SSL Curriculum
A guide to Year 9
Welcome to Year 9
Welcome to Year 9, the last year of Key Stage 3 before students embark on two years of GCSE courses in years 10 and 11. This year we will be expecting students to seize new challenges in and out of the classroom and to take more responsibility for their learning and personal organisation.
The curriculum in Year 9 continues to offer a broad and balanced education, consolidating the work from Year 7 and Year 8. Our curriculum is based on the National Curriculum of England and aims to take into account the rich diversity of nationalities in the student body. During Year 9, students will have the opportunity to shape their curriculum for the following two years by choosing some of the subjects they wish to study at GCSE. Further information about the options process will be given during this year.
The school day
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.
Monday to Friday
08:45–08:50 Registration
08:50–09:40 Lesson 1
09:40–10:30 Lesson 2
10:30–10:50 Break
10:50–11:10 Tutor Time
11:10–12:00 Lesson 3
12:00–12:50 Lesson 4
12:50–13:50 Lunch
13:50–14:40 Lesson 5
14:40–15:30 Lesson 6
15:30 End of timetabled teaching day
Subjects
• Art and Design (3 lessons per fortnight)
• Biology (3)
• Computing (3)
• Chemistry (3)
• Design and Technology / Food Preparation and Nutrition (3)
• Drama (2)
• Dutch (5)
• English (7)
• Geography (3)
• History (3)
• Language 1 (French, German or Spanish) (3)
• Language 2 (French, German or Spanish) (3)
• Mathematics (7)
• Music (3)
• PHSE (2)
• Physical Education (4)
• Physics (3)
Tutor time
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
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 9, students can expect one or two subject homework assignments per night which in total should take between one and two hours to complete.
Aims of the course
Year 9 aims to keep working with the students in the process of creating and developing their ideas and preparing them for GCSE Art and Design. The students will learn how to analyse, record, and evaluate their own work, that of others, and that of artists from major movements. They will explore different materials and techniques such as illustration, painting, textiles, and collage, to learn how to properly use line, light and shadow, texture, shape, composition, and colour. Year 9 will, therefore, be the final year to learn the basic skills needed to develop ideas and improve their execution.
Details of what the course involves
The course is divided into 2 main projects:
1. Stereotypes – Collage
• Theory lesson - Hannah Hoch (the new woman, stereotypes) and Devorah Roberts (race and beauty): Challenging gender and race stereotypes.
• Artist page composition about these two artists (using collage): Improving research and presentational skills + creativity when composing their pages.
• Artwork analysis: learning to analyse an artwork.
• Practical: altering images – shape, perspective, size, rotation, cropping, colour, texture, etc., improving editing and composition skills.
• Collage (briefing, brainstorming, design + collage): practicing design skills and learning the basics of collage. Developing their creativity.
• Theory - Stereotypes: learning about stereotypes in society and how to challenge them through art.
• Final piece: creating a collage that brings down a stereotype: Planning + designing + collage technique + evaluating work.
2. Moth /Butterfly -Textiles –
3D
• Research (Yumi Okita) + artist page: improving research and presentational skills + creativity when composing their pages.
• Observational studies: learning to analyse and observe detail when drawing, focusing on the structure, shape, texture and colour of insects.
• Theory: learning about textiles techniques.
• Practical: hand and machine embroidery.
• Textiles: dying techniques.
• 3D work: building an insect.
• Final piece: 3D moth/butterfly which includes dye work and hand and machine embroidery.
How will the course be assessed?
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 work, artist pages, and homework. Each project will end with a final art piece that will also be an important part of the assessment.
Suggested activities:
• Chamber of Wonders.
• Kunstmuseum Den Haag.
• Mauritshuis museum.
• Museum Beelden aan Zee.
• Escher Museum.
• Museum Voorlinden.
Computing
Aims of the course
The Year 9 Computing course is designed to introduce and build upon knowledge of some of the core fundamental concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation. Students will have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve problems, and will evaluate and apply information technology, including unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve them. Throughout Key Stage 3 we aim to develop our students into responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.
Details of what the course involves
Computer Science Fundamentals
This unit of work takes an introductory look at some of the core building blocks of computer science. It serves as the taster course for GCSE Computer Science. Students will learn about the functions of computer hardware and software, both internal and external. They will look at binary representations of data and understand how everything inside a computer can ultimately be represented using sequences of 0s and 1s. The concept of Boolean logic will be introduced and students will learn to create truth tables for logic gates. Computer networking and the internet will be included as well as an introduction to basic processing architecture. The key guiding principle is that of ‘how does that work?’ The varied answer to that question is what makes computer science such an exciting subject to study.
Powerful Processing
In this unit, students will get a chance to improve their programming skills in a graphical environment provided by the processing software. This heightens interest and raises achievement for all students to see instant graphical results when running their code. Students will learn how to draw basic shapes as well as create animation and master keyboard and mouse interaction. The key programming constructs of sequence, selection and repetition will be reinforced
and computational thinking techniques will be used throughout. Students will work through part of an online programming course on Khan Academy as well as working directly with the Processing IDE to run their programs, picking up elements of Java and JavaScript syntax as they go.
Spicy Spreadsheets
Students will revisit spreadsheets, learning the skills of creating formulae to work with numbers and the importance of layout and formatting. Built-in Spreadsheet functions will be introduced to highlight the power and versatility and more able students will learn to create macros and manipulate them using VBA. Charting skills will also be emphasised as will working with large data sets. Being able to use a spreadsheet is an essential skill for any student to learn and will be applicable throughout their school career in a variety of cross-curricular situations.
How will the course be assessed?
Students will receive regular fortnightly homework assignments that will be assessed. They will also receive feedback for each piece of submitted work. The main assessed piece of project work will be the technology presentation. There will be one assessed project during the first two terms and an exam for all Year 9 students during the third term.
There will also be regular quizzes and tests throughout the year to test students’ understanding. Use will be made of online coding platforms such as Code Academy and Khan Academy which track student progress through a series of tasks and activities, and provide useful feedback on individual student performance.
Drama
Aims of the course
During Year 9, students build on their KS3 drama experience through a focus of play- texts, practitioners and theatre evaluation. The course remains practical and workshop based, with a focus on using GCSE theatre terminology to support prospective theatre candidates. Furthermore, the units encourage students to link themes in literature and theatre to real life experience.
Details of what the course involves
Play Study: Small Island
During this course, students discover the story of the Windrush Generation through carefully selected scenes from Small Island. Students will practically rehearse scripted scenes and use Konstantin Stanislavski’s naturalism techniques to refine their theatre making process.
Berkovian Theatre
During this practical unit, students will learn about abstract theatre practitioner Steven Berkoff and apply these skills to Kafka’s Metamorphosis extracts. They will perform and critique each other’s performances and learn to evaluate the success and impact of Berkovian techniques on stage.
Play Study: The Crucible
Students will explore the historical and allegorical contexts of this groundbreaking play while performing carefully selected scenes. Engaging discussions and debates will revolve around the themes of judgment, justice, and truth. This program provides a comprehensive understanding of the play’s significance and encourages critical thinking and expressive performance.
Frantic Assembly
During the summer term, students learn about the theatre company Frantic Assembly and the physical theatre techniques they use to create stories for the stage. Lessons are entirely workshop based and result in a devised, purely physical performance at the end of term.
How will the course be assessed?
At the end of every lesson is a performance. Students will take on at least one of the following roles:
Performer Increasing confidence while putting their new learning into practice.
Audience Developing evaluation and concentration skills while building appreciation and mutual respect for each other’s work.
After each performance, there will be a class discussion to draw out areas that either need developing further or can be used as a good example. Emphasis will be on how the audience interpret the 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 /devising, performing and responding). Students will be continuously encouraged and made aware of their strengths and shown how to develop any areas that need improving. In addition to this, peer and self-assessment are used regularly in order to collaboratively progress in the subject. The majority of feedback given is verbal.
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zk6pyrd https://dramaresource.com/drama-apps
www.franticassembly.co.uk
Design and Technology
Aims of the course
Design and Technology (DT) in Year 9 aims to consolidate and build upon the work completed in Year 7 & 8, in preparation for GCSE. Year 9 students will now be experienced with working in the DT environment, and they will be able to work safely with a wide range of media, materials and equipment. Designing techniques include hand sketching with annotation and the use of Computer-Aided Design (CAD). The students will develop their knowledge of materials and how they can be formed using hand tools, specialist machinery, and equipment, as well as Computer- Aided Machinery. At the end of the Design and Make process, the Year 9 students will be able to propose how to test their finished product for quality and fitness-for-purpose. They will also be able to evaluate their product against the original specification, demonstrating how successful they have been in creating a solution to the problem they were set. This will include any modifications to improve the final design.
Details of what the course involves
The Design Technology 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 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 9 DT course.
Useful websites
www.technologystudent.com
www.bbcbitesize.co.uk
Dutch
Aims of the course
All students in Year 9 study Dutch and they are divided into four sets. The sets range from those students with little or no experience of the language who are (near) beginners, going on to intermediate level and those who are fluent with more experience as ‘advanced/proficient’ students. Advanced/proficient students will be working from a variety of materials ranging from websites to Dutch newspapers. The aim of the course to make 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 the past tenses with a reasonable amount of accuracy. They should also be coming to terms with the word order rules. The advanced/proficient students should be able to use these concepts with a greater degree of accuracy and feel at ease with the written language. Advanced and proficient speaker students are expected to sit the CNaVT A2 exam at the end of Y9. The mock exam in January will show whether it is beneficial for them to sit the CNaVT A2 exam in May of Year 9. Details of the mock exams will be passed on to you through Compass.
Details of the course
Students work with the course book ‘plein 16’ and the website nieuwsbegrip.nl. Additional resources which are used are ‘eenvoudige basisgrammatica NT2’, ‘geregeld spreken’ and ‘kidzweek’, jufmelis.nl, cambiumned.nl, beterspellen.nl.
The topics covered in ‘Plein 16’ are ‘getting acquainted’, ‘family-appearance-to live’, ‘friendship’, ‘food-drinks’, ‘body-health’, ‘shopping-clothes-moneywork’, ‘weather-nature’, ‘travel – traffic’, ‘art-culture’.
How will the course be assessed?
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. Students eligible to sit the CNaVT A2 exam in Dutch in Year 9 will also be tested through the Year 11 MOCK exams to confirm their entry for the CNaVT A2 exams.
English
Aims of the course
English lessons 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 and encourage them to consider 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.
Details of what the course involves
• Children of Blood and Bone: Students will study the fantasy novel ‘Children of Blood and Bone’. Throughout the unit, they will analyse a range of literary methods such as genre, language, and structure used by the writer to create meaning.
• Speeches: Students will examine a range of speeches related to social justice to understand how to effectively use rhetoric to persuade, with a focus on using pathos to create an emotional connection with the audience. They will apply what they have learned to write and deliver their own speeches.
• Romeo and Juliet: Students will study Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. They will learn about the key conventions of a tragedy to prepare for their study of ‘Macbeth’ at GCSE. Additionally, students will explore the effect of literary methods used by Shakespeare to convey ideas about society and the human experience.
• Poetry: Students will study a range of poems that explore ideas about conflict. They will learn how a poem uses language and structural patterns to create meaning and consider how contextual factors can influence a poet’s attitude and writing.
• Campaign: Students will develop their own campaign highlighting the impact of conflict on individuals and society. They will learn the essential elements of various writing formats, including speeches, posters, leaflets, and social media content, to create materials for their campaign.
How will the course be assessed?
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 classwork and homework tasks.
Summative assessments will occur once per term:
• Autumn term: Analysis of an extract from the novel studied and transactional writing.
• Spring term: Vocabulary test and reading analysis through short-answer questions.
• Summer term: Analysis of unseen poem and speaking and listening task (campaign).
Reading list and activities
The school library holds a large collection of contemporary fiction and non-fiction suitable for Year 9.
Food Preparation and Nutrition
Aims of the course
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 9 Food Preparation and Nutrition course are:
• To further the development of the students’ practical skills.
• To help students to understand the scientific properties of ingredients when making bread.
• To encourage students to work creatively with food to produce quality dishes.
• To apply students’ nutritional knowledge to the study of important nutritional issues.
Details of what the course involves
The five core topics at Key Stage 3 are:
• Food, nutrition and health
• Food science
• Food safety
• Food choice
• Food provenance including the environmental issues associated with sustainable sources of food.
The Year 9 course is organised into two units of work. The course focuses on a range of student- centred activities based on the theme of bread-making and the study of current nutritional issues. Students also complete practical cooking assignments and experimental work as part of the course.
How will the course be assessed?
Students will complete a written and practical examination at the end of the third term. Homework and classwork will be assessed throughout the year. Students will be encouraged to evaluate both their written and practical work throughout their lessons.
Useful websites
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes
www.nutrition.org.uk
www.foodafactoflife.org.uk
French
Aims of the course
The aim of the course is to further promote the enjoyment of learning and using French, developing skills gained in Year 8 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 who arrive in Year 9 with no previous experience of French will be given special help so that as a beginner they can catch up with the work missed in Years 7 and 8.
Details of the course
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 8 and consolidates structures and vocabulary encountered in their first two years of French. Students will cover various topics including My World, Jobs and Future Plans, Music and Changes in Myself and the World, Healthy Eating, The Natural World and the Environment, The French-speaking World and will focus on learning to consolidate the three tenses - past, present and near future and acquiring the imperfect, simple future and conditional tenses. Homework will be set once a fortnight. Students will continue with French as one of the two languages that they study in addition to Dutch.
How will the course be assessed?
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 a formal exam at the end of Year 9 assessing knowledge and understanding of the subject matter covered in the course.
Proficient speakers
Students who have followed the Year 7 Personal Language Programme at the BSN or who are tested when they arrive in Year 8 or Year 9 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 Personal Language Programme which aims to maintain the level of their French and promote their knowledge of French culture and history.
Geography
Aims of the course
In Year 9 Geography, we will build on Year 7 and Year 8 studies. Students will be prepared to begin a GCSE course in year 10, should they choose Geography as an option subject.
In Year 9, students will develop and extend their understanding of:
• Locations, places, peoples, environments, processes and the interactions between these, from local to global.
• How the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and changed over time.
• A range of geographical information sources, including maps, fieldwork and research, Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
• Applying geographical knowledge, understanding, and skills (including numerical and statistical skills) to real world contexts, and to contemporary situations.
Details of what the course involves
Over the course of Year 9, we will study the following topics:
• International Development
• Our Restless Planet
• From Rock to Soil
• Prisoners of Geography
• Living off Earth’s Resources
We use the printed textbook geog.3 in class.
Students have access to an online version (which can be accessed from home on any device). The link to access the online textbook is: www.kerboodle.com
How will the course be assessed?
There will be a unit assessment at the end of each taught unit. These assessments will be a mixture of tests in school and extended assignments. Judgments about student achievement and progress will be made not just on these assessments but also on classwork and homework through the year.
Reading list and activities
• Prisoners of Geography: Our World Explained in 12 simple Maps by Tim Marshall.
• Factfulness by Hans Rosling.
• Geographical magazine.
• National Geographic.
German
Aims of the course
The aim of the course is to further promote the enjoyment of learning and using German, developing skills gained in Year 8 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 who arrive in Year 9 with no previous experience of German will be given special help so that as a beginner they can catch up with the work missed in Years 7 and 8.
Details of what the course involves
Students will work with the digital course book Stimmt! 3 Rot and an accompanying Übungsheft with consolidation and extension exercises. This follows directly from the course studied in Year 8 and consolidates structures and vocabulary encountered in their first two years of German. Students will cover various topics including Role Models, Music, Jobs and Future Plans, Childhood and School and My Rights and Responsibilities in Society and will focus on learning to consolidate the three tenses - past, present and future and acquiring the imperfect, word order and varying sentence structures. Homework will be set once a fortnight. Students will continue with German as one of the two languages that they study in addition to Dutch.
How will the course be assessed?
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.
Proficient speakers
Students who have followed the Year 7 Personal Language Programme at the BSN or who are tested when they arrive in Year 8 or Year 9 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 their German and promote their knowledge of German culture and history.
History
History lessons 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.
Details of what the course involves
In Year 9, History lessons will focus on challenges for Britain, Europe and the Wider World during the Modern Period (1900 – present day) and the key themes of international conflict and cooperation; the development of Independent States from Empires; societal changes in the 20th century.
Key topics will include:
• Causes, key events and consequences of the First World War.
• The rise of Communism and Fascism in Europe.
• Causes, key events and consequences of the Second World War.
• The Holocaust.
• The world after the Second World War, for example:
• Independence from imperialism
• Equality movements
• The Cold War
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 classwork. Formal assessments in class will occur approximately once per term and will include extended writing focused on knowledge and causation; shorter answer questions focused on source analysis; extended writing focused on interpretations.
Useful websites/ local activities
www.britannica.com
https://spartacus-educational.com
www.history.com/topics
Suggested activities:
Read relevant horrible histories books or biographies.
Visit: Nationaal Monument Oranjehotel, den Haag; Anne Frank House, Amsterdam; Joods Historisch Museum, Amsterdam; Verzetsmuseum, Amsterdam; Corrie ten Boom Museum, Haarlem; Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork, Hooghalen; Nationaal Monument Kamp Vucht; Airbornemuseum Hartenstein, Oosterbeek; Bevrijdingsmuseum Zeeland; Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam; Wereldmuseum, Rotterdam; Vredespaleis, Den Haag; ICC, den Haag.
Mathematics
Aims of the course
• Success for all - developing resilience and confidence.
• Problem solving - identifying, applying and connecting ideas.
• Mathematical communication - explaining and reasoning using words, symbols, diagrams and technology.
• Deeper understanding - depth rather than speed.
• Mathematical thinking - reflecting on learning, evaluating understanding.
• Multiple representations - moving from concrete apparatus to pictorial representation, to abstract concepts.
In Year 9, students are taught in ability groups. All groups cover the same curriculum content, but the pace of the lessons, the level of abstract reasoning expected, and the complexity of problems will be appropriate to the students’ mathematical understanding, to enable every student to make progress.
Details of what the course involves
• Number Work - Indices, factors, percentage change, estimating and approximation.
• Algebra - Expanding and factorising expressions, introducing quadratic expressions, linear equations, simultaneous equations, changing the subject of an equation, direct and indirect proportion, graphs of linear functions.
• Geometry and Measures - Similar and congruent triangles, trigonometry, enlargement of 2D shapes, volume and surface area of 3D shapes, transformations including enlargements, compound measures.
• Data Handling - Measures of centrality and measures of spread, comparisons between data sets, probability and sets.
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 9, there will be an assessment test covering all the topics and a decision will be made about GCSE courses for Year 10.
Reading list and activities
Dr Frost Maths is used for homework, independent practice and revision: www.drfrostmaths.com
Nrich website is useful for problem solving and extension ideas: https://nrich.maths.org/
Maths Genie is a great website for revision, sorted by topic and level: www.mathsgenie.co.uk/gcse.html
Music
Aims of the course
During Year 9 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 in preparation for Key Stage 4.
Details of the course
Protest Songs
It aims to provide Year 9 with a creative outlet to explore and engage with social issues through music, cultivating their understanding of how Music has been used over the last few centuries as a catalyst for change. They will get the opportunity to perform Protest songs, research famous examples and write their own Protest Song based around a social issue of their own choice.
Samba
This unit introduces the polyrhythmic style of LatinAmerican Samba and identifies its roots in African and Spanish/Portuguese music. Through performing Samba, students will learn the sounds and understand the roles of each instrument used in Samba, learn about rhythmic loops, polyrhythms, call and response and improvisation in Samba and experience the exhilaration and physical impact of percussion ensemble music.
Reggae
This unit begins by exploring the origins of Reggae music from Ska and Rock Steady and looks at the famous Reggae musician, Bob Marley, and his influence on a worldwide audience. The unit uses two Reggae songs as case studies to explore the musical features of the genre: “Three Little Birds” and “Jamming”. Year 9 will learn about the different textural elements that make up a Reggae song: bass line riffs, melodic hooks, offbeat chords, syncopated rhythms and the vocal melody line. They will get the opportunity to create a Dub Remix of Jamming on the iMacs, using the original studio tracks and learning how to use software and studio effects to create
their own arrangement. The unit ends with Year 9 composing their own Reggae song, using the skills developed in this unit as well as previous units, such as Protest Song.
Cover Versions
Students will explore the genre of popular song, learning how different artists and groups have created different musical arrangements of the same song. Students learn about different musical devices used in popular songs including how the different structural elements are sequenced horizontally to produce the classic form of a popular song, as well as how different textural layers combine vertically showing awareness of the different parts used in a popular song. Students revisit hooks and riffs and learn about their function within popular songs.
Video Game Music
This interactive unit invites students to explore the art of composing and producing music for video games, blending creativity with technology to create immersive soundscapes that bring virtual worlds to life. Students will study iconic video game scores (such as Super Mario), analyse different musical styles and themes, and learn how to use digital audio workstations to compose their own original pieces. They will gain hands-on experience with sound design, learning how to evoke emotions, set atmospheres, and enhance storytelling through music.
Class Concert
Students will arrange, rehearse and put on their own private concert. During the lessons they will research and select material, write programme notes and prepare group and solo performances. Pieces will be recorded under the same conditions as GCSE coursework recordings. This unit will culminate in a class concert during the last weeks of school.
How will the course be assessed?
Just as in Years 7 and 8, each lesson has opportunities for all students to perform the pieces they have learned, or practised, during the lesson. This will sometimes be a short snippet giving an example of new learning or it could be a composition, and sometimes there may be a whole class performance. Each of these performances is peer assessed, verbal or written. During year 9, students are expected to evaluate performances using increasingly coherent musical language, giving reasons for their comments and showing practical examples where appropriate.
In addition to this, continuous verbal feedback is given throughout practical tasks. Final versions of projects are marked using scaled down GCSE criteria.
Physical Education
Aims of the course
In Year 9, students continue to develop their physical, cognitive and social skills though Physical Education. Whilst engaging in a range of activities, students have the opportunity to refine and extend their skills in a breadth of sports, activities and exercise. This builds confidence and develops the skills listed below in our programme aims.
SSL Physical Education aims to:
• Instil a love for physical activity and sports, fostering a lifelong commitment to maintaining an active lifestyle.
• Promote health and positive lifestyles through physical activity. To enhance students’ overall physical and mental wellbeing by improving fitness levels, developing healthy habits, self-expression, and self-confidence.
• 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, selfdiscipline, resilience, and perseverance.
• Improve fundamental movement skills and sportspecific techniques by refining movement patterns and enhancing coordination, balance, and timing to execute movements effectively in a variety of sports and activities.
• Develop tactical understanding and game sense; developing the ability to make good decisions during gameplay, recognising opportunities, and making quick judgments to respond appropriately.
Details of what the course involves
The areas of sport/activity that are covered in Key Stage 3 are:
• Invasion games: basketball, football, handball, netball, touch rugby, hockey, ultimate frisbee, lacrosse, tchoukball, korfball, tagging games.
• Net games: volleyball, badminton, short tennis.
• Athletic and fitness activities.
• Striking and fielding games.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education)
Aims of the course
Several important topics are considered through both informative and discussion-based lessons, making use of worksheets, news articles, role play, games, debate and student presentations.
The underlying aims of the course are to encourage students to:
• Develop a basic knowledge and understanding of the spiritual, moral, cultural, economic, physical and mental development of themselves and others.
• Become self-confident and happy young people.
• Develop a healthy and safe lifestyle.
• Explore and understand the feelings, attitudes and values of themselves and others.
• Develop and practise skills of enquiry and communication.
• Become more responsible for their own learning and behaviour.
• Develop the skills necessary to become informed and responsible citizens.
Details of what the course involves
The following themes form the framework of Year 9 PSHE and Citizenship course, which is delivered via two 50-minute lesson per fortnight.
• My future – Career and educational considerations leading into the GCSE options process; employability and presence.
• Respectful relationships – Families and parenting, healthy relationships, conflict resolution and relationship changes.
• Drugs and alcohol – Alcohol and drug misuse and pressures relating to drug use; substance misuse and gang exploitation.
• Intimate relationships – Relationships and sex education including consent, contraception, the risks of STIs and attitudes to pornography.
Science
Aims of the course
The Year 9 Science course has been designed so that it is in line with the English National Curriculum for Science while staying up-to-date and internationally relevant for our students. Biology, Chemistry and Physics will be taught by specialist teachers that cover new content for 3 periods per fortnight of each Science.
Details of what the course involves
Each science course is split into three blocks of study. The topics covered as part of each Science will be:
• Biology – Scientific skills, Plant Biology, Genetics and Inheritance, Ecosystems.
• Chemistry – Making materials, Reactivity, atoms elements and compounds.
• Physics – Forces and motion, force fields and electromagnets, space.
Students will therefore refine skills around critical evaluation of text and numerical values, data processing and the need to provide a different approach to each scientific discipline.
Reading list and activities
• Exploring Science textbook.
• BBC Bitesize online Science resources (Key Stage 3 is the correct level but GCSE or Key stage 4 will be appropriate in some cases).
• 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.
• NEMO Science museum (Rotterdam and Amsterdam).
Spanish
Aims of the course
The aim of the course is to further promote the enjoyment of learning and using Spanish, developing skills gained in Year 8 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 who arrive in Year 9 with no previous experience of Spanish will be given special help so that as a beginner they can catch up with the work missed in Years 7 and 8.
Details of what the course involves
Students will work with the digital course book Viva 3 Rojo. This follows directly from the course studied in Year 8 and consolidates structures and vocabulary encountered in their first two years of Spanish. Students will cover various topics including The Social Life of Young People, Health and Welfare, Jobs and Future Plans, Holidays and Travel, My Role as a Young person in Society and will focus on learning to consolidate the three tenses - past, present and near future and acquiring the imperfect, simple future and conditional tenses. Homework will be set once a fortnight. Students will continue with Spanish as one of the two languages that they study in addition to Dutch.
How will the course be assessed?
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.
Proficient speakers
Those students who followed the Year 7 Personal Language Programme at the BSN or who were tested when they arrived in Year 8 or when they arrive in Year 9 and been discovered to have an advanced level of language, either by virtue of their nationality or lengthy residence in a Spanish-speaking country, will continue to be offered an alternative after school Personal Language Programme (or should continue to study with the Spanish Embassy) which aims to maintain the level of their Spanish and promote their knowledge of Spanish culture and history, in the hope that they will then choose to continue with an Enrichment Programme in Years 10 and 11, preparing them for their GCSE as an extra language at the end of Year 11.
Additional Educational Needs (AEN)
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:
• Make little or no progress despite the use of targeted teaching approaches and a differentiated curriculum.
• Work at levels significantly below age expectations, particularly in Literacy or Numeracy.
• Present with persistent emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, which have not been managed by appropriate strategies usually employed.
• Have sensory or physical impairments that result in little progress despite the provision of appropriate aids or equipment.
• Have medical needs, which require additional interventions or adaptations to the curriculum in order ensure progress is being made.
• 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:
• Appropriate curriculum teaching groups or setting.
• 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.
• 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.
• Small group support focusing on curriculum support.
• Targeted small group or 1-1 support, in order to improve or manage a student’s specific learning need(s).
• Assessment and/or intervention from specialist agencies when required (this comes at an additional cost to parents).
• 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)
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.
Appendix
Years 7-9: Key Stage 3
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
Years 10 and 11: Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 covers Years 10 and 11 and is when students study for GCSE qualifications.
GCSE
General Certificate of Secondary Education. GCSE Examinations are taken at 16 years of age usually in nine, or ten subjects after two years of study. These are graded from 9 (high) to 1 (low) with a grade 4 counting as a “Standard Pass” in England. To advance to the Sixth Form at the BSN, students are required to meet certain GCSE grade requirements, depending on their chosen courses. For an up to date list of grade requirements for A-Levels and IB courses, please refer to the BSN Sixth Form Curriculum Booklets.
Years 12 and 13: Sixth Form
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.
IB DP – International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
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 includes CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service), TOK (Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay.
IB CP – International Baccalaureate Careers- related Programme
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 language acquisition, personal and professional skills, service learning and a reflective project.
A Level
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.
BTEC
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.
Websites
Here are some website addresses which you might find useful
The National Curriculum online https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ national-curriculum
Examination Boards
Pearson - https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/home.html AQA - www.aqa.org.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/
