Key Stage 4 – The Upper School
Courses available
In the upper school our aim is to ensure that all students are given the opportunity to achieve their potential and to pursue their choice of subjects/ career paths. Students begin their studies in year 9 however whether they simply prepare for their chosen courses of begin their courses depends on the subject. For example, in Physical Education students all complete the same lessons whether they have opted to take the GCSE or the National Certificate and they only begin their specific courses once the department is able to make clear decisions with the students on their best choice. In Science, all students begin the same course however during year 10 decisions on whether they should complete Triple Science or the dual award are made depending on their ability. All students at key stage 4 are required to study the GCSE philosophy and ethics course studying Judaism and Islam because this contributes to our ethos and supports students in exploring their context, culture and identity. We do not subscribe to the idea that specific students should study specific subjects however we do encourage all students to listen to their teachers and their parents when selecting their options for study in years 9-11 and all students are encouraged to take the options most suitable for them. A very small selection of students with specific needs study Functional skills or take a reduced number of GCSE subjects to ensure they are able to achieve their potential however this changes from year to year.
Core subjects for years 9 to 11 include Maths, English, Science, Jewish Studies and general Physical Education (not examined). The subjects that are available for students to choose from vary slightly depending on student voice, staffing expertise and the number of students who wish to study certain subjects. The current options choices which are being studied by year 9 include Art, Drama, Music, Spanish, French, Business Studies, Computer Science, Food Preparation and Nutrition, Design Technology, IT, Enterprise and Marketing, Creative Media Production, Geography, History, Sociology, Physical Education and Sports Studies. A small number of our most able students in year 11 also studied Algebra. These represent a variety of level two qualifications including GCSEs, Diplomas, Certificates and B-Tec.
Performance Tables
To view the DfE performance tables, which allows for comparisons to be made of school performance over a number of indicators, please use the following links.
Percentage of pupils entering the English Baccalaureate
Percentage of pupils achieving grade 5/C or above in English and Maths