Stephenson Studio School - Key Stage 4 Options Booklet

Key Stage 4 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.

Key stage four option booklet

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 a 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 six key skills are:

Communication

Relating to people

Enterprise

Applying knowledge

Thinking

Emotional intelligence

The diagram opposite 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 othersCommunity

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.

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 Humanities 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 Language and English Literature

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. An example of how we approached

this in our core project was

‘How can I tell the story of Macbeth to French audience?’ 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 by a French school with students

who learn English. Prototypes of the product will be pitched to

the school and if good enough will become a live resource for

the school to use.

GCSE Mathematics

Students will follow the AQA GCSE in Mathematics.

This specification comprises of the following topics:

Statistics and Probability

Number, Algebra and Geometry

Functional skills.

6


This specification has been developed in consultation with

practising teachers and members of the wider mathematics

community, including subject associations. Teachers have told us

the importance of sound technique in working with numbers

and understanding fractions, decimals, percentage and basic

ratio. These feature across both examination papers and across

both tiers, giving learners opportunities to apply these

fundamental skills in a variety of ways, which may be in real

world, everyday contexts, statistical problems or more abstract,

mathematical scenarios.

The assessment is undertaken at the end of the two year period

of study and consists of two question papers, differently

weighted so that 60% of the assessment allows the use of a

calculator.

All assessment is covered in two examinations taken within the

same series. No examination paper is overly long with a

maximum of two hours at the Higher tier.

This specification offers excellent preparation for GCE

mathematics.

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. 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:

Unit 1 - Crime and Punishment

Unit 2 - Life in Nazi Germany

Unit 3 - Crime and Protest, using sources

Unit 4 - Controlled Assessment (Topic chosen from

The USA in 1920’s or USA and Vietnam War)

9


Other examined GCSEs

In addition to the six GCSEs and the CREATE skills students

have the opportunity to take two further GCSE subjects which

are:

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 2 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 a programme of fitness

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

passion for particular activities 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 Award’ and

take part in a host of clubs.

Careers information and guidance

Personal coaches will help students to make sense of career

options. External visitors will be invited to speak to students.

Impartial advice will be offered.

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 - Key Stage 4 Options Booklet

Documents

Transcript of Stephenson Studio School - Key Stage 4 Options Booklet