Careers

Choosing the right subjects for GCSE

Your son/daughter will make initial GCSE choices in February so that next year’s timetable can be blocked and staffing planned. They will confirm their choices at the end of this term. There is the opportunity to add any supporting comments on both initial and final option-choice forms if you feel particularly strongly about the choices that have been made. Once the final options form is submitted, the allocation of options will be made based on the information supplied on the form. Once choices have been made, the College reserves the right to withdraw any courses for which there is insufficient demand. We try to accommodate all subject choices within the prescribed framework. However, subjects are sometimes oversubscribed and availability of staffing prevents additional classes. If this is the case, we will contact you to discuss alternatives. On the following pages, you will find more information about each subject, as well as some useful advice from the Head of Careers and Higher Education, Sharon Allmark. These will help you when weighing up the various factors involved in making the most appropriate choices.

Stephen Badger Deputy Head (Teaching & Learning)

GCSE Reforms Daily Routine

7.00 am The House is unlocked. Girls should arrive in their school uniform 7.30 to 8 am Breakfast for 3rd, 4th and 5th Form at Main School Sixth Form may have breakfast in Gosden 7.30-8.20 am Registration: everyone must be registered before 8.20am 8.20 am On Monday mornings there is a House meeting for all year groups in the Common Room at 8.20am 8.30 am Assembly or Tutor Session: check the assembly rota poster 9.00 am First lesson of the day 10.45 am Break 12.50—1.50 pm Lunch Wednesday: 1-2pm Register with matron and then it’s sports afternoon 3.45 pm End of lessons 4.00 pm End of the school day and the earliest time you can go home 4-5.00 pm Activity Session 1. You can go home at 4pm if you do not have activities. You must sign out with matron and turn your T-card when going home 5-6.00 pm Activity Session 2. 6.00-6.50 pm Tea 6.50 pm 3/4/5th Form

• All GCSE subjects are now graded and assessed using the new 9-1 structure; • 9 is the highest grade, awarded to the very best candidates in the subject. The official definition of a grade-9 candidate is that they will be ‘in the top 20% of those achieving grades 7-9 in the subject’; • In every subject, the content is more demanding and the assessment more rigorous than previously; • The assessment will be mainly by exam. In some subjects such as Drama and Art, other types of assessment will be used only where they are needed to test essential skills. For further information about assessment, please speak to the relevant Head of Department. Tiering of exams The new GCSEs are only split into foundation tier and higher tier if one single exam paper does not give all students the opportunity to show their knowledge and abilities. Consequently, exams are tiered in Biology, Chemistry, French, German, Maths, Physics and Spanish. New grading structure All girls back in the House and in their own rooms—hand in phones 7.00 pm Start of prep conditions (own room, working quietly) 8.30 pm Prep ends for the 3rd Form— pack bag and tidy up 9 pm Prep conditions end 10 pm House is silent: no showering, loud music or hairdryer use 10.15 pm The house is locked and alarmed

Current grading structure 9 A* 8 7 A 6 B 5 4 C 3 D 2 E F 1 G U U

9 is awarded to those pupils achieving what would currently be a top A*: perhaps at around 96%+

GOOD PASS (DfE) 5 and above = top of C and above Schools are no longer AWARDING assessed on A*-C 4 and above = bottom of C and above statistics, but on ‘9-4’ statistics. Under the updated structure, the ‘good pass’ for Maths and English is a 5, which is on the border between a C and a B under the old system.