Details of courses available at Key Stage 4

The curriculum at Key Stage 4 offers students the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects, some of which are taught in school in timetabled lessons, and others, the Applied Learning (Vocational courses), which are delivered at a college of further education. This range of opportunities allows students to tailor the curriculum to best suit their personal interests and ambitions.

All students will study the Core Subjects which are compulsory. These include:

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Religious Education / Citizenship
  • Personal, Social & Health Education (PSHE)
  • Physical Education (PE)
  • Information & Communications Technology

Students are then free to select four optional courses from the lists shown below: they need to select two courses from each column.

Column 1 Column 2

Notes

Column 1: Students can only select 1 of the Art & Design courses and either Food Technology or Catering, not both.

 

Column 2: Students can only select either Computing or the ICT Practitioners course, not both.

Students cannot select three subjects from one column and only 1 from the other. Some of the courses listed will be new to most students in Year 9 and some will be very different to the subject their parents remember from their school days - either fondly, or not!
OR

Students can opt to study any of the Applied Learning Subjects which are listed next. These are delivered at a local college of further education.

Students opting for an Applied Learning course will take one of the subjects shown on the left,

Plus 2 courses from the School Options (on the previous page, one from each column),

Plus Core Support from both sides of the School Options (on the previous page).

Applied Learning Courses

  • Catering BTEC Level 1
  • Construction BTEC Level 2
  • Engineering BTEC Level 2
  • Equine Studies NVQ Horse Care Level 2
  • Hairdressings Level 1
  • Motor Vehicle Studies - Level 1

The Applied Learning courses are taught for one full day per week. They are timetabled to run concurrently with the other options subjects, so to minimize the impact of missed lessons, students who opt for one of the Applied Learning options must also select the Core Support option in both of the School Options columns. They will be free to make two further subject choices, one from each column.

Any student is welcome to opt for Core Support in either column if they wish - this is not just for students doing Applied Learning.

Before opting for any subject, it is essential that students read the information on all the courses and look at the video clips (which are available for almost all the courses listed) to ensure they understand what each has to offer, what it demands and where it can lead to in the future.

Students will almost certainly not be able to move between courses during Year 10,
so making the correct, informed choice now is vital.  

Important Note

It must be stressed that we can offer a course only if sufficient students choose it. If, after analysis of the Options Forms, it is clear that a particular course is unpopular and therefore recruits very few students (making it not viable) it will be deleted from the list of subjects available. Students who have selected such a subject will be required to make another choice.

Similarly, if a subject is over-subscribed and has more students wishing to take it than there are spaces available, some students will be asked to choose an alternative.
We will obviously do all we can to meet the needs of as many students as possible. Students and parents need to be aware that we cannot guarantee every options preference and reserve choices need to be made with care.