Welcome to Year 8, the second year of the Senior School. The purpose of this booklet is to give students and parents an introduction to, and an overview of, the Year 8 curriculum.
Year 8 is the second year of Key Stage 3. The curriculum in Year 8 continues to offer a broad and balanced education, consolidating the work from Year 7 and providing, as part of Key Stage 3, the essential foundations for the GCSE courses offered later in Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) and beyond. Our programmes of study take into account the rich diversity of nationalities in the student body.
Monday to Friday 08:45–15:30.
6 x 50 minute lessons with a break and tutor time in the morning and a 1 hour lunch break
The school operates a two-week timetable so lessons in Week A will be different to those in Week B.
l Art and Design (3 lessons per fortnight)
l Computing (3)
l Design and Technology (3)
l Drama (2)
l Dutch (4)
l English (7)
l Food Preparation and Nutrition (3)
l Geography (3)
l History (3)
l Language 1 (French, German or Spanish) (3)
l Language 2 (French, German or Spanish) (3)
l Mathematics (7)
l Music (3)
l PHSE (2)
l Physical Education (4)
l Science (7)
Each Form has a brief 5-minute meeting with their tutor at the beginning of the day, followed by a 20 minute lesson later on in the morning. The Form Tutor is there to help with problems, encourage students to organise themselves for the day, check homework entries and to discuss matters of importance.
Homework is an important part of the learning process, consolidating or building on work done in class and helping students to develop good independent work habits. Homework is set by subject teachers according to a homework timetable which is shared with students to help them organise their time. In Year 8, students can expect one or two subject homeworks per night which in total should take between one and two hours to complete.
Art lessons at SSL aim to initiate the students in the process of creating and developing their ideas. The students will learn how to analyse, record, and evaluate their own work, that of others, and that of artists from major movements. This year, the students will have the opportunity to explore sculpture, photography, collage, and drawing with pastels, and they will learn basic techniques to properly use volume, light and shadow, texture, shape, composition, and colour. Year 8 will, therefore, be a continuation of learning the skills needed to develop ideas and improve their execution.
The course is divided into 3 main projects, and one extension project, if time allows.
1. Portrait. Sculpture and photography
l Artist page composition + Artwork analysis.
l Practical: face proportions.
l Practical: grid method + shading techniques.
l Photography: portrait lighting patterns.
l Final art piece: sculpture.
2. Cubism. Architecture. Oil and Chalk Pastels
l Artist page composition + Artwork analysis.
l Theory: Cubism.
l Practical: chalk pastels and oil pastels. Developing the use of colour.
l Photography: architecture.
l Final art piece: relieve - mixed media.
3. Altering images. Collage.
l Artist page composition.
l Artwork analysis.
l Practical: altering images.
l Theory: the concept of beauty/ stereotypes.
l Practical: self-portrait.
l Final art piece: collage.
4. Extension project: Calligraphy and Hand lettering
The main source for assessing the students’ achievement and progress in this course will be the sketchbooks used throughout the year to carry out their theoretical and practical works, artist pages, and homework. Each project will end with a final art piece that will also be an important part of the assessment.
Useful websites / Reading suggestions / Local activities
Suggested activities:
l Chamber of Wonders
l Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
l Mauritshuis Museum
l Museum Beelden aan Zee
l Escher Museum
Websites:
l https://smarthistory.org/
l www.wikiart.org/es
Suggested reference books:
l A world history of Art by Hugh Honour and John Fleming
The year 8 Computing course is designed to enable students to gain skills that are required for successful living in the 21st Century. Students will learn how to use many digital tools that will enable them to work more effectively and aid them in all subjects during their time at the BSN.
In this unit students, will be learning about web page design with HTML, CSS & Javascript. They will learn a bit about the history of the World Wide Web and how it came about. They will learn about the building blocks of a web page and how to define a page in HTML and how to style it with CSS.
Students will be using Scratch to do some visual coding to improve their programming skills. They will also be doing some game development work and joining in with Scratch’s world-wide community of users.
They will be exploring how you can interact with their BBC Micro:bit through Scratch.
Students will hone in on some of their knowledge of Artificial Intelligence (AI). They will learn about a little the earliest AI programs. They will learn the essentials of Python to enable them to code a chatbot program that you can actually have a real-time conversation with!
Over the year, students will undertake a series of mini projects exploring Artificial Intelligence and how it affects them everyday. They will question the environmental integrity of using such technologies and look for ways to develop the world.
Towards the end of each unit, students undertake an assessed piece of work that will provide an understanding of attainment on their most recent area of study. This will be completed in class and as an extended homework task.
Students will create a reflective journal during every lesson, which will include any new learning from the lessons. This will be regularly read by the teacher who will use questioning and reflective comments to further extend students’ development.
The reflective journal will give an overall picture of how much progress is being made over the year as well as provide an outlet for students to review previous learning and make any relevant connections.
Reading
l www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zvc9q6f
Design and Technology in Year 8 aims to consolidate and build upon the introduction to the subject from Year 7. A wide range of communication techniques is taught which help the young designers to articulate their design ideas and to present a final design proposal ready for manufacture. Students will work with a range of media, materials and equipment. They will develop an appreciation for the properties of materials and how they can be formed safely and appropriately. At the end of the DT process, students are taught to test their finished product and evaluate it, proposing any modifications to improve their final design.
The DT course involves several different Design and Make Assignments (DMA), Focused Practical Tasks (FPT), investigations, analysis and evaluation. The assignments are designed to develop and assess the whole range of designing
and making skills as well as the testing and evaluation of a final practical outcome. FPTs are used for teachers to demonstrate new skills and processes involving materials and equipment and for students to practise them safely. This helps to raise the level of knowledge and understanding of specialist DT skills and terminology.
How will the course be assessed?
DT assesses three main areas of study: Designing, Making, Knowledge and Understanding.
Throughout Key Stage 3, the students keep a DT resource folder, where they record their work, using the DT process of Designing and Making as a guide. The projects are assessed at key points and targets are set to help the students towards future progress. There is an end of year assessment to evaluate the individual level of knowledge and understanding accrued during the Year 8 DT course.
Useful websites / Reading suggestions / Local activities
l www.technologystudent.com
l www.bbcbitesize.co.uk
During Year 8 students develop their drama skills through a strong focus on collaboration and performance. The topics are carefully designed to promote a love of drama and performance, and continue to build core skills within students that can be transferable in other subjects.
l Play Study: Frankenstein
This study runs alongside English lessons on Gothic Fiction. While learning about the features of a play, students build skills in theatre making including flashbacks, character development, cross-cutting and staging.
l Gothic Production Challenge
Frankenstein then leads into an exciting, whole year group competition of a Production Challenge. Students participate in a group project developing an individual Gothic production for a modern day audience. They are assessed in their teamwork skills, quality of pitch and the final outcome: a trailer for their Gothic Production.
In this new unit, students are introduced to devising theatre from a given stimulus which closely reflects part of the Drama GCSE course. Students refine their ability to collaborate in a group, think creatively outside the box and begin to think about how to create meaningful theatre for an audience.
l Improvisation
Students are introduced to the art of improvisation in this fun, games based unit. Students learn the rules of improvisation: how to think spontaneously on their feet, moving the action forward and listening to their fellow actors.
During this topic students focus on telling stories in an engaging manner through their vocal skills and sound effects. Students study short radio plays and build on their vocal skill-set with an aim of creating and producing their own engaging, entertaining radio play.
At the end of every lesson is a performance. Student either take the role of:
(a) Performer - increasing confidence while putting their new learning into practice.
(b) Audience – developing concentration skills while building a mutual appreciation and respect for each other’s work.
After each performance, there is a class discussion which draws out areas of each other’s drama skills that either need developing or that can be used as a good example. Emphasis will be put on how the audience interpret drama and whether that was the intention of the performer.
The development of individual students is carefully monitored by the teacher, specifically focusing on Creating, Performing and Responding. They are continuously encouraged and made aware of their strengths and shown how to develop areas that need improving. In addition to this, peer and self assessment is used regularly in order to collaboratively progress in the subject. The majority of feedback is verbal.
Students are divided into four sets in Dutch in Year 8.
Students with little or no experience of the language are taught as ‘beginners’, going on to intermediate level and those with more experience as advanced/proficient level. Advanced/proficient speakers will be working from a variety of materials ranging from websites to Dutch newspapers. The course aims to make the students aware of the Dutch culture around them and to give them the confidence that they require to function in everyday situations in the language. By the end of the course, intermediate students should be able to use the present and past tenses with a reasonable amount of accuracy. The advanced students should be able to use these concepts with a greater degree of accuracy and feel at ease with the written language. Proficient speakers should aim to be on approximately the same level as their counterparts in Dutch schools.
Students work with the course book ‘plein 16’ and the website nieuwsbegrip.nl. Additional resourses which are used are ‘eenvoudige basisgrammatica NT2’, ‘geregeld spreken’ and ‘kidzweek’..
The topics covered in ‘Plein 16’ are ‘getting aquinted’, ‘family-apperance-to live’, ‘schoolfriendschip’, ‘food-drinks’, ‘body-health’, ‘shopping-clothes-money-work’.
Students are assessed in the four skills throughout the course and staff will also set homework tasks requiring students to practise and learn core vocabulary and structures. These assessments will then contribute to the attainment grade on grade cards, which are issued throughout the year. There will be formal tests assessing knowledge and understanding of the subject matter covered in the course.
English lessons at SSL aim to develop students’ reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, whilst promoting a love for the subject. Students will study a range of non-fiction and fiction texts from different cultures, genres and periods of time.
Lessons will encourage students to become critical readers, considering how a writer uses a variety of methods to engage and influence a reader. They will learn how to use quotations from a text to support their interpretations. Furthermore, students will be given the opportunity to express their ideas and imagination through writing, learning how to adapt their style to suit the purpose, audience and form. They will produce a range of different writing pieces: descriptive, transactional, poetry and personal writing.
l Poetry: A range of pre- and post-1900 poems exploring the theme of fear.
l Shakespeare: Macbeth.
l Pre-1900: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (adapted by Phillip Pullman).
l Post-1900: Animal Farm by George Orwell.
l Non-fiction: A range of pre- and post-1900 texts.
An assessment of student achievement and progress will be made from a combination of formative and summative assessments.
Formative assessments take place during the lessons and through class work and homework tasks.
Summative assessments will occur once per term:
l Autumn term: Analysis of a seen poem.
l Spring term: Creative Writing.
l Summer term: Unseen prose language exam.
Reading list and activities
l Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar and Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
l Pre-1900: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, Dracula by Bram Stoker, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Stevenson.
l Post-1900: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman.
This is an exciting and creative course focusing on Food and Nutrition. Through the course students will develop a thorough understanding of nutrition, food preparation and the working characteristics of ingredients.
The main aims of the Year 8 Food Technology course are:
l To further students’ knowledge and understanding of nutrition.
l To help students to develop an understanding of how culture and lifestyle affect food choice.
l To encourage students to work creatively with food to produce quality dishes.
l To apply students’ understanding of food science and experimental work to practical food preparation.
The five core topics at Key Stage 3 are:
l Food, nutrition and health
l Food science
l Food safety
l Food choice
l Food provenance including the environmental issues associated with sustainable sources of food.
The course is organised into units of work, each unit lasting approximately a term. The course focuses on a range of student-centred activities based on the themes of Nutrition, Multi-Cultural Foods and the Science of Baking. Students also complete practical cooking assignments and experimental work as part of the course.
Students will have their practical skills assessed at the end of each module and in addition, homework and classwork will be assessed throughout the year. Students will be encouraged to evaluate their work throughout their lessons.
The Food Preparation and Nutrition Canvas section has a range of extension materials to support the course. Useful information and recipes can also be found on:
l www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes
l www.nutrition.org.uk
l www.foodafactoflife.org.uk
The aim of the course is to further promote the enjoyment of learning and using French, developing skills gained in Year 7 to a higher level and consolidating the students’ understanding of the language in order to equip them with the tools needed to use French in everyday situations. Their grammatical knowledge will be extended to include a wider range of tenses and structures.
Students will work with the digital course book Dynamo 3 and an accompanying “Cahier d’Exercices” with consolidation and extension exercises. This follows directly from the course studied in Year 7 and consolidates structures and vocabulary encountered in their first year of French. Students will cover various topics including Holidays, Festivals and Celebrations, Leisure Activities, Where you Live and Sport, and will focus on learning to use the three tensespast, present and near future. Homework will be set once every two weeks. Students may choose French as one of the two languages that they study in addition to Dutch.
Students are assessed in the four skills throughout the course and staff will also set homework tasks requiring students to practise and learn core vocabulary and structures. These assessments will then contribute to the attainment grade on grade cards, which are issued throughout the year.
Those students who have followed the Year 7 Personal Language Programme at the BSN or who are tested when they arrive in Year 8 and have been discovered to have an advanced level of language, either by virtue of their nationality or lengthy residence in a French-speaking country, will be offered an alternative after school Proficient Speaker Enrichment Programme which aims to maintain the level of their proficient language and promote their knowledge of their home culture and history.
In Year 8 Geography, we aim to build on Year 7 studies by developing and extending:
l Student knowledge of locations, places, environments and processes. All these, at a range of scales from local to global.
l Student understanding of the interactions between people and environments. Awareness of changes in places and processes over space and time.
l Student competence in a range of geographical skills including those used in fieldwork, in using maps and GIS and in researching secondary evidence.
l Student ability to apply geographical knowledge, understanding, and skills to real world contexts, and to contemporary situations and issues.
Over the course of Year 8, we will study the following topics:
l Population
l Urbanisation
l Coasts
l Weather and climate
l Climate change
l Asia and Southwest China
We will use the textbook: geog.2. Students will have access to a printed version in school and to an online digital version at home.
There will be a unit assessment at the end of most units. Judgments about student achievement and progress will be made not just on these assessments but also on their classwork and homework through the year.
l National Geographic (kids) Magazine.
l Philip Steele, Climate Change.
l Philip Steele, Population.
l James Doyle, Where on earth? Geography without all the boring bits.
l Dorling Kindersley, Earth: The Definitive Visual Guide.
l Dorling Kindersley, Ocean: The Definitive Visual Guide.
l Dorling Kindersley, Rocks & Minerals: The Definitive Visual Guide.
l Dorling Kindersley, Eyewitness Weather.
l Dorling Kindersley, The Ecology Book.
l Dorling Kindersley, Geography of the World.
l Horrible Geographies Series - Various (relevant to Year 8 are: Wicked World Tour; Stormy Weather; Horrible Geography of the World; Cracking Coasts; Planet in Peril).
l Any travel writing such as Pole to Pole or Around the World in 80 days both by Michael Palin.
l BBC, Wild China – episodes 1 to 3 are situated in Southwest China.
l Prisoners of Geography: Our World Explained in 12 simple Maps by Tim Marshall.
The aim of the course is to further promote the enjoyment of learning and using German, developing skills gained in Year 7 to a higher level and consolidating the students’ understanding of the language in order to equip them with the tools needed to use German in everyday situations. Their grammatical knowledge will be extended to include a wider range of tenses and structures.
Students will work with the digital course book Stimmt! 2 and an accompanying Übungsheft with consolidation and extension exercises. This follows directly from the course studied in Year 7 and consolidates structures and vocabulary encountered in their first year of German. Students will cover various topics including Holidays, Media, Food and Fitness, School Trips and Festivals and Clothing and Going Out, and will focus on learning to use the three tensespast, present and future. Homework will be set once a fortnight. Students may choose German as one of the two languages that they study in addition to Dutch.
Students are assessed in the four skills throughout the course and staff will also set homework tasks requiring students to practise and learn core vocabulary and structures. These assessments will then contribute to the attainment grade on grade cards, which are issued throughout the year.
Students who have followed the Year 7 Personal Language Programme at the BSN or who are tested when they arrive in Year 8 and have been discovered to have an advanced level of language, either by virtue of their nationality or lengthy residence in a German-speaking country will be offered an alternative after school Personal Language Programme which aims to maintain the level of German and promote their knowledge of their home culture and history.”
History lessons at SSL aim to develop the historical knowledge and skills of all students, especially focusing on critical thinking and analytical skills. Lessons will also develop students’ understanding of historical concepts such as cause and consequence, change and continuity, and the significance of events. History lessons will encourage students to consider the impact of historical events on the present day.
In Year 8, History lessons will focus on the Early Modern World (1450 – 1900) and the key themes of challenges to power and the development of states and empires.
Key topics will include:
l The reformation in Western Europe and its impact
• Counter-reformation in Western Europe
• The 80 years’ war
• Spanish Armada
l European exploration around the world
l Slavery and its abolition
l The Enlightenment & the French revolution
l Napoleonic wars and restructuring of Europe
l Industrial revolution
l Development of Empires
How will the course be assessed?
An assessment of student achievement and progress will be made from a combination of formal assessments in class, homework and class work.
Formal assessments in class will occur once per term:
l Autumn term: Extended writing focused on knowledge and causation.
l Spring term: Shorter answer questions focused on source analysis.
l Summer term: Extended writing focused on interpretations.
Reading list and activities
l www.britannica.com/
l https://spartacus-educational.com/
l www.history.com/topics/
l Suggested activities:
• Watch: Roots (1977), Amistad (1997), Marie Antoinette (2006), A Tale of Two Cities.
• Read relevant horrible histories books or biographies.
• Visit: Museum Prinsenhof Delft, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Museum den Briel, Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, Museum de Lakenhal Leiden, Erasmus museum Rotterdam, Tropenmuseum Amsterdam.
Aims of the course
l Success for all -developing resilience and confidence.
l Problem solving - identifying, applying and connecting ideas.
l Mathematical communication - explaining and reasoning using words, symbols, diagrams and technology.
l Deeper understanding - depth rather than speed.
l Mathematical thinking - reflecting on learning, evaluating understanding.
l Multiple representations - moving from concrete apparatus, to pictorial representation, to abstract concepts.
Details of the course
l Number Work - primes, multiples and factors; fractions, decimals, percentages.
l Algebra - expressions; writing and solving linear equations and inequalities; functions and graphs; co-ordinates.
l Geometry and Measures - quadrilaterals; angles in polygons; pythagoras’ theorem; area and perimeter; volume and nets of prisms and cylinders; constructions and loci; compound measures.
l Data Handling - collection of data; analysis of grouped and ungrouped data using measures of centrality and measures of spread; presentation of data using line graphs, scatter graphs and pie charts; interpretation of data; probability of 2 events, using tree diagrams.
How will the course be assessed?
Formative assessment takes place during lessons and through homework tasks.
Summative assessment is through a written assessment task, towards the end of each half term, based on the topics covered during that half term.
At the end of Year 8, there will be an Assessment Test covering all the topics.
Reading list and activities
l Dr Frost Maths is used for homework, independent practice and revision: www.drfrostmaths.com
l Nrich website is useful for problem solving and extension ideas: https://nrich.maths.org/
l Maths Genie is a great website for revision, sorted by topic and level: www.mathsgenie.co.uk/gcse.html
During Year 8 students further develop their musical skills and understanding, while being exposed to a broad range of musical styles and genres, from throughout history. All learning takes place utilising a balanced mix of Performing, Composing and Listening.
l Making Connections
Students will have enough skills by now to improvise over different musical frameworks. In this unit they will explore different genres of music from around the world and discover how it is all connected.
Year 8 will be introduced to the four primary chords commonly used in Popular Music since the 1950s (e.g., C, G, Am, F). These will be reviewed on a range of band instruments, before performing a class medley of 4-chord songs. We will explore different strumming patterns and rhythmic techniques for accompaniment. Finally, students will select two or more songs to create and arrange their own mashup (exploring techniques for adding dynamics, instrumental breaks, and other creative elements) and will be given the opportunity to perform their mashups in class.
Year 8 will be given an overview of the Disco music genre, its origins, and cultural significance. They will reflect on the historical and cultural impact of Disco music and its influence on contemporary music genres (linking to the Remix unit). After listening to and analysing classic Disco songs, Year 8 will have the opportunity to play a song by Chic in a Class ensemble. Throughout the course of this unit, students will explore the rhythmic patterns and grooves commonly found in Disco music. This will be done by focusing on the signature four-on-the-floor beat, common basslines and guitar rhythms commonly used in Disco music, as well as the use of orchestral elements, such as strings and horns. Students will be given the opportunity to perform their own Disco tracks or cover versions of Disco songs by Gloria Gaynor, Chic and Daft Punk.
Hooks and Riffs explores music based on repeated musical patterns through the genres of
Popular Music (Hooks and Riffs) and Music from the Western Classical Tradition (Ostinatos). The unit aims to combine the inter-related musical strands of Performing: Playing and Singing; Creating: Composing and Improvising and Critical Engagement: Listening and Appraising. The music theory focus of this unit is on treble and bass clef symbols as an indication of pitch and musical repeat markings and symbols. Simple rhythmic and melodic dictation exercises are provided in both graphic and staff notations based on repeated musical patterns.
This unit continues the learning from the Disco unit. We will discuss the concept of remixing and its role in contemporary music production, exploring different types of remixes (e.g., club remix, radio remix, extended remix) and the genres that evolved out of Disco Music. Year 8 will be introduced to the necessary tools and software for remixing, and will be given the choice of 3 different songs to remix in pairs (using the original studio tracks). They will explore the importance of arrangement and structure in remixing and its impact on the listener (how to build tension and maintain interest). On a weekly basis, we will explore techniques such as time-stretching, pitch-shifting, sampling and slicing to create new musical elements. .
This unit investigates some of the different techniques of Musical Accompaniments through the exploration of Folk Songs. Year 8 will develop their knowledge and understanding of Folk Music as a “traditional” musical genre, explore the musical instruments, timbres and sonorities commonly associated with Folk Music performance, the texture and basic form and structure of Folk Songs and further their knowledge of performing Chords in different Accompaniment patterns on a range of instruments.
At the end of every lesson students will perform the pieces they have learned, or practiced, during the lesson. This will sometimes be a short snippet giving an example of new learning or could be a composition, and sometimes there may be a whole class performance. Each of these performances is peer assessed, verbal or written. This develops students’ evaluation techniques as well as ensuring understanding of key terminology and raising confidence.
In addition to this continuous verbal feedback is given throughout practical tasks.
In Year 8, students refine and extend their skills. They have the opportunity to compete, collaborate and develop their physical, cognitive and social skills in a wide range of sports and physical activities in order to meet the programme aims.
SSL Physical Education aims to:
l Instil a love for physical activity and sports, fostering a lifelong commitment to maintaining an active lifestyle.
l Promote health and positive lifestyles through physical activity. To enhance students’ overall physical and mental well-being by improving fitness levels, developing healthy habits, self-expression, and self-confidence.
l Promote social interaction, teamwork, and cooperation among students. We aim to foster a sense of fair play, respect for others, and good sportsmanship amongst our students, whilst provide opportunities for personal growth, self-discipline, resilience, and perseverance.
l Improve fundamental movement skills and sport-specific techniques by refining movement patterns and enhancing coordination, balance, and timing to execute movements effectively in a variety of sports and activities.
l Develop tactical understanding and game sense; developing the ability to make good decisions during gameplay, recognising opportunities, and making quick judgments to respond appropriately.
The areas of sport/activity that are covered in Key Stage 3 are:
l Invasion games: basketball, football, handball, netball, touch rugby, hockey, ultimate frisbee, lacrosse, tchoukball, korfball, tagging games.
l Net games: volleyball, badminton, short tennis.
l Athletic and fitness activities.
l Striking and fielding games.
l Gymnastic, dance and movement activities.
How will the course be assessed?
To support our course aims, teachers use the BSN PE marking criteria to assess students’ development in three areas; cognitive skills, physical skills and social interaction.
l Physical skills in Physical Education refer to the abilities and competencies related to movement and physical performance. Students are assessed on the various fundamental movement patterns and techniques that have been covered in the sport or activity.
l Cognitive skills refer to the mental abilities and processes involved in understanding, analysing, and making decisions related to physical activities and sports. Students are assessed on their understanding and their ability to apply feedback that they are given to improve.
l Social interaction refers to interpersonal exchanges, collaboration, and communication that take place among students during physical activities and sports. Students are assessed on their sportsmanship, teamwork, cooperation and the development of social skills in a sporting context.
A grade is recorded after each unit and used as a basis for discussions with students about their progress.
Several important topics are considered through both informative and discussion based lessons, making use of worksheets, newspaper articles, role play, games, card sorts, debate, and student presentations. The underlying aims of the course are to encourage students to:
l Develop a basic knowledge and understanding of the spiritual, moral, cultural, economic, physical and mental development of themselves and others.
l Become self-confident and happy young people.
l Develop a healthy and safe lifestyle
l Explore and understand the feelings, attitudes and values of themselves and others.
l Develop and practise skills of enquiry and communication.
l Become more responsible for their own learning and behaviour.
l Develop the skills necessary to become informed and responsible citizens.
The following themes form the framework of Year 8 PSHE course, which is delivered via one 60 minute lesson per fortnight:
l Personal management: ground rules for PSHE; developing potential; managing time and making priorities; enhancing memory skills; being resilient; thinking positively; handling feelings; rules and ethics; consequences of actions; listening and communicating; discussion skills; banks and what they do; money management and budgeting.
l Health and safety: smoking and alcohol education; puberty and growing up; how to handle an emergency.
l Personal relationships and social awareness: belonging to groups; the need for rules and personal responsibilities; friendship; bullying and teasing; cyber bullying; assertiveness skills.
l Citizenship: care of the environment; animal welfare.
The Year 8 Science course is designed to provide opportunities for students to build on the scientific skills from Year 7 study through broad and varied content. The course is based around the British National Science Curriculum. This allows Biology, Chemistry and Physics to be taught as a series of modules that will cover new content and build on the skills developed in Year 7.
The year will again be split into three blocks of study, each containing a Biology, Chemistry and Physics topic. The topics covered as part of each Science will be:
l Biology – Food and nutrition, Breathing and respiration, Unicellular organisms.
l Chemistry – Combustion, The Periodic Table, Rocks.
l Physics – Fluids, Energy Transfers, Light.
Lessons will develop more advanced analytical thinking through the increasing variety and complexity of practical work. Students will therefore develop skills around critical evaluation of text and numerical values, graph drawing, conducting practical work, laboratory safety, numerical skills and rearranging equations, and extended writing in Science.
Students will be assessed holistically with a combination of classwork, homework and in class examinations. For every two modules competed, students will conduct a 30 minute written test and complete a common homework. As well as covering scientific theory, Students will also be assessed on key practical and analysis skills.
l BBC Bitesize online Science resources (Key Stage 3 is the correct level but GCSE or Key stage 4 will be appropriate in some cases).
l The Time and Space of Uncle Albert is a book written to explain relativity to young people and deals with quite high level ideas in an original way.
l NEMO Science museum (Rotterdam and Amsterdam).
The aim of the course is to further promote the enjoyment of learning and using Spanish, developing skills gained in Year 7 to a higher level and consolidating the students’ understanding of the language in order to equip them with the tools needed to use Spanish in everyday situations. Their grammatical knowledge will be extended to include a wider range of tenses and structures.
Students will work with the digital course book Viva 2. This follows directly from the course studied in Year 7 and consolidates structures and vocabulary encountered in their first year of Spanish. Students will cover various topics including Holidays, Likes and Dislikes, Food and Eating Out, Inviting People Out and Directions, and will focus on learning to use the three tenses –past, present and near future. Homework will be set once a fortnight. Students may choose Spanish as one of the two languages that they study in addition to Dutch.
Students are assessed in the four skills throughout the course and staff will also set homework tasks requiring students to practise and learn core vocabulary and structures. These assessments will then contribute to the attainment grade on grade cards, which are issued throughout the year.
Students who have followed the Year 7 Personal Language Programme at the BSN or who are tested when they arrive in Year 8 and have been discovered to have an advanced level of language, either by virtue of their nationality or lengthy residence in a Spanish-speaking country will be offered an alternative after school Personal Language Programme which aims to maintain the level of their Spanish and promote their knowledge of their home culture and history.”
Some students have additional educational needs and have difficulty (temporary or longer term) accessing the curriculum, which requires additional educational provision to be made for them. The aim of the AEN department is to ensure students who have Additional Educational Needs are enabled to make the best possible progress at the BSN and to become independent, confident and successful learners. Students who require additional support in school usually have difficulties in one or more of the following areas:
l Make little or no progress despite the use of targeted teaching approaches and a differentiated curriculum.
l Work at levels significantly below age expectations, particularly in Literacy or Numeracy.
l Present with persistent emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, which have not been managed by appropriate strategies usually employed.
l Have sensory or physical impairments that result in little progress despite the provision of appropriate aids or equipment.
l Have medical needs, which require additional interventions or adaptations to the curriculum in order ensure progress is being made.
l Have poor communication or interaction skills, requiring specific interactions and adaptations to access learning.
The AEN department offers a wide variety of additional interventions, such as:
l Appropriate curriculum teaching groups or setting.
l Assessment by the AEN department – this may be triggered when a student fails to achieve adequate progress, despite having had access to a differentiated programme.
l A student passport, outlining a student’s learning needs, how these are presenting in class and what support is needed in curriculum lessons to ensure good progress.
l Small group support focussing on curriculum support.
l Targeted small group or 1-1 support, in order to improve or manage a student’s specific learning need(s).
l Assessment and/or intervention from specialist agencies when required (this comes at an additional cost to parents).
l In class and 1-1 directed study support from a Learning Support Assistant (this comes at an additional cost to parents).
Parents, students and staff will be informed should a student be identified with additional educational needs. Additional support in the school will always be discussed with the student, parents and teachers to ensure appropriate interventions are in place to meet the student’s individual needs. Interventions and their impact are regularly reviewed with everyone involved and are adjusted when required.
English as an Additional Language (EAL) is available for those students whose personal language is not English. The EAL department supports the mainstream subjects with an integrated programme of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
The backgrounds of the students vary greatly and we like to build on the richness of this cultural diversity. The aim of the teaching is to provide the students with a sufficient level of English to enable them, in due course, to undertake the full academic programme. This means that much of the work is based upon individual needs. Our teaching necessarily focuses on small groups and individuals.
A wide range of audio-visual and paper-based materials is used to facilitate language learning in meaningful and realistic contexts for the age of the students and in close collaboration with subject teachers. In addition to this withdrawal work, we provide support in subject classes to small groups and individuals who are having particular difficulty accessing the curriculum.
The English system is divided into key stages. The section covering Years 7-9 is called Key Stage 3. Key Stage 4 covers Years 10 and 11.
For further details please see; www.gov.uk/national-curriculum
Key Stage 4 covers Years 10 and 11 and is when students study towards GCSE qualifications.
General Certificate of Secondary Education. Examinations are taken at 16 years of age usually in nine, or ten subjects. Grades range from 9 to 1. Higher grades from 9 to 5 are generally accepted as qualifications to begin a course in Year 12. The minimum requirement to enter the Sixth Form at the BSN is five passes at 5, or better. In order to start a particular A Level or IB course subject, most subjects require at least a pass at 6 on a higher paper in that subject or in a related area.
The last two years of formal school education leading to examinations at the end of Year 13 that are used for entry to universities around the world. Students at the BSN study either IBDP, IBCP, A levels and/or BTEC qualifications.
The school is an IB World School and we offer the full IB Diploma alongside A level. Like A level, the IB Diploma is internationally-recognised as a university entrance qualification. Students study six subjects – three at higher and three at standard level – over two years along with a central core which must be passed to gain the final diploma.
The IBCP is an internationally recognised university entrance qualification that has a specific vocational focus. All students will study a core BTEC programme, which has the broad equivalence of 2 ‘A’ levels, combined with two standard level Diploma subjects, chosen from a limited range. Students are also required to follow a “core programme” that includes community service, approaches to learning and an extended reflective project.
Advanced Level. These are examinations which are internationally-recognised as university entrance qualifications. Students usually take these examinations at the age of 18 in Year 13, in three or four subjects.
A vocational qualification that is focused on the world of work. The course is mainly coursework based with no formal examinations at the end of the course.
Here are some website addresses which you might find useful
The National Curriculum online: www.gov.uk/government/collections/nationalcurriculum
Examination Boards:
Pearson - www.aqa.org.uk/
AQA - www.eduqas.co.uk/
International Baccalaureate: www.ibo.org
UCAS: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service www.ucas.co.uk
EUNiCAS: European university Central Application Support Service www.eunicas.co.uk
The Department for Education (UK government) www.education.gov.uk
The UK Department for Education www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ department-for-education
The British Council guide for overseas students wishing to study in the UK: https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org