stephenson studio school - ks4 options booklet

Key stage four option booklet

The Stephenson Studio School

Introduction…

The Stephenson Studio School is a small school. Our whole

approach is in supporting learners to be successful at work, in

further education or training, or in university.

Seven essential elements lie at heart of the Stephenson Studio

School model, elements that have been developed through

extensive research and consultation with employers, education

experts and young people.

The essential elements of the Studio School are:

� Employability and enterprise skills

� Real work

� Key qualifications

� Small Schools

� Personalised curriculum

� Students of all abilities

� Practical learning

Every student is treated as an individual with a personal coach to

support them throughout their ‘GCSE’ studies. Students will

meet with him or her at least once per fortnight to review their

progress and plan work that supports their learning sessions.

Every key stage 4 student will also undertake 4 hours of

employment each week. This will be carefully planned and

facilitated through their personal coach. During their time with

each employer, which will usually be for a minimum of six

months per internship, students will make a measurable

contributions to their employers business and will acquire the

CREATE skills which are so highly valued by employers.


Contents

Subject Page

Introduction to the key stage 4 curriculum 2

Core Projects 3

CREATE framework 4

English Baccalaureate: 6

GCSE English 6

GCSE Mathematics 6

GCSE Double Science 8

GCSE French 8

GCSE Humanities (Geography or History) 9

Other Examined Subjects: 10

GCSE English Literature 10

Separate Sciences 10

GCSE ICT 10

Non- examined subjects: 11

Sport and fitness 11

Careers information and guidance 12

Personal, Social, Health and Enterprise Education 12

World religions and cultures 12

1


Our Key stage 4 Curriculum

Studio School students follow the National Curriculum and gain

key qualifications principally through enterprise projects.

Our school subject curriculum covers 8 GCSEs: English, Maths,

Double Science, French, ICT and Geography or History.

Successfully passing these subjects will enable students to

achieve the English Baccalaureate.

The national curriculum and key qualifications will be delivered

through a thematic approach. This aims to provide a more

integrated learning experience that breaks down into strict

subject boundaries. To achieve this The Studio Schools Trust has

developed six learning areas.

These are:

1 Transforming my community

2 Leading healthy lifestyles

3 Understanding the world

4 Discovering through technology

5 Communicating with others

6 Enterprising and creative behaviour

The table below shows how these themes are mapped against

GCSE subjects.

CWO - Communicating with othersCurriculum links: English, Citizenship, Geography, French

TMC - Transforming my communityCurriculum links: Business Studies, History, English and French

DTT - Discovering through technologyCurriculum links: Maths, ICT, English and French

ECB - Enterprising and creative behaviourCurriculum links: Business Studies, English, Citizenship andFrench

UTW - Understanding the worldCurriculum links: Geography, Science, Economics and French

LHL - Leading healthy life stylesCurriculum links: English, Economics, History and Geography

Over the course of year 10 and year 11, students will work

through six ‘enterprise projects’ each lasting for 17 weeks.

Every enterprise project incorporates six learning areas which

are mapped to the national curriculum:

2


The studio school Key Stage 4 year

The studio school year is divided into three units, each lasting

seventeen weeks. In each unit students will work on Core

Project that focuses on a particular area of learning. Each Core

Project will address a key question and students will be

expected to originate a product.

For example the key or driving question for the year 10 Core

Project Leading Healthy Lifestyles is, ‘How can I make my

community healthier?’ The final product is a local health

campaign designed to change behaviour so that a target group

adopts a healthier lifestyle.

The relationship between students’ learning and the real world

is further reinforced through the way that this work is

commissioned. Core projects will be commissioned by local

community organisations and businesses. The leading healthy

lifestyles project will be commissioned by a local health

organisation.

Over the course of a student’s time at school, the units gradually

become more open and increasingly challenging. This allows

students to gradually adapt to project based learning, something

that is a key feature of both working and university life.

Students will also participate in a series of subject specific

learning sessions to support preparation for exam success.

Wherever possible these are linked to the context of the

enterprise projects to ensure that learning connects with the

real world. Further one-to-one and small group coaching

sessions will help students with any areas of studies they are

finding difficult.

3


The Studio School CREATE skills framework

Whilst at the Stephenson Studio School students will acquire key

employability and life skills through the CREATE framework.

Five principles underpin the CREATE framework:

1 Accessibility – a simple and easy to use structure that

is accessible to both students and staff;

2 Simplicity – CREATE uses no jargon, only clear, basic

language that anyone can understand;

3 Transparency – every skill is assessed so that the

students know exactly what is expected of them;

4 Transferability – students are expected to exhibit

their skills in a wide range of settings, not just in

school;

5 Evolutionary – CREATE will evolve every year to

reflect new research, qualifications and a changing jobs

market.

CREATE focuses on six key skills that will enable students to

thrive both at work, at university or through further training or

study. The CREATE framework is the ‘language’ of the

Stephenson Studio School and these skills are formally

accredited alongside your GCSE’s.

The six key skills are:

� Communication

� Relating to people

� Enterprise

� Applying knowledge

� Thinking

� Emotional intelligence

The schema oppposite explains CREATE in further depth.

4


The CREATE Framework

Communication Relating to Enterprise Applied Thinking EmotionalPeople Intelligence

Definition

Skill Area

Explain Collaborate Create School and Research InterpretingLearning myself

Express Negotiate Plan Family and Analyse ManagingRelationships myself

Present Responsibility Execute Work and Decision InterpretingEmployment others

Reflection My local Managing otherCommunity

Wider world

Learners can

communicate

effectively through a

variety of methods

Learners

understand and are

able to effectively

apply their

knowledge and

skills to a variety

of situations

Learners understand

and are able to

successfully interact

with others in a

range of

circumstances

Learners are able to

independently build

connections,

processing

information to make

reasoned

judgements and

solve problems

Learners understand

and are able to

manage theirs and

others emotions,

channelling them

effectively and

positively

Learners are

creative and have

the initiative skills

to recognise and

respond to

opoortunity

5


Reinforcing CREATE skills

During year 10 and year 11 students will spend four hours per

week with a local employer. This will enable students to put

CREATE skills into practice in a variety of situations.

Further information on year 10 and year 11 subjects

The English Baccalaureate

The English Baccalaureate was introduced by the Coalition

Government in 2010 as a key indicator of academic success. It

comprises of 6 GCSEs: English, Mathematics, Double Science, a

Modern Foreign Language and a Humanity subject.

There is more detail about the six GCSE’s offered by the

Stephenson Studio School that enable students to attain the

English Baccalaureate.

GCSE English

All students will study both English Language and English

Literature. These are taught as an integrated course and much

of the learning will take place through the six core projects, but

will lead to two separate qualifications at GCSE. The course will

be wide ranging and stimulating, based around the three

assessment objectives of speaking and listening, reading and

writing. Lessons involve a wide variety of activities. As well as

developing skills in writing students explore non-fiction and

media texts through their Core Project work. A broad range of

poetry, prose and drama from the twentieth century and other

historical periods, as well as from varying cultures, will be

studied for English Literature. Shakespeare is of course a

compulsory area of study, however, our innovative Core Project

‘How can I tell the story of Macbeth to young offenders?’ allows

students to learn about the text and use their creativity to

develop a product that narrates its story to a target audience.

This project is commissioned through a charity working with

young offenders to develop literacy. Prototypes of the product

will be pitched to the charity and if good enough will become a

live resource for the charity workers to use.

GCSE Mathematics

Students will follow the Edexcel GCSE in Mathematics B which

is designed so that the assessment is by unit tests, with a

terminal test at the end of the two-year programme of study.

6


Specification B serves those who teach and learn in a modular

way, tackling smaller units of assessment at different times

throughout the course, and who benefit from positive

reinforcement of their success through results banked as they

progress.

This specification comprises three units:

� Unit 1, which focuses on statistics and probability content

� Unit 2, which focuses on number, algebra and geometry

� Unit 3, which focuses on number, algebra and geometry

and builds on the content of Unit 2.

This specification has particular benefits for learners:

� Allows assessment throughout the course; results analysis

identifies students’ strengths and weaknesses enabling

them to take remedial action.

� There is a lesser amount of non-calculator assessment,

which suits some students who benefit from the support

of calculator-based assessment.

Much of the skills and knowledge in the three units will be

incorporated into the six core projects.

7


GCSE Double Science (worth two GCSE’s)

Science is made up of Biology, Chemistry and Physics and is

studied as two separate GCSE’s. Science is examined in year 10

and additional science is examined in year 11. 25 % of the

marks are awarded for a controlled assessment which is carried

out and examined in subject specific learning time. This includes

a written test on a practical investigation. There are a number of

topics where current issues in science are reviewed and

discussed e.g. the energy debate, global warming and healthy

diet.

GCSE French

This is a continuation of the aims and methods of students’ key

stage 3 language studies. The four GCSE skills of listening,

reading, speaking and writing are further improved through

ensuring all the core topics have some work in French. This

gives students the opportunity to apply French in real life

situations to build their confidence and vocabulary. French has

many business applications, particularly with businesses that

export and import to France and other French-speaking

countries such as Luxembourg, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Guyana,

French speaking Canada and other French colonies.

8


GCSE Humanities (a choice of Geography or History)

Students will be able to choose from either GCSE Geography or

GCSE History:

GCSE Geography

This is for students who take an interest in what is happening in

the world and who enjoy working things out for themselves, for

instance by watching documentaries and reading newspapers.

The course will appeal to those students who are

interested in:

� The issues which affect people and the places they live in;

� How villages, towns and cities are changing and why;

� How people are effecting the environment we live in;

� What causes different landscapes;

And

� Who enjoy travel and finding out about new people,

places and landscapes;

� Enjoy a subject that is relevant to their lives and

experiences;

� Want the opportunity to do fieldwork.

GCSE History

This will focus on analysing key historical events and

developments to better understand the modern world. History

allows us to look at a vast array of other subjects such as

politics, economics, psychology, geography, medicine and other

sciences in order to understand why things are as they are.

The main topics covered are:

Conflict in the Modern World

� The events leading to the First World War;

� Britain in the First World War;

� The Paris Peace Treaties;

� International affairs in the 1920s;

� The rise of Hitler and the role of appeasement in the

outbreak of the second world war;

� The origins of the Cold War

9


Other examined GCSEs

In addition to the six GCSEs and the CREATE skills students

have the opportunity to take three further GCSE subjects which

are:

English Literature

As can be seen in the English section of the English

Baccalaureate English Literature is integrated within the core

projects and the English subject specific learning sessions. For

those students who show an aptitude for literacy studies they

will be entered for the GCSE English Literature exams.

Separate Sciences

Through an enrichment programme, students may opt to

extend their science studies to sit three separate science GCSE

subjects of Biology, Chemistry and Physics rather than double

award science. This will require additional time commitment

and should not be undertaken lightly.

GCSE ICT

ICT is an integral part of Studio School life and the core

projects. All students will be entered for GCSE Science and will

study two units with unit 1 being assessed through a written

exam worth 40% of the marks and unit assessed as practical

project worth 60% of the marks:

Unit 1 – Living in the digital world

In this unit students explore how digital technology impacts on

the lives of individuals, organisations and society. Students learn

about current and emerging digital technologies and the issues

raised by their use in a range of contexts (learning and earning,

leisure, shopping and money management, health and wellbeing,

on the move). Students develop an awareness of the risks that

are inherent in using ICT and the features of safe, secure and

responsible practice.

Unit 2 – Using digital tools

This is a practical unit designed to broaden and enhance

students ICT skills and capability. They work with a range of

digital tools and techniques to produce effective ICT solutions in

a range of contexts. Students learn to reflect critically on their

own and other’s use of ICT and to adopt safe, secure and

responsible practice. They put into practice what they learn in

unit 1 to support the work of the core projects.

10


Non- examined subjects:

Students will take part in activities and studies to broaden their

skills for life and ability to manage their career progression,

health and personal finances. These subjects are not examined.

Sport, fitness and recreation

All students will take part in at least 2 hours per week of fitness

or sport as part of a healthy lifestyle. Students who have a

passion for particular activities such as karate, horse riding or

golf can arrange to pursue these activities during the allotted

school sport and fitness session. These can be substituted for

the school sport and fitness programme. Otherwise the school

will put on a range of sports and fitness activities to promote

health and wellbeing.

All students will be encouraged to take part in the recreational

activities programme. There is a choice of sporting and fitness

activities both in school and in outside facilities, which provide

the opportunity to enjoy traditional games or develop new

interests. In addition there will be the opportunity to work

towards a ‘world challenge’,’ Duke of Edinburgh’ and take part

in a host of clubs.

Careers information and guidance

Students are able to continue to work with the connexions

service through our link advisor. Personal coaches will help

students to make sense of career options. Group coaching

sessions will look at the bias that can be introduced into career

advice publications. Such reflections are designed to enable

students to make informed choices for their future.

Personal, Social, Health and EnterpriseEducation

This is an important area to enable students to cope with the

pressures of the ‘outside world’ and to enable them to make

sensible choices about sexual health, drugs and financial

management. These topics are dealt with sensitively and non-

judgementally. The work of the personal coach and the close

home school links should support this area of study and seek to

reduce the stresses of the teenage years. The success of this

part of the school curriculum can be measured by the student’s

ability to make sensible and healthy life choices.

World religions and cultures

All students will have a thorough understanding of world

religions and cultures to make sense of the 21st Century

environment. The students will have the opportunity to

understand the main aspects of the main world religions of

Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Judaism.

12 The Stephenson Studio School

Stephenson Studio School Thornborough Road Coalville Leicestershire LE67 3TNTel: 01530 519099 Fax: 01530 814253

www.stephensonstudioschool.co.uk

stephenson studio school - ks4 options booklet

Documents

gcse english literature

gcse ict

gcse studies

english baccalaureate

gcse french

gcse mathematics

gcse double science

gcse humanities geography