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KS3: Year 9 Curriculum

Making choices about your future

Prepare, Aspire, Succeed

The Cottesloe School

Prepare, Aspire, Succeed

Our aspiration is that at The Cottesloe School students will follow a 'Cottesloe Journey' that combines learning about and from the world we live in. Students will experience a sense of fulfilment through educational and personal achievement.

The Cottesloe School

Key stage 3 and Key stage 4: some history…

• Some years ago.. KS4 used to be Year 10 and Year 11.
• KS3 used to be three years long from Year 7 to Year 9 with SATs exams at the end of Year 9, just like

the ones the current Year 8s took when they were in Year 6. KS3 SATs outcomes informed KS4 targets.

• The government abolished KS3 SATs in 2008.
• The government introduced a new curriculum in English schools in 2014 which included a new 9-1

GCSE grading system, and abolished attainment levels.

• 9-1 GCSE courses include very little coursework, with grades in almost all subjects depending on
• exams. Courses are designed to be more challenging with exams taken after two years of study, rather

than in modules along the way.

• Because the new style 9-1 GCSEs were perceived to be harder, some schools felt that more time was

needed to ensure students achieved their potential. Many schools (including The Cottesloe School) changed their curriculum model so KS3 was only two years long and KS4 started in Year 9.

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Why do we need to change our curriculum?

• Students at The Cottesloe School need and deserve a rich, challenging and broad curriculum

that offers a wealth of knowledge and experience. We must offer this.

• Students across the school have not always had opportunity to experience a rich curriculum

because our KS4 curriculum offer has been too narrow.

• Students could select a narrow range of subjects through the old options process.
• We asked students to make choices too early.
• In selecting GCSE options in Year 8, we limited the learning experience of particular subjects.
• Our curriculum permitted students to stop studying too many subjects (History, Geography,

Ethics, all Creative subjects, French or German) before the age of fourteen.

• Changing Year 9 to be in KS4 has meant that students chose their GCSE subjects much

earlier, when some students were only 12 ½ years old.

• Changing Year 9 to be in KS4 meant that lots of students stopped learning in a wide range of

subjects earlier, so they missed out making progress; knowing more and remembering more.

• Longer study time before students have to make decisions will improve their GCSE outcomes.

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Why do we need to make changes to our curriculum?

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• Current Year 9 upwards have been able to stop studying any form of Creative subject at the end of Year 8.
• Students have been able to select subjects to create very narrow curriculum choices:

Computer Science / Business Studies / Triple Science / PE No Creativity subjects, no Modern Foreign Language, no Humanities subjects

• This is not a broad and balanced curriculum.

What are we changing?

• KS3 will last for three years; Years 7 – 9.
• Year 9 will be a transition year, leading from KS3 into KS4 to increase the breadth of

learning.

• In Year 9, students will continue with a curriculum broadly similar to the one in Years 7 & 8.
• KS4 study will begin in the summer term of Year 9.
• Teachers are working hard to make changes to what is taught and learnt at different times

to make sure lessons are exciting and engaging to ensure students make progress to achieve their goals and targets in KS3 and KS4.

• Two week timetable will allow flexibility so we can fit all the lessons into a well-planned
• schedule. This means lessons of one subject can be spaced out; increasing learning.

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What will KS3 look like? What do Year 8 students study now?

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During Year 8, students will make choices for Year 9 Year 8 students will make three KS3 subject choices, for study in Year 9.

What will KS3 look like?

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THE COTTESLOE SCHOOL During Year 9, students will make their options for GCSE Year 9 students will opt for four subjects, one each from four option blocks, to study at KS4. 8 2 3 3 7 7 2 3 5 4 3 3

Thinking ahead to KS4: the options process in Year 9

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• For the majority of students, taking exams in 2023, they will study their chosen language

and a humanities subject which will qualify them for the English Baccalaureate qualification.

• Where they have not been studying a language at KS3, or a more vocational route may

be appropriate, students will choose one from MFL (if studied), History or Geography and have a further three options to select.

CAREERS AND YEAR 8 CHOICES

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The long and winding road to a career starts with making good choices now.

Mr Matcham, Careers Advisor

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Prepare, Aspire, Succeed

WELL SONNY, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GROW UP?

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The Cottesloe School Prepare, Aspire, Succeed

Questions, questions, questions…

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So much changes over time, so keep your choices open. It’s not about making the right choices. It’s all about not making the wrong ones.

Prepare, Aspire, Succeed

CAREERS ADVICE AT YEAR 8? You must be joking!

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Prepare, Aspire, Succeed

Choices, choices, choices…

I don’t seem to have any ambition at all, should I just do what my mates choose?

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Prepare, Aspire, Succeed

Decisions, decisions, decisions…

We make some decisions for students, because these subjects are door openers, also known as facilitating subjects; put simply you’ll get many more places with them.

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BREADTH OF STUDY: THE MISSING LINK IN CAREERS

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• The most important issue at KS3 is to keep students’ education as broad, exciting and

facilitating (there’s that word again) as possible.

• This will make your choices for KS4 more informed, and the broader those choices are

the better.

• That’s why our new curriculum model enables you to continue to study Modern

Foreign Languages, IT and both History and Geography in Year 9.

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The Knowledge

• By Year 10, careers

advice will become more specific to the individual

• There is advice that you

should start to consider at KS3

• Listen carefully…

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Posters, posters, posters…

Be curious and take advantage of what we offer here

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Be interesting!

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How to be interesting

• To get into a good University you have to stand out.
• At a recent conference for 6th form leaders, a Dean at a top University stated that the top criteria

when deciding to offer a place was whether a candidate would be interesting to teach or not. How many of the following questions could you say ‘yes’ to now? 1. Have you studied a broad curriculum? 2. Are you involved in something exciting and sustainable outside of school? 3. Have you volunteered over a significant period of time? 4. Did you complete a challenging Work Experience in year 10? 5. What have you done to develop your talent? 6. Are you well read? 7. Do you have strong opinions about Current Affairs? 8. Can you speak confidently about these experiences? By the time you leave school, how many of these questions could you say ‘yes’ to?

Prepare, Aspire, Succeed

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10,000 jobs will be created over the next 5 years to maintain the success of British Films

• SCRIPTWRITERS, STORYBOARDERS, SET DESIGNERS, CARPENTERS,
• MAKE UP ARTISTS,

SOUND DESIGNERS, DIRECTORS, SPECIAL EFFECTS,

• COMPOSERS, FILM EDITORS, CATERERS, EXTRAS, COSTUME DESIGNERS,
• ARCHIVISTS, MEDIA RUNNERS, STUNT PERFORMERS, CG ARTISTS,
• LOCATION MANAGERS, LEGAL ADVISERS, CAMERA OPERATORS,
• CHOREOGRAPHERS, WARDROBE MANAGERS, TRANSLATORS, DECORATORS,
• PROP MAKERS, LIGHTING SUPERVISORS, MODEL MAKERS, BUILDERS,
• HAIR DRESSERS, ANIMATORS, ACTORS, ASSISTANTS TO ALL THE ABOVE.

Prepare, Aspire, Succeed

BE OPEN MINDED. THE BRITISH FILM INDUSTRY: A POCKET UNIVERSE

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Be aware

• f the

labour market

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Become more self-aware

Think about whether you like interacting with people or machines, or put another way, do you like fixing people

• r

fixing technology

• r

talking to humans or computers?

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Some ideas to consider…

PEOPLE THINGS

Retail Mechanic Medicine Engineer Teaching Model Maker Recruitment IT HR Carpentry/Construction Travel Agent Restoration Business Analyst Architect Local Government Biomedical Research Hospitality Chef Banking Gardening Police/Fire/Ambulance Painter and Decorator Law

There is always a degree of commonality between the two. That’s why you need a broad curriculum.

Prepare, Aspire, Succeed

The Cottesloe School

Prepare, Aspire, Succeed

Use technology to your advantage

Use the careers section of the school website

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START USING START

On the careers website there is a power point that helps you through the registration process for StartProfile, an interactive careers search platform. Here you can check out:

• Labour Market Information
• Entry Qualifications
• Live job and Apprenticeship vacancies
• Videos
• Advice
• Progression
• Anything else you can think of..

..for any existing career.

Prepare, Aspire, Succeed

The Cottesloe School

• Geography is good for aspiring engineers
• History and MFL are good for aspiring lawyers
• Triple Science is really good for aspiring doctors
• Ethics is good for a career in the Police
• DT, Drama, Dance, Art are all good for a career in the film industry
• PE is great for the Armed Forces, Police, and Fire and Rescue
• Music is great for aspiring dentists
• English and Maths are necessary for everything
• Drama will help with any interview process

Prepare, Aspire, Succeed

Let’s take a trip to the future

Next steps…

• 1. What if I choose a subject and then realise I chose the wrong one, can I change my mind?
• Yes, because we are all allowed to make mistakes and we want this to be right for you.
• Yes, if it’s early in Year 9 and you can justify your reasoning to change, and your family supports the change.
• Possibly if it’s after October Half-term and you can justify your reasoning…
• No, if it’s after Christmas.
• 2. What if I’ve not completed one of the subjects in the Art/DT rotation yet and I don’t know if I want to pick it?
• Complete your form by the deadline with your ideal combination. Talk to the teachers that teach your last Art/DT subject.
• If you want to change later in Year 8, when you’ve completed your final Art/DT subject, you will be able to, if there is a space.
• 3. If I don’t carry on with a subject in Year 9, can I choose it for GCSE in Year 10?
• No, so consider your Year 9 choices carefully.
• There is no rush to make a decision. Take your time.
• Subjects are not allocated on first come, first served.
• Read the choices booklet - issued on Friday 6th March.
• Choices Presentation Evening - Wednesday 11th March.
• Deadline for handing your completed form in: Friday 27th March.

THE COTTESLOE SCHOOL

The Cottesloe School Prepare, Aspire, Succeed