting state-ofthe-art interactive boards, and stunning views of the Close and the TheCollege.English Department comprises nine experienced members of staff, all with their own specialisms within the subject including Shakespeare, Mediaeval Modernism,Literature,Romanticism and 20th Century Drama.
Grade 6 (or B) in GCSE English Literature.
French is well regarded by universities and in the past those who have gone on to take French degrees have later found jobs in law, journalism, diplomacy, finance, fashion, media, marketing, business and international relations. Many good universities offer combined degrees with a language.
French
RequirementsEntry
What subjects does combineFrenchwith?
A Level Edexcel French
The department, led by Lucy Dales, comprises five other members of staff and a French assistant who is a native speaker. Sixth Formers have six to seven lessons a week plus an individual 20-minute session with the French language assistant.
We aim to use French as much as possible in the classroom and students are encouraged to take part in the many co-curricular events put on throughout the year. These include a French cheese evening, film nights, the French Bake Off, the Modern Languages Fest, French debates against local schools, a fondue night, a poetry evening, guest speakers and cinema trips. We also offer trips to France and encourage students to organise work experience visits in a French speaking country to help immerse themselves in the country and culture.
Students who have secured at least grade 7 (or A) at GCSE will enjoy studying French at A Level. Some of the topics covered will be familiar to them but they will be encouraged to develop their ideas and express personal opinions in relation to their own experiences and also to the French speaking world.
laboratory where students can complete independent research and practise speaking and listening tasks. There is an MFL Café on the ground floor where students can go at break times and it also serves as a good location for film nights and cocurricular events.
Course content and assessment
The Modern Languages Department is housed in a new building at the south end of the school overlooking the Close.
Potential careers
The ability to communicate freely in French opens up an exciting world of art, film and literature as well as the opportunity to travel, socialise and work in an international environment.
Interpretation, translation, teaching, law, international commerce, journalism, diplomacy, media, marketing, international relations, travel & tourism.
Students who choose to study French in the Sixth Form at Clifton will enjoy interesting, relevant and varied lessons, which will equip them with the skills to speak and write in French at a high level.
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The French Department follows the Edexcel A Level course, which covers a range of topics, such as changes in French society and the Occupation, and also offers interesting cultural components in literature and film, as well as the opportunity to carry out and present on an Independent Research Project on an area of personal interest within Francophone culture. Students complete listening, reading and writing exams and also do an oral. They will learn to write analytical essays in French on
Grade 7 (or A) or above in GCSE French
French combines well with most other subjects, from essay subjects to more analytical science subjects. Students learn to analyse information, gain cultural sensitivity, write analytical and descriptive essays, debate their opinions and develop an interest in cultural aspects of the French speaking world.
OfferedCourse
the chosen literature and film and will complete translation tasks. At the end of the course the students should feel able to communicate relatively fluently in French orally and on paper, understand and analyse authentic texts, and have an understanding of modern day France and how it has been formed by its past.
There is excellent new technology provision in each Modern Foreign Languages classroom and a language
Facilities and staff
featuresAdditional
The department currently comprises four teachers of German, and a language
RequirementsEntry
Owen Lewis Head of Modern Languages
What subjects does combineGermanwith?
German A Level can complement virtually any subject combination. German graduates can go on to follow careers in law, business, automotive engineering, civil service, European politics, finance, journalism, ICT, media and education. Many UK universities also offer combined degrees with a language, as well as straight language degrees.
assistant who is a native speaker. We are all experienced Germanists and passionate about our subject. We put great emphasis on oral communication and are very keen that students visit a German speaking country at least once during their studies, as this provides a great linguistic boost as well as a visit that has historical and cultural interest.
There is now also a Modern Languages Society, a studentled group which meets regularly to promote language events and to explore language-related
There are biennial language and culture tours of Germany with rich and varied itineraries. On recent trips we have taken students to exhibitions on the Cold War and the Third Reich, to a chocolate factory in the former GDR, and to idyllic mediaeval castles on the Rhine. To supplement work in the classroom, we have offered debates in German, trips to lectures organised at the University of Bristol, poetry evenings, film nights and even Sixth Form speed-dating!
German is spoken by more than 120 million people in 38 countries. It is the language with the most native speakers in the European Union, is spoken by about 100 million people in Europe and is a widely sought after language on the global employment market. Graduates able to offer an advanced knowledge of German are very employable; a CBI poll states that German is the top language rated by employers as useful to the organisation.
The German Department follows the new A Level qualification which allows students to learn about social issues and trends and address various aspects of German speaking society, politics, history and artistic culture. Students will be taught how to write essays and prepare for oral discussions on these areas. The teaching of grammar and how the language works will continue to play a key role and students will learn how to tackle translation Assessmenttasks.willbe
Facilities and staff
Course Offered
in the form of an oral exam, a listening, reading and translation paper and a separate essay writing paper on literature and film. In addition there is an independent research project at A Level which allows students to explore a topic of personal interest in considerable depth.
The world’s third largest exporter; the fourth largest global economy; Beethoven, Goethe, Kafka, Nietzsche; and Einstein; scientific publications –the common thread is German.
themes. There is a very full programme including debates, film nights and poetry and music. Talks led by academic guest speakers from universities and from within the College are on the programme. Forthcoming guest speakers will be talking on Pidgin French, Creole, the film director Claire Denis and German Poetry under the Swastika.
Course content and assessment
Potential careers
Interpretation, translation, teaching, law, international commerce, journalism, diplomacy, media, marketing, international relations, travel & tourism, international aid, logistics and distribution.
“German is spoken by more than 120 million people in 38 countries.”
“By studying biological systems we better understand both ourselves
featuresAdditional
A Level Edexcel German
Grade 7 (or A) in GCSE German.
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The German Department is housed in the 4/5 Worcester Road faculty building. There is excellent new technology provision in each Modern Foreign Languages classroom and a language laboratory where students can complete independent research and practise speaking and listening tasks. The department also has a set of iPods so that students can do listening exercises independently in lessons. There is an MFL Café on the ground floor where students can go at break times and it also serves as a good location for film nights and co-curricular events.
and the world we live in. German
featuresAdditional
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The A Level exam will encourage students to learn about social trends and issues in Spanishspeaking countries, Spanish film and literature, and aspects of politics and history in Spain. Students will be taught how to write essays and to prepare for oral discussions on these areas. The teaching of grammar and how the language works will also continue to play a major part, with students learning how to do translation tasks both into and from the language.
Course Offered
Course content and assessment
At A Level, social issues such as immigration, crime and multiculturalism will be explored, as well as political and artistic culture. Literary texts and films will be studied and students will learn the skill of writing cultural essays as well as preparing for oral discussions and debates, both in class and in the exam.
With 329 million native speakers, Spanish ranks second in the world in terms of how many people speak it as their first language; it is also the first language in at least 44 countries. It is an increasingly important and desirable language to have in the world of business and enterprise, and graduates with a high level of Spanish are sought after and highly employable across the job market.
Understanding grammar and an ability to translate accurately will be an important part of the exam. Students will also have the chance to prepare and present on a topic of their choice in the A level oral exam.
We put an emphasis on the use of Spanish in the classroom where possible and appropriate, and students are all encouraged to play a full part in our lively programme of cocurricular events: for example, we host inter-schools language debates, film evenings, a poetry evening and a Modern Languages Fest.
There is an MFL Café on the ground floor where students can go at break times and it also serves as a good location for film nights and co-curricular events.
Spanish
A Level Edexcel Spanish
Grade 7 (or A) in GCSE Spanish.
There are five full-time and experienced teachers of Spanish in the department, and we have a Chilean language assistant with whom our students have a weekly 20-minute one-to-one conversation class.
Spanish A Level complements most other subjects; and graduates in Spanish can enjoy a wide and flexible range of career prospects - whether in law, business, education, media, finance, journalism, politics and diplomacy or ICT. As well as straight language degrees, many top UK universities also offer combined degrees with a language.
“It is an desirableimportantincreasinglyandlanguage.”
Facilities and staff
The department is located in the new 4/5 Worcester Road faculty
We encourage all students to take the opportunity to spend time in a Spanish-speaking country during their two years in the Sixth Form, either following a language course or in a homestay scenario.
Michelle Harris Head of Spanish
RequirementsEntry
Therebuilding.isexcellent new technology provision in each Modern Foreign Languages classroom and a language laboratory where students can complete independent research and practise speaking and listening tasks. The department also has a set of iPods so that students can do listening exercises independently in lessons.
Potential careers
Interpretation, translation, teaching, law, international commerce, journalism, diplomacy, media, marketing, international relations, travel & tourism, international aid, logistics and distribution.
will also acquire a basic written vocabulary. This course may appeal to students wishing to travel independently in China as part of a gap year, and also to those pursuing a course in Oriental Studies at university.
Native lessonslanguage
Theneeds.majority
Former Cliftonians have gone on to study Italian at university, spending a year abroad in Tuscany and experiencing the Italian way of life.
We offer a number of languages as optional courses in Sector E of the timetable - see details on Italian, Mandarin and Russian Webelow.also make provision for teaching some additional languages outside of Sector E and the curriculum (which would be costed separately) - see details below on native language lessons.
Other languages
The department offers tailormade courses in Mandarin Chinese which are available to individuals with different levels of ability in the language.
If staffing allows, we offer Italian to students who have a proven track record in learning languages. We take the AQA Italian GCSE exam. To prepare, students study for two periods per week over Years 12 and 13. Students can sustain surprisingly natural conversations by the end of the course, and understand Italian pop songs and opera.
of students who have learned Mandarin Chinese as beginners in the language would not be eligible to take the A Level exam. However, lessons are available to those students who have performed well at GCSE and who wish to maintain and improve their level of Mandarin without the pressure of an examined course.
Russian
Mandarin
The College is able to look at making provision for those students who may wish to continue with a language not on the curriculum, for example for native speakers of Portuguese or Japanese, up to GCSE or A Level. These subjects are normally taught outside the curriculum at extra cost (see fee sheet), with reduced rates for pairs or groups. Students should contact the Head of Modern Foreign Languages for further details.
If staffing allows, we offer Russian A Level for native speakers within Sector E. The lessons are essential if students wish to sit the new A Level. Lessons cover areas such as language, history, literature
Italian beginnersfor
“It represents an exciting challenge to a good linguist and opens up the possibility of discovering a fascinating society and its culture.”
Russian is an important world language which represents an exciting challenge to a good linguist and opens up the possibility of discovering a fascinating society and its culture. It is now appreciated how necessary it is for the West to understand Russia.
and film study, and lead to the Edexcel A Level over two years of 2 lessons per week.
Students follow a two-year course of study and are taught by a native speaker. All four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing are examined. Students are taught in small groups or individually according to their
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Both Mandarin and Cantonese speakers are able to study Mandarin Chinese at A Level.
If staffing allows, we also teach Russian to beginners who have a proven track record in learning languages. Entry for the GCSE exam would depend on a student’s prior knowledge of Russian and aptitude for Russian Learning.
There is also a course for beginners with no previous knowledge of Chinese who would like an opportunity to try a different and exciting language. It is a non-examined course that will enable students to ‘survive’ in the language by learning Chinese for everyday situations. Students
Classics
“If the Romans exert a great influence on our modern life, then the Greeks exerted an even greater influence on the Romans.”
Dr Thomas Patrick Head of Classics
Courses Offered
Facilities and staff
At Clifton we follow the OCR course, which contains an excellent blend of language work and literature. The language component is examined by unseen translation and a choice of either prose comprehension or prose composition. The literature component consists of at least one prose text and at least one verse text, with authors including Tacitus, Cicero, Virgil and Catullus.
Outside the classroom, we run day trips to Bath, Caerleon, Oxford and beyond, invite speakers to our Classics Society, and organise one big overseas trip each year to Greece, Sicily or mainland Italy.
Course content and assessment
Course content and assessment
Additional features
We have a wide variety of interests, from Bronze Age archaeology to Greek tragedy and from neoteric Latin poetry to late Roman statuary. Classics has recently moved to new classrooms equipped with the latest-generation C-Touch Smartboards and enough space for our library of more than 5,000 books.
RequirementsEntry
Grade 7 (or A) in GCSE Latin. Grade 7 (or A) in GCSE Greek.
If the Romans exert a great influence on our modern life, then the Greeks exerted an even greater influence on the Romans. The study of both Greek and Latin is rewarding and interesting, but Greek is also often studied on its own; either way, students gain significant literary, linguistic and historical insight. Perhaps even more than Latin, the logic and subtlety of Greek captivate a wide variety of students, from out-and-out sci entists to devotees of English or French literature. Ancient Greek is a subject redolent of academic rigour and refinement. How can one miss the chance to read Homer, Herodotus and Sophocles in the original language?
A Level OCR Latin A Level OCR Ancient Greek
Law, management consultancy, investment banking, business, accountancy, management, civil service, GCHQ, teaching, journalism, archaeology,heritage,marketing, public relations, programming.
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As in Latin, we follow the recently revised OCR course, which contains an excellent blend of language work and literature. The language component is examined by unseen translation and a choice of either prose comprehension or prose composition. The literature component consists of at least one prose text and at least one verse text, with authors including Herodotus, Plato, Homer, Sophocles and Euripides.
The department has an enviable record of Oxbridge success, with seven places for Classics at Oxford and two at Cambridge in the last seven years alone. For Oxbridge candidates, we put on additional reading and discussion classes in the two terms prior to the interviews.
Latin is one of the most stimulating, valuable and highly regarded subjects that Clifton has to offer, appealing to those pursuing a wide range of disciplines, including humanities, sciences and modern languages. Latin provides access to the astonishing world of Roman thought and literature: the poetry of Virgil and Ovid, the speeches of Cicero, or the histories of Caesar and Tacitus. As an unchanging and thoroughly logical language –and as the language behind most modern European languages – it offers an unparalleled insight into the mechanics and structure of language in general. Perhaps most importantly, Latin trains the mind, producing highquality students who can think independently and express themselves persuasively.
GreekAncientLatin
Oxbridge candidates are encouraged to conduct independent research into a field of interest, which opens up the subject to them and provides material for their personal statement, essays and interviews. We also encourage Oxbridge candidates to enter at least one external essay competition, and we have an excellent track record of prizes and commendations, including first place in the philosophy section of the St John’s Oxford essay competition in 2019, and first place in the literature section and overall first place in 2017.
Potential careers
Students also go on to study Classics at a wide variety of other universities, including St Andrews, KCL, Edinburgh and Warwick.
Latinists are highly employable, and work in many fields: law, accountancy, management consultancy and journalism, to name a few.
The department consists of four subject specialists, all of whom teach Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation right the way through the school.
A Level OCR Classical Civilisation
No knowledge of ancient languages is required, and while having a general background understanding or a Classical Civilisation GCSE will of course be helpful, it is by no means essential.
Classical Civilisation offers students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the ancient Greek and Roman civilisations which have so profoundly affected our own. It is a rigorous and wellregarded course, and indeed features in the top tier of humanities subjects in the list published by Trinity College, Cambridge. Through the study of literature, archaeology, art and architecture, religion and society, students are encouraged to analyse and compare the ancient and modern worlds, and to express themselves with clarity and feeling. Highlights of the course include the Parthenon marbles, the sanctuaries at Delphi and Olympia, and reading the Odyssey, Iliad and Aeneid.
or the art and architecture of the Greeks. In the Upper Sixth year, we study two further components: Virgil’s Aeneid, the great Roman epic; and either the politics of the Late Roman Republic or democracy and the Athenians or Greek religion. It is anticipated that most students will want to study the full A Level. If a student wishes to study only for the AS qualification, this should be flagged well in advance, since not all components are available for the AS.
Facilities and staff
For further details, please see Latin and Ancient Greek section.
RequirementsEntry
Clifton has a very strong tradition in Classical studies, and students have gone on to study a wide variety of university courses, some directly related (e.g. Classics, Ancient & Modern History, Archaeology & Anthropology), others indirectly related (e.g. Business, English Literature). The analytical skills that the study of Classical Civilisation fosters are of relevance to most careers.
At Clifton we follow the OCR course, which contains an exciting mixture of literature, history and art. In the Lower Sixth year, we study two components: one of the great epic poems of Homer, either the Odyssey or the Iliad; and either tragic and comic drama
Course Offered
No formal grade requirement. A good level of spoken and written English is necessary for success in this course.
At Clifton, classroom tuition is complemented by trips to sites and museums, such as Caerleon, the British Museum, or the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and by talks from visiting speakers. Students also enjoy, and derive great benefit from, our annual overseas trip to Greece, mainland Italy, or elsewhere. In October 2019, for example, we visited Rome, Pompeii and other sites on the Bay of Naples.
featuresAdditional
Course content and assessment
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Classical Civilisation
Jonathan Hughes Head of Geography
“In an ever-changing world with a number of challenges facing humanity, there has never been a better time to study Geography.”
Humanities
Fieldwork is an integral part of the new A Level and there will be several field trips run by the department designed to enhance the students’ understanding and develop their investigative skills. Locations include Clifton Village, the floating harbour, former glacial lowlands in South Wales and the Forest of Dean. The department also runs an optional international trips to exciting destinations such as Iceland, Madagascar and Mexico.
Geography graduates are vastly employable and work in many different fields of work. Students could go on to working as an international aid worker, teacher.meteorologist,law,corporateplanner,environmentalconservationist,scientist,towntransportanalyst,socialresponsibility,watermanagement,geography
Course Offered
Student numbers are high at both GCSE and A Level, leading to several classes within each year, and there are currently six specialist Geography teachers in the department.
RequirementsEntry
We follow the OCR A Level Geography course and students will study the physical systems and human interactions in the world in which we live. In the core content of the Lower Sixth, we examine some of the biggest challenges and threats facing humanity today, ranging from how climate change affects our cold environments and essential life support systems, to human rights and migration. The debate topics in the Upper Sixth focus on disease and hazards and the extent to which we can manage and mitigate against these events. The wide range of topics and debates offer a truly global overview with people and the environment being at the heart of the subject. The A Level course also enables students to carry out an independent investigation on a
Potential careers
The department maintains close links with the Bristol branch of the Geographical Association and encourages students to broaden their understanding through attendance at lectures put on at the University of Bristol and also through our own Geography Society.
topic of their own choice which encourages them to deepen their understanding and satisfy their intellectual curiosity.
Facilities and staff
Geography is a subject that will complement almost any combination of A Level disciplines as it utilises elements of both the sciences and the arts.
In an ever changing world with a number of challenges facing humanity, there has never been a better time to study Geography. Geographers learn how to select and analyse data and use geographic information systems to map and examine the world They identify problems and find solutions by evaluating the best Geographersoptions.are engaged global citizens with diverse and transferable skills and eminently employable in a wide range of occupations from international relations to conservation and management. This is underlined by the Russell Group of universities, who recognise Geography as one of the key “facilitating” subjects for entry to degree level study.
What subjects does combineGeographywith?
The Geography Department is located in the heart of the school within the Wilson Tower with spectacular views across The Close. The department has five classrooms, each equipped with interactive whiteboards. In addition, we have a dedicated Geography ICT suite for research work and using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The department has a large collection of books, journals and magazines for further research. The Percival Library is also conveniently on our doorstep.
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featuresAdditional
Grade 6 (or B) in GCSE Geography, although those who have not taken Geography GCSE will be considered, and grade 5 (or C) in GCSE Mathematics.
A Level OCR Geography
A good level of spoken and written English is also necessary for success in this course.
Geography
Course content and assessment
“The political, social and economic structures of the modern world make little sense to those who have no context in which to place them.”
Sinead Lynch Head of History
´
Course Offered
The History A Level is a twoyear linear course, following AQA’s specification. Students
While it may be optimistic for students of A Level History to develop the breadth of historical recommendedunderstandingbyGoethe, the sentiment of this quotation is as valid today as it ever was. The political, social and economic structures of the modern world make little sense to those who have no context in which to place them. Studying A Level History will not provide all the answers, but it does give students an opportunity to gain considerable understanding of some of the key individuals, events and ideas that have shaped the past millennium.
Facilities and staff
As an academic discipline, History develops the skills of evaluation, analysis and argument and suits students who enjoy reading, writing and discussion; but most of all it should appeal to students who are curious about the past and are keen to make sense of the present. The skills honed through studying History are fundamental to a broad range of careers, such as law and journalism. History is widely recognised as a heavyweight A Level subject by universities and a number of Cliftonians each year choose to study History at top institutions.
School’s own History Society. This is a student-led organisation that fosters the enthusiasm that the students have for their subject as well as giving them important leadership experience.
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“He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living hand to mouth.” Goethe
study a British and a nonBritish course and, in addition, complete a 4,000-word historical investigation (coursework essay) in the Upper Sixth. This essay must cover a period of a hundred years. We provide guidance on this, however students can choose their own title if there is an area they are passionate about. The department currently teaches a broad range of topics: The Tudors, British Industrialisation and its widespread impacts in the 18th and 19th centuries, the transformationtwentieth-centuryofChina, and the contested experiences of the American Dream in post-war USA.
The History Department consists of five full-time members of staff. The staff teach their own specialisms and are incredibly passionate about the A Level courses they teach. Furthermore, the staff have experience examining at both GCSE and A Level as well as moderating coursework, allowing them to provide tailored guidance on exam technique and what examiners are looking for in top-grade candidates. Resources are plentiful, with students’ textbooks supplemented by copies of additional relevant material within History classrooms. There are excellent restocked History sections within the Percival Library, where students also have access to a number of historical magazines as well as online historical databases and periodicals.
RequirementsEntry
Speakers from universities such as Cambridge and Bristol also visit the A Level History groups to lecture on the areas covered by the syllabus and A Level students are given the opportunity to attend conferences led by world-experts in their fields of research. In the Summer term of Year 12, students go on a trip and get hands-on experience with the people and places they have studied. Clifton College is active in the Bristol Historical Association and Sixth Form Historians also attend a variety of lectures at the University of Bristol to extend and develop their subject historiansFurthermore,knowledge.theSixthFormplayakeyroleinthe
History as a discipline provides you with the skills (such as teamwork and problem-solving) that are attractive to employers and relevant for a wide range of careers, including: law, journalism, education, politics, recruitment, finance, the civil service, and charities.
Course content and assessment
History
Potential careers
A Level AQA History
Grade 6 (or B) in GCSE History although those who have not taken History GCSE will be considered. A good level of spoken and written English is also necessary.
Additional features
TheologyEthicsPhilosophy,&
Philosophy
“Clifton has a very strong tradition of significance.”ofphilosophersproducinginternational
Clifton has a very strong tradition of philosophersproducingofinternational
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The A Level specification has been designed to introduce students to the key methods and concepts in philosophy through the study of four broad themes: Epistemology; Philosophy of Religion; Ethics; and Philosophy of Mind. Students will develop and refine a range of transferable skills, such as the ability to ask penetrating questions, to analyse and evaluate the arguments of others, and to present their own arguments clearly and logically. It is a challenging and rewarding discipline to study, and complements both STEM subjects and humanities. It is very highly regarded by elite universities.
fundamental and the material covered in the specification not only provides students with a good understanding of how these debates have, so far, been framed, but also acts as a springboard for consideration and discussion of students’ own ideas. The range of question types ensures that students are assessed across a core of important philosophical skills. Students will have the opportunity to engage in detailed analysis of philosophical texts, using the prescribed Anthology as a springboard for further reading and reflection.
Julia Greenbury Head of Philosophy, Ethics and Theology RequirementsEntry
Grade 7 (or A) in GCSE English Language and Mathematics.
A Level AQA Philosophy
significance - Grice, Prichard, Blackburn, Geach and McTaggart are all OCs. Recent Cliftonians have also found the study of philosophy to be both exciting and a pathway to the very best UK universities.
Potential careers
Course content and assessment
Philosophy in the Lower Sixth, and these themes are supplemented by Philosophy of Religion and Philosophy of Mind in the Upper Sixth.
Theseseparate?questions are
Facilities and staff
The specification asks these questions: What can we know? Can the existence of God be proved? How do we make moral decisions? Are my mind and body
Course Offered
The subject is taught by two members of staff, both with a philosophy background at degree level. Between them, they have more than 20 years’ experience of teaching the AQA syllabus. Resources in the department, on the web and in the Percival Library are outstanding.
The linear AQA A Level specification EpistemologyplacesandMoral
Law, Business, Commerce, Civil Service and Education
Course Offered
A Level Edexcel Religious Studies
We follow the Edexcel A Level course, which is a two-year linear qualification with examinations at the end of the Upper Sixth. Students will be examined in Philosophy of Religion, Religion and Ethics, and New Testament Studies.
Potential careers
Law, business, commerce, civil service and education.
Grade 6 (or B) in GCSE Religious Studies, although those who have not taken Religious Studies GCSE will be considered. A good level of spoken and written English is also necessary for success in this course.
Religious Studies is an interdisciplinary subject that develops skills in analysis, evaluation, critical thinking, reading and writing. RS encourages engagement with ultimate questions, and will appeal to anyone with an enquiring mind. The A Level course offers a broad range of topics, which allows exploration in many relevant and exciting areas. It is a top tier academic discipline and is highly regarded by universities. It will equip students for a future in a wide variety of areas. The course as taught at Clifton will enable students to compete for places at the most prestigious institutions and we have had notable success in recent years.
RequirementsEntry
Facilities and staff
What subjects does with?StudiesReligiouscombine
StudiesReligious
Course content and assessment
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The Religious Studies A Level course is delivered by three very experienced subject specialists. The department has recently relocated to a refurbished suite of classrooms and is very well resourced. The department houses a library of academic literature and continues to be well supported by the Percival
Library, which provides current articles and periodicals. The departmental staff maintain close contact with Trinity College, Bristol, which has provided access to its considerable collection.
Religious Studies traditionally combines well with other essaybased subjects in the arts and humanities, but equally it can sit comfortably with the sciences and Psychology.
“The course will enable students to compete for places at the most institutions.”prestigious
Theology
Julia Greenbury Head of Philosophy, Ethics and
EconomicsPolitics, & Business
“An interest in current affairs is essential.”
What subjects does combinePoliticswith?
There is a wealth of resources available both within the school and outside. The department is well-resourced with books and other materials and there is a well-stocked section in the library. The daily news always raises issues and events which are relevant and every student should endeavour to read a good quality daily newspaper and to follow news broadcasts and other political programmes on the radio and/or television, for example ‘the Andrew Marr Show’ on Sunday mornings, to stay up-to-date with political developments.
The course is now linear, over two years, and consists of three components: UK Politics, UK Government and a comparative study of the USA political system. The UK politics unit includes the study of democracy and participation, political parties, electoral systems, voting behaviour and the media along with core political ideas of conservatism, liberalism and socialism. The UK Government unit includes the study of the constitution, Parliament, the Prime Minister
people how to think for themselves, how to argue persuasively and how to be critical in the use of information. It is, therefore, useful in any career that uses these skills such as the law, journalism, publishing or business.
RequirementsEntry
Course Offered
Additional features
´
Politics can be combined with subjects such as Economics, Business Studies or History, to add to a deeper understanding of the Social Sciences, or it can be studied alongside very different subjects, like Mathematics and the Sciences, to add breadth to a student’s studies.
Politics is an option that will appeal to students who want to understand how the political systems of the UK and the USA operate. It focuses on how these systems are administered today rather than on an historic basis and, therefore, an interest in current affairs is an essential requirement for this course. There is a lot of discussion, debate and argument involved in the teaching and learning of this subject and it will, therefore, appeal to students who enjoy such activities, although the ability to research and to write well-reasoned answers is also
A Level Edexcel Politics
and the executive, as well as the intellectual frameworks of Feminism. The USA component includes the study of the Constitution and federalism, Congress, the Presidency, the Supreme Court, civil rights and democracy and participation. Assessment is through three written examinations of two hours each.
Politics
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Politicsnecessary.teaches
The Politics course followed is that provided by Edexcel. There are no specific entry grade requirements, but students will usually have achieved a good pass grade at GCSE in subjects such as English and History, which have transferable skills.
No specific requirements, but students will usually have achieved a good pass grade at GCSE in subjects such as English and History.
Course content and assessment
Sinead Lynch Head of Politics
Economics is a good complement to most A Levels. Popular subjects to do in combination with Economics include Mathematics, History, Psychology, Politics and Geography. You do not need to study Mathematics to pursue Economics. However, many undergraduate courses in Economics do require Mathematics A Level.
Course content and assessment
The course requires students to develop a combination of skills and aptitudes, from essay writing to quantitative analysis, and rewards those who enjoy working in both conceptual and practical
Additional features
Facilities and staff
The popularity of Economics is a reflection of the value and enjoyment students derive from its study, the wide range of skills they develop and the huge choice of careers that are open to graduates of the subject.
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Grade 7 (or A) in GCSE Mathematics and English Language. A good level of spoken and written English is necessary for success in this course.
Economics
The College’s thriving Economics Society attracts large turnouts and participation on a wide range of national and international current affairs.
Six highly experienced teachers from a wide range of backgrounds in education, industry and finance teach Economics at Clifton. The subject is taught in the Coulson Centre and four newly equipped classrooms make up the department.
What subjects does combineEconomicswith?
Graham Mallard Head of Economics
Atways.the
The study of Economics helps students to develop clear, logical thinking and an analytical approach to problem-solving.
end of the Upper Sixth, students are assessed via three separate papers. Paper 1 is in Microeconomics and Paper 2 is in Macroeconomics. Both of these includeshort and longer essay questions. For Paper 3, students must draw on all their knowledge across both disciplines to answer multiple choice and general questions.
The department seeks to make the most of real life examples and arranges guest speakers which include economists from university and speakers from the business world. We also visit Bristol’s hugely popular Festival of Economics each year to attend seminars led by high profile economists on the issues of the moment. Each year students are offered opportunities to talk to former students/academics about studying the subject at university which they find highly useful in making their own choices.
“Economics is about choice and the impact of our choices on each other.”
Course Offered
A Level AQA Economics
Economics is about choice and the impact of our choices on each other. It relates to every aspect of our lives, often without us realising it, from the decisions we make as individuals about how to spend our money or family income to the institutions and structures created by governments and firms. As a way of thinking, Economics can help us make better choices.
RequirementsEntry
RequirementsEntry
2. Managing business activities
3. Business decisions and strategy
A good level of spoken and written English is necessary for success in this course
Courses Offered
The A Level course provides an insight into the business world and enables students to develop the skills and knowledge to understand how businesses operate. In many ways it is a practical subject as students learn about the internal running of a business, the operation of the various departments, such as marketing, finance and human resources, and the external influences on the business. The A Level course is taught using a case-study approach; this enables students to build knowledge of real world businesses.
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Students are externally assessed on the full content of the course at the end of their studies in the Upper Sixth. Students sit three
Business
Course content and assessment
Business appeals to a wide range of students, including those whose ambition it is to be an entrepreneur, those who hope to run their family business, or those who want to be a part of a multinational corporation. Business touches most aspects of modern society, it is a vibrant subject that is constantly changing, and the study of it prepares students for today’s global world.
Students have the option to pursue the Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE course in Business. It is split into four themes:
What subjects does combineBusinesswith?
Business and related subjects are among some of the most popular fields of study at universities and the A Level provides students with a strong foundation for future studies.
A Level Edexcel Business
4. Global businesses
Facilities and staff
A Level papers. Unit 3 includes study of a pre-released industry research theme.
Business combines well with a wide variety of subjects, including Economics, Geography, Mathematics and Product Design.
1. Marketing and people
There are six staff teaching Business in newly refurbished rooms in the Coulson Centre. We also have a small computer room which is available for students to do business research.
Grade 5 (or B) in English Language and Mathematics. Students who have sat GCSE Business Studies must have a 5 (or B) grade or above to pursue A Level Business.
• The English Legal System
One optional unit from:
Students study 4 units of which 3 are mandatory and 2 are external. The mandatory content is worth 83% of the overall mark, and the external content is worth 58%.
• Investigating Customer Service
• Exploring Business
• Recruitment and Selection Process
BTEC
Julia Folland Head of Business
• Personal and Business Finance (externally assessed)
Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Business
The Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Business is equivalent to a full A Level. It offers a flexible, unit-based structure and project-based assessments. It develops the practical, interpersonal and thinking skills required to be able to succeed in employment and higher education. This includes the ability to learn independently, research actively and give presentations. The course aims to give students a solid grounding in business planning, finance, marketing and strategy which will be invaluable when embarking on further study, an entrepreneurial venture or their future professional career.
Students must have a genuine interest in how businesses function, and an ability to manage regular deadlines in order to satisfy the requirements of the continual assessment in the
Business (BTEC)
• Market Research
Ascourse.with the A Level, a good level of spoken and written English is necessary for success.
“Business touches most aspects of modern society. It is a vibrant subject that is changing.”constantly
• Work Experience in Business
Courses Offered
Three mandatory units including:
• Developing a Marketing Campaign (externally assessed)
RequirementsEntry
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EducationPhysical & Sport
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Theperformances.department has six fulltime teachers and two parttime teachers. They have a vast experience from a variety of sports and include exprofessionals and internationals.
academic challenge provides an exciting opportunity for students. Studying this subject helps students to gain the knowledge to improve their own and others’ performance or coaching.
The PE Department is situated above the swimming pool and fitness suite and next to the sports hall and gymnasium. This allows instant access to apply the theory content of lessons to practical activities. Video cameras and iPads are often used in the practical lessons, allowing students immediate feedback in both their own and others’
A Level PE is an academic course that has practical components. Students will participate in their chosen sport and this will be assessed; the grade will contribute towards a final examination result.
Sport and fitness is a huge industry and students could make a career doing something that they are passionate about. Possible career options include becoming a sports therapist, a teacher, a nutritionist, or training to be a physiotherapist, as well as a range of other opportunities.
Facilities and staff
The study of Physical Education at A Level will enhance a student’s knowledge and experience of PE and sport, as well as providing a deeper understanding of health issues. This A Level offers a multidisciplinary approach to the study of, and participation in, sport, play, leisure and recreation, allowing students to study movement, performance and behaviour in relation to PE.
The A Level covers physiological, psychological, sociocultural and contemporary issues, as well as the practical performance.
Subject to assessment by the Head of Department. Grade 7 (or A) in Biology or Physical recommended.Education
Candidates should enjoy science and looking at how the human body and mind is affected by sport participation and performance, and they should also be interested in the place of PE and sport in our society and how the subject has developed historically to fulfil its social role. They must also enjoy developing and acquiring skills and techniques in a variety of physical activities.
Students will have the opportunity to develop a wide-ranging set of key skills, including communication using appropriate language, dealing with pressure, split-second
RequirementsEntry
decision making, interpreting and analysing data, as well as analysing and evaluating performance.
Physical Education
The Physical Education course follows the OCR specification. It is recommended that candidates have at least an A (or 7) grade at GCSE in PE and/ or the sciences as well as being very competent in one sporting activity. The combination of physical performance and
Physical Education at A Level is studied through a range of different contexts, which reveal the impact that it has on both our own and others’ everyday lives.
Course content and assessment
Course Offered
Students will learn the reasons why we do things and why some people outperform others –mentally and physically. They will also delve into the ethical considerations behind the use of drugs and the influence that modern technology is having on physical activity and sport. All areas of content are now compulsory. As such, students will receive a well-rounded and full introduction to the world of PE, sport and sports science.
A Level OCR Physical Education Potential careers
Sports science, PE teacher, physiotherapist, professional sportsperson, sports coach/ consultant, sports journalism, sports retailing, diet and fitness instructor, personal trainer, sports broadcasting, sports administration.
Other facilities used for PE lessons include cricket nets, the 3G football pitch, the waterbased hockey pitch, the indoor tennis/netball centre, the dance studios and numerous hard court, grass and AstroTurf pitches.
Subject to assessment by the Head of Department. Grade 7 (or A) in Biology or Physical recommended.Education
• Anatomy and Physiology
John Bobby Head of EducationPhysical
RequirementsEntry
Education BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Sport
Course Offered
• Skill Acquisition in Sport.
“Sport and fitness is a huge industry and students could make a career doing something that they about.”passionateare
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• Investigating Business in the Sport and Active Leisure Industry
• Sports Leadership
The BTEC Sport Level 3 National Diploma is equivalent to two A Levels. While covering a range of different units, it provides transferable knowledge and skills that prepare learners for progression to university, this includes the ability to learn independently, research actively and give presentations. Students will study six mandatory units:
Potential careers
Sports science, PE teacher, physiotherapist, professional sportsperson, sports coach/ consultant, sports journalism, sports retailing, diet and fitness instructor, personal trainer, sports broadcasting, sports administration.
• Fitness Training and Programming for Health, Sport and Wellbeing
Sport (BTEC)
• Professional Development in the Sports Industry
Assessment of the units vary from exams to assignments, which prepares students for assessment methods used in degrees. The variety of units and assessment methods engages students who have an interest in sport and allows them to develop an in-depth knowledge and apply their knowledge in project-based assessments.
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&MusicDrama
with Drama GCSE and A Level being offered to all students on timetable, as well as a full LAMDA programme.
Facilities and staff
Course Offered
Potential careers
Component 2: Text in Action, non-exam assessment: externally assessed, 40% of qualification. Students will be assessed on either acting or design. Students participate
We study the WJEC Eduqas exam board syllabus at A Level. Students will study two complete play texts and will participate in three performances: a reinterpretation of a text, a scripted extract, and a devised piece. Students will need to consider the working methods of a theatre practitioner or company in their devised performance work. They may follow performance or design options for the assessment:Workshop,Componentperformances.1:Theatrenon-examinternally
Course content and assessment
RequirementsEntry
at the end of the Summer Term, and a full-scale musical theatre production in November in the Redgrave Theatre.
featuresAdditional
Grade 6 (or B) in GCSE English and Drama if taken.
Performer, director, industry designer, business, marketing, PR, finance, law.
A Level WJEC Eduqas Drama and Theatre
All teachers in the department are subject specialists, therefore we are able to offer a broad academic opportunity to all,
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We stage three productions annually – a May production in the Summer Term for Years 9, 10 and 12, an outdoor arts festival
Drama and Theatre
The Drama Department works closely with Music to promote Performing Arts at Clifton. Through this collaboration, Cliftonians get the best possible opportunities working on such exciting recent productions as Swallows and Amazons, Little Shop of Horrors, We Will Rock You and Lord of the Flies.
Those choosing Drama and Theatre as an academic course will have the opportunity to develop their acting skills and understanding of stagecraft. They will have the chance to learn a wide range of styles, and, as part of the A Level course, will study practitioners and published plays. Studying Drama and Theatre at Clifton College encourages students to develop their teamwork and communication skills, transferable skills that are highly valued by both universities and employers.
assessed, 20% of qualification. Students will be assessed on either acting or design. Students participate in the reinterpretation of an extract from a text chosen from a list supplied by WJEC. The piece must be developed using the techniques and working methods of either an influential theatre practitioner or a recognised theatre company. Students must produce a realisation of the performance/ design and a creative log.
The department has use of the College’s 300-seat prosceniumarched theatre and a purposebuilt dance studio. We work closely with Bristol Old Vic Theatre, the Bath Theatre Royal, RADA, and Shakespeare’s Globe in London.
in the creation, development and performance of two pieces of theatre based on a stimulus supplied by WJEC: a devised piece influenced by a practitioner or theatre company, and an extract from a text. Students will perform their pieces to a visiting examiner, and will submit a process and evaluation report within one week of completion of the practical Componentwork.3:Text in Performance, written examination, 2 hours 30 minutes, 40% of qualification. The exam will consist of a series of questions on the texts students have studied across the course, one to be pre-1956 and the other post-1956. They will also answer a question on a set extract from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.
Study and appraisal of set pieces (exam, 40% of marks)
Facilities and staff
The Joseph Cooper Music School (opened in 2009) is a fantastic facility with a recital hall, recording studio, 15 practice rooms, and three classrooms with 32 iMacs and a suite of Yamaha pianos, including a fine grand piano. As well as the Director of Music, there are two academic members of staff who teach Music A Level and a sound engineer who runs the recording studio and teaches Music Technology.
Students study a wide variety of pieces of music ranging from JS Bach and Mozart, to the Beatles, jazz sax player Courtney Pine, and film music (Psycho and Pirates of the Caribbean), amongst others. They look at how and why the music was written and what makes it successful (or not!).
Additional features
Potential careers
Students learn to compose in different styles, both traditional (e.g. harmony in the style of Bach) and in a more contemporary, original way.
Music
Composition (coursework, 30% of marks)
Students give a recital of around 10 minutes on their chosen instrument or voice; this can be solo, accompanied by a piano, or as part of a group.
Grade 7 (or A) in GCSE Music, or ABRSM Grade 5 Theory and Performance. Course Offered A Level Edexcel Music
The College puts on a busy programme of around 25 concerts per term and the department is always a lively hub of activity, with 32 visiting instrumental teachers. Recent stage productions have been hugely successful including Cabaret [2015], Guys and Dolls [2016] and School of Rock [2017] - all performed in the College’s Redgrave Theatre. Pop and Rock are very popular with regular live gigs, as well as frequent recording sessions. Music groups at the College also include a first orchestra, string orchestra, choral society, chapel choir, chamber choir, wind band, saxophone groups, male & female close harmony, percussion group, brass group, swing band, soul band, and around 20 different chamber music groups.
Performer, musical director, music teacher, music journalist, musical administration and support roles at all levels, public relations.
Course content and assessment
Performance (coursework, 30% of marks)
RequirementsEntry
Music is something that interests everyone in our society and the A Level course has been cleverly designed to be engaging and to extend students’ appreciation of the diverse and dynamic heritage of music, looking at many different styles and genres. Students develop their performance skills (solo and/ or ensemble), compose music, learn about harmony and build up their aural and analytical skills. Whether they go on to study or perform music at a higher level, or whether this is something that sits alongside very different A Levels, it is a highly regarded academic subject and ultimately a very rewarding one.
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• Creating and producing music for games, films and apps, as well as creating original sounds, noises and effects to support interactivity and action.
A Level Grade 7 (or A) in GCSE Music or relevant experience in Music Technology Course Offered
Ofmusic.course, nowadays, high quality music can be made with relatively little equipment, but students will try out different microphones in a real studio, editing with a professional mixing desk and Pro Tools software, as well as learning to set-up PA systems for live Thereevents.isalot
Assessment - 67% internal assessment during course and 33% externally assessed final task. The final task is provided by the exam board and completed under supervised conditions. The
The Joseph Cooper Music School (opened in 2009) is a fantastic facility with a recital hall, recording studio, 15 practice rooms, and three classrooms with 32 iMacs and a suite of Yamaha pianos, including a fine grand piano. As well as the Director of Music, there are two academic members of staff and a sound engineer who runs the recording studio.
Performer, music producer, DJ, music administration, music broadcaster and a range of other professions.
BookCurriculum FormSixth
The BTEC course offers real scope for developing Music Technology skills in different areas including:
Course content and assessment
• Looking at the equipment and processes used to record music in a studio and experimenting
Music Technology is a ‘hands on’ subject which will teach students how to record, edit and mix
RequirementsEntry
supervised assessment period is approximately 15 hours and during this time candidates produce a fully produced, arranged and mixed piece of music with a 1 minute and 30-second edit in response to a set brief.
Facilities and staff
Potential careers
• You will look at the digital audio workstation (DAW), which has become the primary tool of much of contemporary modern music. With the right skills and knowledge, its power and accessibility allows you to create recordings of a similar standard to those heard in commercial studios, the quality and originality of which is only limited by your imagination.
BTEC National Extended Certificate in Digital Music Production
BookCurriculum FormSixth
with microphone choice and placement. You will plan and make multi-track recordings of different instruments using studio equipment.
of coursework and some controlled assessment/ examination, but it’s great fun to study.
Digital (BTEC)ProductionMusic
2nd Unit – The recital will include the four pieces of work discussed and prepared in Unit 1 (verse selection, prose selection, scene from a play and the candidate’s personal choice). After the practical performance work, the candidate will be examined in a viva style interview with the Theexaminer.course is delivered over 12 months and requires students to read a variety of books and poetry and to visit the theatre to explore a range of theatrical Forstyles.further information about Sector E, see page 88.
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The PCert LAM qualification is set at undergraduate level and gives a strong award to offer to a university as it prepares candidates for interview, delivery of a speech or text, and allows the student to carry out in-depth study into literature and drama figures throughout the 20th Thecentury.Level 3 examination is in two units:
(SectorLAMDAE)
1st Unit – Written assignment in the form of a Portfolio of Evidence which will demonstrate a strong understanding of the relevant knowledge and skills required to prepare a recital for performance. Research will be thorough and the assignment will be 5,000 to 6,000 words. It will document the process of preparing a recital based on a theme, in readiness for a performance. It will show thorough research on the poets, playwrights and prose writers included in the recital, along with the historical, social and cultural contexts, including research on character(s), and development of the introduction, linking passages and conclusion. It will give details of the rationale for the choice of staging and movement, the physical and vocal exercises which suit the recital choices, and the process of preparation. There should be a clear evaluation of each stage of the rehearsal process.
SubjectsCreative
Painting and drawing from life is very important and students will work from still life arrangements in the studio as well as from live models during life drawing sessions, which take place in the evenings from time to time. They are also allowed to work from their own reference photographs and we encourage them to purchase their own camera for this purpose.
Potential careers
tend to study either fine art drawing and painting or fine art sculpture/ceramics. Our fine art painting students are given an excellent grounding in the fundamentals of draughtsmanship, oil painting, composition and colour theory as well as the use of the other formal elements in art.
Course content and assessment
Ourmarks.students
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RequirementsEntry Grade 7 (or A) in GCSE Art. Course Offered A Level Edexcel Fine Art Art
We are fortunate to count among our staff a fine art painter and etcher, a ceramicist/sculptor, a photographer and an art historian. The department is equipped with a lower school and GCSE art studio, one larger Sixth Form studio with an etching press, two photography rooms with a darkroom, a ceramics/ sculpture studio and a History of Art room for essential research.
We follow the OCR Fine Art syllabus. Students follow a linear A Level course spending the first four terms working on coursework which carries 60% of their overall marks. They commence work on their externally-set assignment at the beginning of the Lent Term in the Upper Sixth, with a 15-hour examination in the Summer Term, and this carries the remaining 40% of their overall
All students are expected to work using a range of media throughout the course and they are issued with an art kit containing oil paints, acrylics, chalk pastels, tonal chalks, oil pastels, watercolours, acrylics and colouring pencils.
The critical studies element of the course is very important and students critically evaluate and make transcriptions of the work of artists who are considered to be exemplars of particular schools of thought, which should enrich and inform their own work as well as show that what they do has some basis in the world of art.
Clifton has always had a strong tradition in art and former students have included the Bloomsbury art critic and artist Roger Fry, the artist Henry Tonks, who became professor of Fine Art at the Slade School in London, and the landscape and abstract artist Peter Lanyon, a famous member of the St Ives School.
The study of Art can refresh our vision and help us to look at the world in a variety of ways. Students learn to give tangible form to their feelings and their imagination, record and commemorate and create extraordinary versions of ordinary things.
Artist, illustrator, conservator, art valuer, auctioneer, art gallery curator, art teacher, lecturer, graphic designer, interior designer, fashion designer and a range of other professions.
Facilities and staff
Students are encouraged to choose their own theme or starting point for their coursework project, with guidance from their teacher. The teaching approach is personalised and tutorial based, with the dialogue between teacher and student central to the process, to enable students to work with growing independence and self-direction.
The Art, Craft and Design course requires students to work in more than one discipline such as Fine
The Sculpture studio is equipped with a kiln for earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain firings which can also be used for slumped and fused glass work. There is a second small kiln for enamelling. All equipment and materials, including all clay, glazes, and lustres, are provided to students without charge, with nominal charges only made to
Potential careers
We follow the Edexcel Art, Craft and Design syllabus. Students follow a linear A Level course spending the first four terms working on coursework which carries 60% of their overall marks. They commence work on their externally set assignment at the start of the Lent Term in the Upper Sixth with a 15-hour examination in the Summer Term and this carries the remaining 40% of their overall marks. Students may have the option to study Art, Craft and Design as a part time AS Level, with their exam in the Summer Term of Upper Sixth.
Art sculptures and 3D ceramic design, giving students a broader base of application for their work in functional and non-functional contexts. Many students work primarily in ceramics because of the versatility of clay, but students also explore materials such as plaster, wire, paper, fabric, plastic, resin, wax and glass, amongst others. Students are taught hand-built ceramics techniques, such as slab and coil built work, sculpting techniques, mould making and slip casting. Students are encouraged to take inspiration from a range of artists and adopt an experimental approach to their use of media. All students are also issued with an art kit containing oil paints, acrylics, chalk pastels, tonal chalks, oil pastels, watercolours, acrylics and colouring pencils in addition to the three-dimensional studio materials provided, and are expected to use a variety of media throughout the course.
Grade 6 (or B) in GCSE Art or Sculpture.
students if they individually require specialist expensive materials to be ordered. All aspects of the course are taught by specialists in their field.
Architect, ceramicist, fashion designer, interior designer, craftsperson, jeweller, conservator, museum curator, special effects makeup, public artist, furniture maker, visual designer, theatre designer, art valuer/ auctioneer, art teacher or lecturer.
RequirementsEntry
The critical studies element of the course is also very important and students evaluate and make three-dimensional transcriptions of the work of individually chosen artists, which enriches and
Course content and assessment
Sculpture
Facilities and staff
Course Offered
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Sculpture is an enjoyable and rewarding subject. Students will gain valuable skills such as independence, analytical thinking, creativity, ingenuity, innovation and aesthetic awareness. They will learn to appreciate, understand and analyse Art and Design pieces, and initiate and develop their own project concepts. The course gives students the freedom to explore and express their own interests and ideas.
informs their own work. Students must complete a written personal study of 3,000 words to accompany their coursework portfolio. This study includes analytical responses to the artists in relation to their own work.
There are far more job roles on offer in the creative industries than you might realise. With plentiful opportunities and a diverse pathway of exciting areas to specialise in, why not seek to combine what you enjoy doing with your future career? Sculpture is a highly suitable course for anyone interested in pursuing art and areas such as fashion, architecture, furniture design, jewellery, animation model making, prop making, three-dimensional design, installation, ceramics and fine art sculpture, to name but a few.
A Level OCR Art, Craft and Design
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Within these first terms students progress to using digital photography, incorporating studio lighting and image manipulation and editing using a variety of industry standard software. Experimentation in using a wide range of different image making equipment and techniques is encouraged, as
The department has its own darkroom, fully equipped to produce high quality black and white prints. For digital images, Apple Mac computers using a variety of industry standard image manipulation software are linked to a large format A0 inkjet printer. All these facilities are available for students to use in their own time.
Course Offered
Facilities and staff
Their work develops and evolves through personal reflection and thorough informed research into social and contextual aspects of photography as practised by recognised photographers and artists. This personal investigation constitutes 60% toward their overall mark.
From February they embark on the exam project that makes up the remaining 40% and consists of choosing from a selection of set themes culminating in a final piece of photographic work produced during a 15hr practical exam.
Students gain an understanding of how photographic images are constructed and used in society today and also how to convey meaning, thoughts and ideas into their photographs using traditional, contemporary and alternative methods. It is a practical subject, and one that teaches students to understand this exciting, powerful, visual Studentslanguage.have gone on to successfully study at foundation and degree level in a range of areas such as photography, fashion photography, fine art (photography specialism), film and media production.
Potential careers
No formal entry requirements. Candidates should possess a genuine interest in photography beyond the snapshot.
is using alternative methods of displaying their work relative to the subject matter.
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In the first two terms of the first year students begin learning the building blocks of photographic processes, namely the interaction of light and light sensitive materials. This builds a foundation on which to learn the traditional methods of photography using film and darkroom printing, along with workshops in photo etching, toning, liquid emulsion, pinhole cameras and photograms.
Course content and assessment
A Level AQA Photography
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Freelance photographer, photo journalist, photo editor, travel photographer, advertising, film and media, camera operator, fine art photographer, fashion photographer.
These skills-based elements are explored through projects encompassing different photographic genres, learning to communicate through this medium using a wide range of photographic styles and Intechniques.thethirdterm students negotiate a investigationpersonalthatthey work on until February of the following year, incorporating skills and concepts learned so far.
Photography is taught by Paul Wigginton, a photographer with over 40 years of creative and professional experience.
Photography
RequirementsEntry
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A Level Cambridge International Design & Technology in Product Design: Lower Sixth students will spend the first, second and part of the third term working on a number of individual projects developing and building their skills in a variety of material areas. Students will then start their non-exam assessment coursework of the topic of their choice at the end of the year and complete it during terms one and two of the Upper Sixth.
Potential careers
CollegeClifton 2022/23
knowledge, understanding, product analysis and design. Weighting: 30%
Students will study a range of materials and processes within their course choice. They will be expected to design to a number of briefs. Students are expected to visually communicate through a variety of media and CAD work. They are also expected to realise their intentions practically through either workshop based or CAM. The course focuses on the creative aspects as well as the technical ones.
Assessment: Component 1 - Written exam which tests
Students are encouraged to become independent, confident learners, autonomous problem solvers who are not afraid of making mistakes, inspirational and passionate designers and
high quality manufacturers. We encourage students to take risks in a safe, enjoyable and positive environment.
Assessment: Component 3 - Written exam which tests students knowledge and understanding of Product Design. Weighting: 30%
Assessment: Non-exam Assessment (NEA) - Substantial Design and Make Project - A3 folio and made productWeighting: 40%
Designers are the makers of the built environment; they change lives and shape our interactions with the world around us. Design has a reciprocal nature with culture, economy, geography and history in that it always starts with the needs and motivations of people. An education in Design and Technology not only encourages observational and analytical skills but develops presentation and communication. It invites students to explore past objects as an archaeologist and to design what the world will look like in the future.
Design & Technology: Product Design
Course content and assessment
OverviewAssessment
The Design and Technology Department at Clifton College is committed to developing and delivering a curriculum accessible to all, that provides our students with a broad range of skills and abilities in a variety of resistant materials. At the core of the department is creativity and innovation. We encourage a blue sky thinking and limitless approach to designing.
RequirementsEntry
Course Offered
A Level InternationalCambridgeDesign & Technology
7 at GCSE DT
Clinical engineer, jewellery designer/maker. Engineering; clinical, automotive, electronics, chemical, materials, nuclear, aerospace, civil or energy. Construction manager, product designer, building surveyor, CAD technician, model maker, architect, market research data analyst, plumber, secondary school teacher, graphic designer, computer games designer.
Grade
Facilities and staff
have a large workshop fitted out for wood and metal work,
Grade 7 at GCSE DT
Clifton’s reputation for excellence in the Design and Technology Department is ever increasing and we are staffed with highly experienced staff who are trained in a variety of mediums and practice as designers and makers. We also have a full-time technician who supports the main workshop.
Fashion and Textiles is all around us. A qualification in Fashion and Textiles invites students to engage in the journey from the fibre origin to the designing and manufacturing of the finished item. For example exploring the path of a natural staple cotton fibre as it passes through many technical stages before being transformed into a printed summer dress for sale in a high street chain store.
Assessment: Component 2 - Externally set assignment. Supervised 15 hour practical Weighting:exam. 25%
A Level Cambridge Fashion and Textiles
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Potential careers
The course content is varied and thorough giving students a real-life insight and first steps into what it may be like to work as part of the textile industry, whether it is marketing, styling, buying, designing or making.
Weighting: 50%
OverviewAssessment
We offer two courses; A Level Cambridge International Product Design and A Level Cambridge International Fashion and Textiles. They are both linear courses with the completion of the A Level at the end of the Upper Sixth. In the Fashion and Textiles option, Lower Sixth students with spend the first two terms learning new techniques and processes and in the last term they will complete Component 1. In Upper Sixth, pupils will complete Components 2 and 3. These include a personal study and a timed practical exam.
Assessment: Component 1Coursework. Includes a portfolio and final outcome.
Fashion and Textiles
Assessment: Component 3Personal Investigation - Includes practical work and written analysis (1000-1500 words).
Course content and assessment
including a new foundry for casting aluminium. Our textiles workshop has access to sewing machines, overlocker, sublimation printer, heat press and tools and equipment required for safe printing and dyeing of fabrics. The workshop continues to evolve with the equipment needed for students to fully realise all aspects of their designs.
During this course students use their creativity and imagination to design and make textiles based prototypes. The content of the course is modern and relevant so students can learn about andcollectionandintendedblocktaughtfeltingquilting,andsuchmachinerytopractices.processestechnologies,contemporarymaterialsandaswellasestablishedTheyaretaughthowuseavarietyoftoolsandtoenableprocessesasdyeing,printing,handmachineembroidery,knitting,weaving,andmore.Studentsaretouseandmanipulatepatternstocreatefashiongarmentsoverthetwoyearsmakeaoftextilesproductsfashiongarments.Students
Textile designer, fashion designer, footwear designer, clothing alteration, fashion retailing, soft furnishings production, clothing production, tailoring, costume design, garment technology, dressmaking, upholstery, fashion marketing, visual merchandising, fashion merchandising, pattern cutting, fashion buying, styling, fashion journalism/blogging, fashion show production.
Weighting: 25%
Clifton has a well-equipped Design and manipulationandthathavecamerasprograms,rooms,designDepartmentTechnologythatincludesstudios,twocomputerGraphicsandCADscanners,digitalandlightboxes.Weaplasticsworkshopincludesalasercuttertheequipmentfortheofplastics.We
RequirementsEntry Course Offered
complete the qualification with the theoretical knowledge and confidence to succeed in a number of creative industries.
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Computing
What subjects does with?ScienceComputercombine
Course Offered
• Fundamentals networking,communicationofanddatabases and
• A systematic approach to problem solving with software development. This is learnt by students carrying out an independent software development project of their choice in Year 13, worth 20% of the final overall grade
It is recommended that students are equipped with their own Microsoft Windows-based laptop to use for programming practice and working on their software development project.
The growth in demand for people with problem solving and coding skills is strong and likely to grow further in the future. A Level Computer Science develops a broad range of knowledge, understanding and skills of computing, as a basis for progression into further learning and/or employment. GCSE Computer Science is an advantage, but not essential. The course will suit those with strong mathematical and problem-solving skills.
• Theory of computation and computer organisation and architecture
RequirementsEntry
ScienceComputer
Potential careers
A GCSE Mathematics grade of at least 7 is preferred. Also, a GCSE in Computer Science of at least a grade 5 is advantageous.
• Fundamentals of programming, data structures, data representation and algorithms implemented in program code using the C# and Haskell programming languages
A Level AQA Computer Science
Problem solving and programming skills are in high demand across a wide range of industry sectors as technology becomes pervasive across modern society. Particular relevance are engineering of all kinds; media industries such as film and gaming and cyber security.
A Level Computer Science will develop your ability to analyse problems in computational terms through practical experience of solving such problems, including writing programs to do so. In addition, the course develops an understanding of a variety of theoretical aspects underpinning modern computing, including:
Big Data
Computer Science combines well with Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Physics.
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Facilities
are no specific entry
You will examine the structure of data and its origins, and how an efficient data design follows through to an effective and useful database. You will examine a given scenario and develop an effective design solution to produce a relational database system. You will then test your solution to ensure that it works correctly. Finally, you will evaluate each stage of the development process and the effectiveness of your database
You will study the role of computer systems and the implications of their use in personal and professional Yousituations.willexplore the relationships between the hardware and software that form an IT system,
TechnologyInformation (BTEC)
There requirements Course Offered
The Certificate is equivalent to an AS Level and the Extended Certificate is equivalent to an A Level.
The unit is assessed by an assignment set by the exam board. You will be required to produce a written report, detailing the work undertaken for the assignment.
We offer the BTEC Level 3 National Certificate and Extended Certificate. These qualifications are designed for students who are interested in developing their understanding of Information Technology (IT), with a view to progressing to a wide range of higher education courses, not necessarily in IT.
You will explore different social media websites, the ways in which they can be used and the potential pitfalls when using them for business purposes. You will develop a plan to use social media strategies for business purposes to achieve specific aims and objectives. You will then implement the plan, developing and posting content and interacting with others. Finally, you will collect data on the business use of social media and review the effectiveness of your efforts.
Potential careers
Unit 3: Using Social Media in Business
1. The Certificate
RequirementsEntry
Thissolution.unit is externally assessed through a task set and marked by the exam board. The set task will be completed under supervised conditions for 10 hours in a oneweek period in either January or June.
Unit 5: Data Modelling
Given the ubiquity of ICT in all walks of life, this course combines well with most subjects, but complements Business particularly well. In addition, it also complements the sciences, where analysing and manipulating data is necessary.
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BTEC Level 3 National Certificate and Extended Certificate in Information Technology
Facilities
2. The CertificateExtended
The unit is assessed by an assignment set by the exam board. You will be required to produce a written report, detailing the work undertaken for the assignment.
We have a dedicated IT suite for the course, and a high speed network covering the whole campus.
The Certificate consists of two mandatory units:
Unit 2: Creating Systems to Manage Information
You will study how data modelling can be used to solve problems. You will design and implement a data model to meet client requirements.
What subjects does combineTechnologyInformationwith?
You will develop the skills and techniques necessary to create complex spreadsheets in order to produce accurate information that informs decision making. You will examine a scenario and then design, develop and test a spreadsheet; you will review your spreadsheet and make refinements based on user feedback, providing an evaluation of the effectiveness of the alternatives produced.
Unit 1: Information Systems Technology
The qualification is aimed at progression into IT-related careers, such as data engineering and software development. The course is also of relevance to a wide variety of careers in business and management.
The Extended Certificate builds on Unit 2 and 3 with two further units. It has a greater theoretical depth, as well as more content.
and the way that systems work individually and together, as well as the relationship between the user and the system. You will examine issues related to the use of IT systems and the impact that they have on organisations and Thisindividuals.unitisassessed by a 2 hour written exam at the end of the Upper Sixth.
Sector E
Sector E choices
English as an LanguageAdditional
Students should have their own digital SLR camera for the course. See page 78 for further details on the Photography
students are free to make their selection from this sector over and above their normal diet of four main subjects.
The course covers camera controls such as aperture, shutter speeds, depth of field and capturing movement but also, and very importantly, composition, lighting and photographic genres.
LAMDA
In addition to the four main subjects studied in the Lower Sixth, many students will then wish to select one or two additional choices from the list of supplementary subjects in Sector E.
The Performance Certificate LAM qualification is set at undergraduate level and gives a strong award to offer to a university as it prepares a pupil for interview and delivery of a speech or text as well as allowing the student to carry out in-depth study on literature and drama figures throughout the 20th century. See the Drama section on page 68 for more Theredetails.are
Photography
The subject choices within Sector E are designed to give Sixth Form students further scope to develop their strengths and interests. Any selections made from Sector E are optional and so, broadly speaking,
If staffing allows, these languages are available for study as Sector E options. They can be studied as a nonexamined subject or to GCSE or A Level depending on the student’s previous experience. Students should contact the Head of Languages if they are interested in studying a language as a Sector E option; early contact is advisable to discuss which language options are possible. For more details of the languages offered see the Modern Foreign Languages section on page 36.
individuals do not over-commit themselves. Students should discuss their Sector E choices with their tutor and Housemaster/mistress to make sure that they have made a realistic selection.
Photography is available within Sector E for any student who wishes to learn more about using their camera creatively and to have the opportunity to experience traditional, and experimental, methods of producing photographic images.
EAL is offered as a Sector E course which is tailor-made to fit the needs of the students who wish to take it.
We aim to be as flexible as possible within Sector E, and subject to certain timetabling constraints, students may choose more than one option. Students are encouraged to enrich their experience in the Sixth Form by choosing an additional option or options, though care must be taken
Most often it will involve improvement of academic writing skills for those students taking essay writing subjects such as Economics, Psychology or History.
toDepartment.ensurethat
French, MandarinRussianGerman,Spanish,Italian,and
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also a range of other LAMDA activities available, leading to nationally recognised qualifications, covering skills like public speaking and performing. These lessons take place both on and off timetable, dependent upon demand. See the Head of Drama for more information about this.
Support teaching for students with Special Educational Needs
specialist EAL teachers.
Some Sixth Form students take advantage of regular weekly support lessons throughout their time in the Sixth Form and this is encouraged. However, students with a specific literacy difficulty who would like occasional help with reading or essay writing should contact the Learning Support Team to arrange appropriate support.
Additional support —Learning Support
assessed for possible learning difficulties during the first few weeks of term. Where our screening process indicates a difficulty, we will contact parents and recommend further assessment and, in some cases, extra support. In order to receive extra time in examinations or other access arrangements from the examination boards, students with specific learning difficulties will require a full assessment and should be able to demonstrate that they have received continued support from school and that there is evidence of need. Students and parents should be aware that the examination boards are becoming more stringent and that a student who has had extra time at GCSE level will not automatically receive extra time at A Level.
Please note Miss Vicary will be on maternity leave from the 3rd November 2022. Please direct queries to Mary Beever for the remainder of the academic year.
If students want additional support with their IELTS exam preparation or with general Academic English, they can arrange one to one sessions with a specialist EAL teacher from the department. These lessons are at extra cost (see fee sheet) and usually take place in a student's free time so that withdrawal from other lessons is not necessary.
Identification of needs
This exam can be taken locally at an external testing centre for a fee. It is advised that overseas Sixth Form students take this exam because it is most likely part of the English Language entry criteria if they apply to an English-speaking University.
The College facilitates the provision of specialist teachers for Learning Support, both mainstream academic subject teachers and teachers with experience in Special Educational Needs. Students may receive oneto-one lessons with a specialist teacher at an extra cost (see fee sheet). These lessons are normally arranged in the student’s free Thosetime.
—English as an Additional Language
Sixth Form students from overseas have the opportunity to sign up for Enrichment classes in IELTS. These are delivered by
who wish to make outside arrangements for support (or to continue with them) are welcome to do so. There are Dyslexia Centres in Bristol and Bath. However, we do ask parents to ensure that we are informed of the support that their children are receiving, so that our teachers may liaise.
Facilities
Students needing qualifications in English, such as IELTS, for university entrance can arrange their entrance exam with support from the Head of EAL, Miss Vicary.
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Whereassessments.students have not previously been identified, or have been identified only through assessed procedures, access arrangements assessments or full educational psychologist assessments can be arranged (see fee sheet for details of charges). All new Lower Sixth students are
The examination boards stipulate that students must be assessed by an appropriately qualified specialist who is employed by, or known to, the school. Most assessments will be conducted by the Head of Learning Support
or our in-house Educational Psychologist. The College will not accept privately commissioned Educational Psychologist reports for the purposes of applying for examination concessions.
Clifton College is able to make provision for students who have certain specific learning difficulties, for example dyslexia, or who have a need for specialist or additional help in some areas of their learning.
Students requiring Learning Support will normally have been identified, and may already be receiving support before joining the school. Parents of such students are asked to ensure they have made contact with the Head of Learning Support before their son or daughter joins the school, and they must make available any documentation, such as Educational Psychologist
The Learning Support Department is situated in the Fyffe Centre. It uses one classroom for group learning support and six classrooms for individual teaching. In addition, there is a Learning Hub which houses 12 PCs. The Learning Support Department is situated in the heart of the school, allowing greater liaison with other departments, and in particular the English Department.
The Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep School can access this with referral from staff or parents. In
The College requests that new students advise them of any pre-existing or ongoing mental health support needs to ensure appropriate services can be put in place.
the Upper School, students are also able to self refer.
The College has qualified counsellors who offer ongoing one to one therapy to all years.
The Mental Health Lead works as part of a team to promote a whole school approach to enhancing the emotional health and wellbeing of pupils and staff.
counsellor and a member of the teaching staff. The group works on initiatives to promote awareness of mental health and encourage members of our community to look after their mental health.
ThereServices.are Peer Supporters who are members of the Sixth Form who meet weekly and are overseen by the lead school
The PSHE curriculum highlights the importance of taking care of our mental health and gives information about commonly experienced mental health issues.
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—Emotional support and mental wellbeing
Students who are experiencing difficulties with their mental health can get support from a range of people within the College, including their House staff, tutors, teachers and Chaplaincy. The College has undertaken mental health training with teaching and support staff.
Boarders can access a doctor through the College’s Health Centre, where referrals can be made to external mental health services. The staff in the Health Centre can help to coordinate support with Child and Adolescent Mental Health
The College offers students opportunities to discuss mental health issues and aims to offer an inclusive and supportive environment.
Digital Music 71 Production (BTEC)
Design and Technology 81 (Fashion and Textiles)
Please follow the instructions on the form provided to make your choices. If you do not have a form, please email admissions@cliftoncollege.com to request one.
The otherwise.unlessLevelsubjectsavailable.subjectsfollowingareAllareAcoursesstated
Ancient Greek 45 Applied Psychology 29 Art(BTEC) 75 Biology 23 Business 60 Business (BTEC) 61 Chemistry 24
Classical Civilisation 46 Computer Science 85
German 41 History 51
Drama and Theatre 69 Economics 58 English Language and 37 EnglishLinguisticsLiterature 38 French 39 Geography 49
—SubjectChoiceschoices
Digital Music Production 71 Philosophy(BTEC) 53
Further Mathematics 34 Music 70
Information Technology 86 Latin(BTEC) 45
Photography 78 Physical Education 63 Physics 27 Politics 57 Psychology 28 Religious Studies 54 Russian 43
Sculpture 76 Spanish 42 Sport (BTEC) 64
Mandarin 43 Mathematics 33
Design and Technology 80 (Product Design)
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Clifton College 32 College Road Clifton, Bristol BS8 3JH T. +44 (0)117 315 7000 E. admissions@cliftoncollege.com cliftoncollege.com CliftonweTogether,are
