Teesdale School and Sixth Form Centre
14-19
Options
Mr Maguire
Co-Principal (Curriculum)
Tonight we will cover
The national picture
Courses students must take
Other courses students can select
The options process
Raising the
Participation Age
The government has increased the age to which
all young people in England must continue in
education or training, requiring them to continue
until their 18th birthday from 2015. This could be
through:
• full-time study in a school, college or with a
training provider
• full-time work or volunteering combined with
part-time education or training
• an apprenticeship
End of modular exams
Students beginning their GCSEs in
September 2014 will be the third cohort
required to sit linear exams in summer of
Year 11…
…and the second cohort to take two-year
linear A-level courses (which will begin in
September 2015).
New GCSEs from
September 2015
More rigorous and challenging qualifications
for students currently in Year 8 and below.
Current Year 9 students need to be aware
they will be competing in the employment
market with younger people who have the
‘improved’ GCSEs.
The English
Baccalaureate (Ebacc)
Awarded from Xmas 2010 to students achieving C
grades in the following GCSE subjects
• English
• Maths
• Science
• either Geography or History
• a foreign language
At Teesdale all students on Level 6 in core KS3
subjects are expected to take the Ebacc.
New Performance
Measures from 2016
The new measures will be based on
students’ performance across eight
subjects:
• English; maths
• Three other English Baccalaureate
(EBacc) subjects (sciences, computer
science, geography, history, languages)
• Three further subjects, which can be from
the range of EBacc subjects, or can be
any other approved qualification
New Performance
Measures
What courses must all
students take?
English: GCSE language and literature
Maths: GCSE
Science: Triple GCSE or Double GCSE
A humanities subject: either History or
Geography GCSE
PE: non-accredited
What options are available?
Students should choose four subjects from a wide
range bearing in mind the following :
1.Students wishing to take triple science (i.e. three science
GCSEs) rather than double science will need to select this
as one of their four options
2.Students on level 6 or above in English, Maths and
Science will be expected to choose one Modern Foreign
Language.
3.Students who would benefit from tiered papers should
choose Geography rather than History as their Humanities
option.
4.Students who would benefit from a more varied
curriculum should choose subjects such as BTEC Sport or
GCSE Health & Social Care
5.All students will need to select a reserve choice.
Example 1
A student on level 6 in English, Maths &
Science who wants to take Triple Science
Option 1: History or Geography
Option 2: Triple Science
Option 3: A modern foreign language
Option 4: Any other subject
Example 2
A student on level 6 in English, Maths &
Science who does not want to do Triple
Science
Option 1: History or Geography
Option 2: A modern foreign language
Option 3: Any other subject
Option 4: Any other subject
Example 3
A student below level 6 in English, Maths
& Science who doesn’t want to do Triple
Science
Option 1: History or Geography
Option 2: A language if they want the Ebacc
or any other subject
Option 3: Any other subject
Option 4: Any other subject
Example 4
A student who would benefit from a more
varied curriculum.
Option 1: Geography
Option 2: Sport Science or Health & Social
Care
Option 3: Any other subject
Option 4: Any other subject
Key Stage 4 Options Key Dates
March 7th: Year 9 reports issued
w/b March 17th: Course booklets and
options forms given out
March 27th: Year 9 Parents Evening
Opportunity to discuss options with staff
including those who teach unfamiliar
subjects such as Business, Health & Social
Care and Sport.
March 31st: Options Forms due in
And finally……
The curriculum we intend to offer for
September 2014 complies with all statutory
requirements and takes communications
from the DfE and Secretary of State into
consideration.
Should there be any subsequent changes
we will of course keep you informed.