Getting Ahead: Preparing for Key Stage 4 and beyond

A powerful curriculum

At Wilmslow High School we believe that all students are entitled to a powerful curriculum that will equip them with the knowledge and skills that they need to make educated and independent decisions about the world around them.

Year 9 is an important year - until the end of this year, all students follow the same curriculum. This is vital to ensure that all students receive their entitlement to a broad and balanced body of knowledge and skills.  From the start of Year 10 however, students start to study Key Stage 4 GCSE, BTEC and equivalent qualifications. This will involve them making the first in a series of choices they will make over the next few years.

Guided decision making

Our students will be listing their Key Stage 4 qualifications throughout their working careers; therefore at Wilmslow High School we provide:

  • the appropriate range of qualifications for each of our students
  • personalised guidance for each of our students

Over the next few weeks all students will be receiving information, advice and guidance on their course choices.

Getting the balance right:

A balance of choice and continuity

All students will continue to study some subjects that are regarded as core elements of the curriculum and are taken by all students nationally. However, students will also have an element of choice in some of the subjects that they choose to study.

A balance of subjects

Most of our students will not be looking to ‘specialise’ into a chosen field until after university, further education or training, so we would expect students to choose a broad and balanced curriculum that provides them with plenty of options in the future.

For students who are ‘spoilt for choice’ please remember that some courses can be picked up again at A Level, allowing students to pursue a wide range of subjects across their Key Stage 4 and 5 programme of study.

Our approach at Wilmslow to the English Baccalaureate

In recent years, the Department for Education has used the term ‘English Baccalaureate’ to describe a programme of study that includes English, mathematics, a science (including Computer Science), a language and either history or geography.

Nationally, there is increasingly an expectation that students will study a Humanities subject (history or geography) and a language as well as the core subjects, and it is the government’s intent that 75% of students will start to study the English Baccalaureate in September 2022. We feel that it is important that our students and parents are aware of this and take this into consideration when making their choices.

In line with this, and as part of our longstanding commitment to a broad and balanced high-quality curriculum, we expect all students to study:

  • English and mathematics
  • Science (combined or triple award)
  • At least one additional subject from the English Baccalaureate
  • Two to three further subjects that provide a broad and balanced curriculum

In addition, all our students continue to receive Core PE and Wider Curriculum lessons, but these subjects are not examined.

The DfE has produced a document, accessed here, for parents which underlines the importance of following a combination of English Baccalaureate subjects.

A broad balance of qualifications

We aim for all our students to achieve their potential in 8 or 9 GCSE and/or BTEC qualifications:

  • we will guide students as to whether they should take 8 or 9 qualifications
  • Students taking 8 qualifications will follow an accelerated study programme to support their progress in the core subjects of English and/or mathematics
  • all subjects are available to students taking either number of qualifications. However, please be aware that we plan the appropriate programmes for students based on their academic need. As these programmes are placed in particular option pools, this may impact on students’ final course choices.
  • Combined Science - (2 GCSEs in science)
  • ‘Triple Science’ (3 GCSEs in the three separate sciences – biology, chemistry and physics)

A balanced approach to science choices

As part of our broad and balanced curriculum, we offer two science routes:

Because the reformed GCSEs require more challenging content for all examinations, we guide our students as to which science route will secure them the highest grades at GCSE. We base this decision on a wide range of assessments undertaken over the course of Year 9, including nationally benchmarked GL Assessments, and in the knowledge that universities will base their decisions on the quality of the grades gained rather than the particular science GCSE route.

A balanced approach to Non-examined Assessments (NEAs)

NEAs form a part of a number of subjects. These subjects tend to be those with a large practical element. Many of these NEAs have deadlines towards the end of Year 11. Students and parents must consider carefully the number of ‘NEA subjects’ which a student chooses, to avoid too much pressure on them and their time during Year 11. We will look carefully at the balance of NEA subjects a student has picked in order to avoid a student being overloaded with too much NEA work.

A balanced approach to Year 9

Universities and employers favour students with an excellent work ethic and a broad and balanced education. Therefore, whichever subjects a student decides to pursue in Key Stage 4, effort and performance are expected and remain important for the whole of Year 9 in every subject.

Effective decision making on course choices involves getting the balance right.