English 3 mixed in sets 1 least able
4 set by ability
Science Core & Addi onal 3 set by ability
Science Triple
Maths
1 group
4 set by ability
Science Core & Addi onal
Op on Groups Mixed ability
4 groups
PE 4 groups
Organisa on of Teaching Groups 2012‐2013
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sets 1 least able
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this and where this happens there can be a range of methods used and it could vary over the two year course. A subject could start in Year 10 teaching by mixed ability and then move to sets in Year 11. Science Triple English 1 group 3 mixed in Maths PE
3 set by ability
Fakenham High School and College Field Lane, Fakenham, NR21 9QT Tel: 01328 862545 Email: office@fakenhamhigh.norfolk.sch.uk Web: www.fakenhamhigh.norfolk.sch.uk
English Maths Science Sets 1‐7
History, Geog, French, Art, Music, Drama, ICT, RS 3 mixed ability groups
History, Geog, French, Art, Music, Drama, ICT, RS 3 mixed ability groups
PE
Tech
3 groups
4 groups
PE
Tech
3 groups
4 groups
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Key Stage 3 – Years 8 and 9 English, maths and science set across the whole year group. So sets are created with maths as the driving force and students will have all their core subjects in these same sets. A student who is in set 4 for English will be in the same set for maths and science.
History, Geog,
Art, Drama
English Languages, ICT Music, RE 3 mixed ability Maths 3 broad ability se ng Science Sets 1‐6
History, Geog, Art, Drama Languages, ICT Music, RE 3 broad ability se ng 3 mixed ability
PE
Tech
3 4 groups groups
PE
Tech
3 3 groups groups
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Technology is taught in slightly smaller sets with sets that have around 20 students. They are mixed ability. PE is taught in half‐year groups to allow different arrangements of se ng to take place depending on the sports studied at that me. Geography, history, languages and ICT are taught in half‐year groups sets that are ability based. Art, drama, music and religious studies (RS) are in mixed ability groups.
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more effec ve than another way then it is likely the method they have faith in will be more successful. At Fakenham High School we use all the above ways of organising students depending on the subjects and circumstances we face. This leaflet explains how the subjects have been organised for 2012‐’13. Key Stage 3 – Year 7 English, maths and science set across the whole year group. So sets are created with maths as the driving force and students will have all their core subjects in these same sets. A student who is in set 4 for English will be in the same set for maths and science. Technology is taught in slightly smaller sets with sets that have around 20 students. They are mixed ability. PE is taught in half‐year groups to allow different arrangements of se ng to take place depending on the sports studied at that me. All other subjects are in mixed ability groups for Year 7.
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Schools can choose to organise how students are taught in a number of different ways. At mes there are limits to the freedom a school has to do this due to metable constraints but choices are made by all schools and Fakenham is no excep on to this. In essence we have three ways of grouping students: 1. By se ng across a whole year group – this is taking all the students in a year group and se ng them by ability from say set 1 to set 7. Under this model the students in set 1 are the most able in that subject and the students in set 7 the least able. 2. By banding across a half year group – this is taking a half year group and se ng by ability within that half‐year group. Typically this would be using a broad range of ability measure so generally the most able students would be in set 1 and the least able in set 3 – but it would not necessarily relate to a specific subject but be broader based. 3. Mixed ability – this is crea ng sets that are not related to ability and the full range of ability exists within the group of students. Typically this is used for arts subjects but not exclusively so. Many people may have strong views regarding these different ways of organising groups but the evidence shows that there is a much stronger link between the quality of the teaching and good learning than between the ways groups are organised and good learning. Other evidence indicates that where a teacher or group of teachers believe strongly in a par cular type of organisa on then this method is likely to be the most effec ve. So if a par cular group of staff, say a department in a school, believed one par cular way of organising students for their subject would be
Key Stage 4 – Years 10 and 11 English is taught in half year groups that have the least able students withdrawn to enable extra support to be given and the remaining students are taught in mixed ability sets. Maths is taught in half year groups and within this by ability. Science is split into groups that do triple science [most able], core and addi onal science. This is ability based se ng. PE [core] is for all students and is mixed ability in half‐year groups. The remaining subjects in the curriculum are all part of the Op ons system and almost all are taught in mixed ability sets as there is commonly only enough students choosing any par cular subject to make one teaching set. There are occasionally excep ons to