Art and Design - GCSE

AQA GCSE Art & Design is a two year modular course which aims to nurture and develop creatvity and encourage personal expression. During the course Students can learn to:

• Handle a wide range of media and materials
• Develop their ideas using visual language and creating visual images and objects using colour, pattern, tone, form and line.
• Practice processes and acquire artistic skills. For example, painting, drawing, printmaking, three-dimensional design, and computer aided images.
• Learn about the work of other artists, designers and craft workers from
  our own and other cultures and through different periods of history.
• Develop writing skills to reflect thoughts and ideas.
• Deepen understanding of creative ideas through thorough research.
• Explore the different purposes of drawing; from sketch notes and planning through to observational drawings and final pieces.

One unit of coursework worth 60% of the overall mark.

Creative iMedia (Computing) - OCR Cambridge National Level 1 or 2

Creative iMedia equips students with the wide range of knowledge and skills needed to work in the creative digital media sector.

They start at pre- production and develop their skills through practical assignments as they create final multimedia products. The qualification will assess the application of creative media skills through their practical use. They will provide learners with essential knowledge, transferable skills and tools to improve their learning in other subjects.

The qualifications will encourage independence, creativity and awareness of the digital media sector.

• Develop writing skills to reflect thoughts and ideas.
• Deepen understanding of creative ideas through thorough research.
• Develop their understanding of the client brief, time frames, deadlines and preparation techniques that form part of the planning and creation process.
• Learn where and why digital graphics are used and what techniques are involved in their creation.
• Understand the basics of creating multipage websites.

25% External Assessment (90 minute examination)
75% Internal Assessment

Food Preparation and Nutrition - GCSE

The WJEC Eduqas GCSE in Food Preparation and Nutrition equips students with the knowledge, understanding and skills required to cook and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating. It encourages learners to cook, enables them to make informed decisions about food and nutrition and allows them to acquire knowledge in order to be able to feed themselves and others affordably and nutritiously, now and later in life.

By studying food preparation and nutrition students will:

• be able to demonstrate effective and safe cooking skills by planning, preparing and cooking a variety of food commodities whilst using different cooking techniques and equipment.
• develop knowledge and understanding of the functional properties and chemical characteristics of food as well as a sound knowledge of the nutritional content of food and drinks.
• understand the relationship between diet, nutrition and health, including the physiological and psychological effects of poor diet and health.
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of functional and nutritional properties, sensory qualities and microbiological food safety considerations when preparing, processing, storing, cooking and serving food.
• understand and explore a range of ingredients and processes from different culinary traditions (traditional British and international) to inspire new ideas or modify existing recipes.

Component 1: Principles of Food Preparation and Nutrition
Written examination: 1 hour 45 minutes
50% of qualification
This component will consist of two sections both containing compulsory questions and will assess the six areas of content as listed in the specified GCSE content.
Section A: questions based on stimulus material.
Section B: structured, short and extended response questions to assess content related to food preparation and nutrition.

Component 2: Food Preparation and Nutrition in Action
Non-examination assessments: internally assessed and externally moderated
50% of qualification
Assessment 1: The Food Investigation Assessment (8 hours)
A scientific food investigation which will assess the learner’s knowledge, skills and understanding in relation to scientific principles underlying the preparation and cooking of food.
Assessment 2: The Food Preparation Assessment (12 hours)
Prepare, cook and present a menu which assesses the student’s knowledge, skills and understanding in relation to the planning, preparation, cooking and presentation of food.

Life Skills - Personal and Social Effectiveness Level 1

ASDAN’s new Personal and Social Effectiveness (PSE) qualifications is a nationally recognised qualification. The qualification offers imaginative ways of accrediting students’ activities. It promotes and allows students to record a wide range of personal qualities, abilities and achievements as well as introduces them to new activities and challenges.

The qualification has been designed to develop competencies in communication, collaboration and emotional intelligence. The qualification contains a wide variety of flexible and engaging challenges, empowering young people to take control of their learning, discover themselves, and build respectful and inclusive relationships.

Students will produce a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate their achievements. Learners develop their skills through the completion of formative challenges prior to being assessed through a summative challenge. 

Learners must complete three units to achieve the award at Level 1, those units are called:

• Developing Myself and My Performance
• Working With Others
• Problem Solving.

Each unit consists of several modules that aid the learners in developing their skills in these areas.

A more detailed breakdown of the units and topics is below:

Unit one: Developing myself and my performance

• Health and wellbeing
• International links
• Digital communications
• Beliefs and values

Unit two: Working with others

• Citizenship and community
• Sport and leisure
• Environment
• Enterprise
• Beliefs and values

Unit three: Problem solving

• Science and technology
• Expressive arts
• Independent living
• Vocational preparation

Coursework 100%
No examination

Music - Rockschool

Rockschool’s graded music exams provide an opportunity for students to work towards accredited qualifications, playing the music they love. They assess progressive mastery on a musical instrument from Entry Level (Debut) up to Grade 8. Through reinforcing knowledge across all sections of the exam, they help candidates consolidate their learning and develop their skills in a more stimulating and enjoyable way.

Students will work with their teacher to prepare for a graded exam at appropriate times during Year 10 and Year 11.

Learning outcomes:

• Be able to perform music in popular musical styles
• Be able to demonstrate technical ability on an instrument/voice through responding to set technical demands
• Be able to demonstrate musical understanding through a range of set tests 

Prepared work (per Grade)

• 3 performance pieces – 2 of which can be free choice pieces
• Technical work

Unprepared work (per Grade)

• Sight-reading or improvisation
• Ear tests
• General musicianship questions

Students will all study an instrument and work to achieve the best Rockschool Grade (1-8) they can during the course. Instruments include: guitar, bass, drums, vocals, ukulele and keyboard.

Assessment is by practical exam at an assessment centre in Leicester, with opportunities throughout Years 10 and 11.

Performing Arts - BTEC Level 1/2 Award

The Award gives learners the opportunity to develop performing arts knowledge and skills in a practical learning environment. The main focus is on four areas of equal importance, which cover the:

• development of key skills that prove your aptitude in Performing Arts such as reproducing repertoire or responding to stimuli
• process that underpins effective ways of working in the Performing Arts, such as development of ideas, rehearsal and performance
• attitudes that are considered most important in the Performing Arts, including personal management and communication
• knowledge that underpins effective use of skills, process and attitudes in the sector such as roles, responsibilities, performance disciplines and styles.

This Award broadens experience and skills participation in different type of performance activities with the opportunity to practically apply your knowledge and skills, through project work such as developing ideas and performing for specific audiences.

Students taking this course will study three units:

• Exploring the Performing Arts
• Developing Skills and Techniques in the Performing Arts
• Responding to a brief.

Units 1 and 2 are internally assessed. Unit 3 is externally assessed.

Product Design - GCSE

Design and Technology offers a unique opportunity in the curriculum for candidates to identify and solve real problems by designing and making products in a wide range of contexts relating to their personal interests. Design and Technology develops candidates’ interdisciplinary skills, all six Key Skills and their capacity for imaginative, innovative thinking, creativity and independence.

The GCSE course in Product Design is based upon the view that design and technology is essentially a practical activity involving the combination of skills with knowledge and understanding in order to design and make quality products. It is intended to develop candidates’ design and technological capability through a flexible and broad-based approach. The course is planned to be sufficiently broad, balanced and relevant to interest all candidates.

Candidates will have the opportunity to analyse and evaluate situations, design and make products, and then appraise their performance. They will be provided with the opportunity to work with a range of materials and ICT.

Unit 1: Design and Technology in the 21st Century
Written Paper: 2 hours
50% of qualification
This unit consists of a mix of short answer, structured and extended writing questions assessing the candidates’ knowledge of Product Design.

Unit 2: Design and make task
Controlled Assessment: approximately 35 hours
A sustained design and make task, based on a contextual challenge set by the WJEC examination board, assessing candidates’ ability to:

• Identify, investigate, analyse and outline design possibilities
• Design and make prototypes and evaluate their fitness for purpose.

Sport - BTEC Level 1/2 Award

The BTEC course is equivalent to a GCSE, its aim is to be a vocational qualification; where students experience a range of sporting areas to assure future employers or further learning institutes that our students have had a solid grounding in the essential knowledge and skills of the sports and leisure sector.

This course is taught as practically as possible; all learning is solidified by tasks which are designed to help students put theory into practice.

The externally assessed exam is done online and comprises of some typed longer answer questions and other more visual examination methods such as drag and drop labelling, picture analysis and multiple choice answers.

The examination unit is called Fitness for Sport and Exercise, it covers a range of topics including fitness testing, components of fitness and sportng injuries.

The internally assessed aspects of this course can be examined in numerous ways in order to help our students demonstrate their knowledge as fully as possible. This includes written booklets, video demonstrations, posters and recorded dramas. Internal coursework based assessment has proven to be a very accessible assessment strategy for our students; it takes places over a longer period of time than a traditional exam and allows students to complete work at their own pace with some staff support.

This option is different to what students would have experienced in PE as the course goes into detail on the theories of sport and students learn the theory behind exercise. If students have an interest in going into a college course or future job in the sport, health or leisure sectors this course is an excellent grounding and first step towards these pathways.

An externally assessed 1 hour online examination. This is based on Fitness for Exercise and Sport, worth 25% of the total mark.

3 internally assessed units which make up the remaining 75% of the total mark:

• analysing and learning 2 sports,
• learning how to conduct a fitness training programme
• sports leadership.

Travel and Tourism - BTEC Level 1/2 Award

Students will be encouraged to research and engage in activities about the Travel and Tourism industry. This will include studying the different types of tourism, transport used, sustainability, economic importance, industries and organisations included in the travel and tourism sector. It will also involve being able to plan a holiday and many other aspects of this growing industry.

Tourist destinations will be researched.

Unit 1 (compulsory): The UK Travel and Tourism Sector
An externally assessed 1 hour examination worth 25% of the total mark.

Internally assessed assignments which make up the remaining 75% of the total mark based on 3 units of study.

Unit 2 (compulsory): UK Travel and Tourism Destinations

The other 2 units will be chosen from 4 optional specialist units which are:

Unit 3: The Development of Travel and Tourism in the UK.
Unit 4: International Travel and Tourism Destinations.
Unit 5: Factors Affecting Worldwide Travel and Tourism.
Unit 6: The Travel and Tourism Customer Experience.

The course will involve some local educational visits to places of interest to tourists