School curriculum in Years 10 and 11

In Years 10 and 11, we prepare our students for their next steps into work-based learning, further and higher education. Students will take at least eight GCSE examinations including English, Maths and Science. Other GCSE subjects are subject to each student’s preference and guidance is provided to help them choose. Students continue to take part in Physical Education and Personal, Health and Social Education.

Find out more about individual subjects below.

• Art

  Students will experiment with a range of media and techniques in 2D and 3D using wet and dry materials. They will practice with pencil, pen, watercolour, and graphite, and produce art using charcoal and pastels as well as acrylic paint. They will develop their understanding of line, shape, texture and pattern and work to analyse the work of artists. In addition, students will create their own monoprint and build their personal portfolios.

• Biology

  Students will work to develop their scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding of biology, the nature, processes and methods of science, and the world around them. They will apply practical critical thinking skills, in the laboratory and in the field, and develop their knowledge of genetics and the human body, healthy living, food for growth, and the principles of life on earth.

• Business Studies (GCSE)

  With a focus on the dynamic nature of business, students will learn about risk and reward in business and the discover the inside story on entrepreneurship and start-ups. They will study marketing, gaining an appreciation for all the elements of the marketing mix and learn about market research and segmentation. Students will also explore the ethical aspects of business and its wider impact on the natural environment.

• Business (BTEC)

  Coming Soon

• Chemistry

  Students are encouraged to make the link between science and current live issues in society. They will explore the cultural aspects of science as well as developing an understanding of concepts and models used by scientists to explain natural phenomena. They will engage in practical investigations and experiments in topics including air and water, materials choices, analysing chemical patterns and making useful chemicals.

• Citizenship

  Coming Soon

• Combined Science

  Coming Soon

• Computer Science

  Students will explore systems architecture and software as well as network connections and computer security. They will study the impact of digital technology across a range of areas including licensing and legislation as well as human culture. Students will develop an understanding of how algorithms work and gain skills in programming logic and language.

• Drama

  Coming Soon

• Engineering (BTEC)

  Coming Soon

• English Language

  Students will learn to identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas, select, and synthesise evidence from a range of texts, and explain, and analyse how writers use language and structure to achieve effects and influence their readers. They will compare writers’ ideas and perspectives and learn to evaluate texts critically. Students will learn to use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose, and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.

• English Literature

  Students will develop skills in reading critically and comprehension as well as writing coherently as the explore a range of texts including Shakespeare, the 19th century novel and modern prose and drama. Texts include ‘Macbeth’, J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’, and ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. Students will explore a range of poetry on the theme of power and conflict.

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  {qaccordion|Geography}

  The geography curriculum encompasses highly topical areas including climate change and the challenges of urbanisation as well as energy consumption across the world. Students will explore natural hazards including tectonic and weather events. They will also study the glacial, coastal and river landscapes of the UK.

• History

  Students will explore broad areas of history and develop their understanding and ability to apply a critical analysis and assessment of topics including medicine through time from 1250 to 1900, Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, the superpowers involved in the Cold War, and the history of the USA from 1954-1975.

• Mathematics

  Students will learn to develop their analytical and reasoning skills across a range of mathematical techniques and principles. They will explore the properties of shape through perimeter, area, and volume. They will develop skills in assessing averages, range, ratio, and proportion. Students will move on to acquire a knowledge and understanding of quadratic equations and graphs, trigonometry, statistics, and advanced algebra.

• Music

  Students will acquire the vocabulary and knowledge of music and work towards creating their own composition and a solo performance. Within music theory, students will explore classical and contemporary works including Queen’s ‘Killer Queen,’ one of J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Pathetique, and the music of European and African group Afro Celt Sound System.

• Physical Education (GCSE)

  Coming Soon

• Physics

  Students will gain an appreciation of conceptual models and theories to make sense of the diversity of the natural world. They will learn about the interaction of objects and systems, and how to apply analysis to understand the cycle of hypothesis, experimentation, and the development of theories. Core topics include radiation and radioactivity, electric circuits and sustainable energy, and models and explanations of matter.

• Product Design

  Students will gain an understanding of the core technical and specialist principles of design technology. They will focus on how items are designed and made and explore the properties and craft of using metals, papers, polymers, textiles, and timber in manufacturing.

• Religious Studies

  Coming Soon

• Sport (BTEC)

  Students will develop a knowledge of the human body, learn about common sports injuries, and explore the technological advances that impact on sport and activity. They will acquire key skills that support their theoretical understanding of training, nutrition and the psychological factors that influence sport and activity performance. Students will gain an understanding of the principles of leadership in sport and investigate methods of planning, delivering, and reviewing sessions for a range of diverse groups.

• Spanish

  As the develop their speaking and writing skills, enriching their vocabulary on a range of topical issues, students will take the next step in their understanding of Spain and the Spanish language. They will learn to understand and interpret literary texts as well as exploring the world of work and employment opportunities, festivals, and the environment, as well as family and leisure topics.