Careers Development Programme

Choosing the right subjects for GCSE

Your son/daughter will make initial GCSE choices in February so that next year’s timetable can be blocked and staffing planned. They will confirm their choices at the end of this term. There is the opportunity to add any supporting comments on both initial and final option-choice forms if you feel particularly strongly about the choices that have been made. Once the final options form is submitted, the allocation of options will be made based on the information supplied on the form. Once choices have been made, the College reserves the right to withdraw any courses for which there is insufficient demand. We try to accommodate all subject choices within the prescribed framework. However, subjects are sometimes oversubscribed and availability of staffing prevents additional classes. If this is the case, we will contact you to discuss alternatives. On the following pages, you will find more information about each subject, as well as some useful advice from the Head of Careers and Higher Education, Sharon Allmark. These will help you when weighing up the various factors involved in making the most appropriate choices.

Stephen Badger Deputy Head (Teaching & Learning)

GCSE Reforms Daily Routine

Saturday

• All GCSE subjects are now graded and assessed using the new 9-1 structure; 7.45 am House is unlocked—girls can arrive in casual or sports clothes • 9 is the highest grade, awarded to the very best candidates in the subject. The official definition of a grade-9 candidate is that they will be ‘in the top 20% of those achieving grades 7-9 in the subject’; 8 am onwards Register with matron • In every subject, the content is more demanding and the assessment more rigorous than previously; 8.30-9 am Breakfast • The assessment will be mainly by exam. In some subjects such as Drama and Art, other types of assessment will be used only where they are needed to test essential skills. For further information about assessment, please speak 9.20 am Everyone must be registered by 9.20am to the relevant Head of Department. 9.30 am Activity Tiering of exams 11.30 am End of Saturday School—lunch is available in the Main dining room The new GCSEs are only split into foundation tier and higher tier if one single exam paper does not give all students Afternoon Sports Fixtures (team sheets are posted on the House noticeboard) the opportunity to show their knowledge and abilities. Consequently, exams are tiered in Biology, Chemistry, French, German, Maths, Physics and Spanish.You must sign out with matron and turn your T-card when going home

New grading structureSaturday after 4pm (after sports fixtures)

Current grading structure

9 A* 8 7 6 B 5 4 C 3 D 2 E F 1 G U U

9 is awarded to those pupils achieving what would currently be a top A*: perhaps at around 96%+

GOOD PASS (DfE) 5 and above = top of C and above Schools are no longer AWARDING assessed on A*-C 4 and above = bottom of C and above statistics, but on ‘9-4’ statistics.

Under the updated structure, the ‘good pass’ for Maths and English is a 5, which is Sunday on the border between a C and a B under the old system.

4pm onwards Free time—write where you are going in the signing in/out folder 5pm Supper at Main school 7pm Host House A 10pm Back in House 10.15pm House is locked and alarmed 10am House is unlocked 10.30 Brunch 11am Boarders trip / on-site activities 5pm Carvery and then on-site activities

10pm House is locked and alarmed