GCSE Prospectus

GCSE Prospectus

The Curriculum in Years 10 and 11

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All pupils follow a core curriculum consisting of five compulsory subjects and select four further subjects from a wide range of options, covering Modern Languages, Humanities, Sciences, Expressive and Performing Arts, Sport and Technology.

Alongside the taught curriculum, we recommend pupils develop leadership, communication and teamwork through our extensive range of co-curricular activities in Thursday afternoon enrichment, as well as during lunchtimes and after school. To ensure all pupils have a broad and balanced GCSE curriculum, we recommend including a Language and a Humanity in your subject choices. Those pupils anticipating a future in medicine or related subjects must study Chemistry and Biology, and are advised to study all three Sciences: Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Prospective engineers and architects must study Physics.

Pupils opting for GCSE PE must be proficient in three different sports and choose a reserve option should GCSE PE be oversubscribed. Particularly able pupils may choose to take an additional GCSE (Classical Greek, Latin or Music) which would be studied on Thursday afternoons instead of enrichment and during one lunchtime per week. Able linguists or pupils wishing to study three Modern Foreign Languages may choose to take GCSE French on Thursday afternoons, instead of enrichment, and during one lunchtime. Every effort is made to enable each pupil to take the exact combination of subjects he chooses. However, we reserve the right to suggest an alternative combination of subjects if numbers make a particular arrangement of subjects untenable. There may be cases where the School must make the final decision on educational grounds if the choices do not give a broad and balanced curriculum.

The importance of the Humanities, Creative Arts and Languages in developing an all-round, articulate, well-informed person must not be underestimated. The study of Computer Science alongside other Science subjects is considered part of a well- rounded curriculum. If a boy is struggling to choose his GCSEs, he should consider his ability to gain a good GCSE grade (6 and above) in the subject and the relevance of the subject as an entry requirement for future study.

It might be possible for subjects such as History, Geography, Religious Studies and Music to be studied at A Level without having been taken at GCSE. This knowledge can sometimes ease a decision between two subjects of similar discipline.