The Key Stage Four curriculum was praised by Ofsted for being broad, ambitious and demanding. It is designed to ensure that all students gain the necessary knowledge, character and skills to be successful in life. 

Our options process enables students to choose subjects according to their interests while remaining broad and balanced with the EBacc at the heart. This maintains their choices for further study or employment. 

The Year 10 curriculum for 2024-5 will be as follows:

English

 Maths Science PE History or geography Spanish* Option 1 Option 2
5 5 6 2 3 3 3

3

* Students with targets under a grade 4 for both English and maths will instead get one extra English lesson, one extra maths lesson and a non-examined MFL lesson covering not only the basics of Spanish but the basics of some other modern foreign languages too.

 

The Year 11 curriculum for 2024-25 will be as follows:

English

 Maths Science PE History or geography French or Spanish* Option 1 Option 2
5 5 6 2 3 3 3

3

* Students’ with targets under a grade 4 for both English and maths will instead get one extra English lesson, one extra maths lesson and one extra science lesson. 

More detail about what students will learn the core subjects can be found below. 

What will all students learn in Year 10 and 11?

English

Year 10

  • English Literature paper 1: 19th century novel – A Christmas Carol 
  • English Language paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing – literary fiction
  • English Language paper 2: Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives using source material for comparison (non-fiction)
  • English Literature paper 2 : Modern poetry – study of 15 poems from the Power and Conflict AQA anthology and An Inspector Calls revision
  • Speaking and listening assessments

Year 11

  • English Language paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing – literary fiction
  • English Language paper 2: Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives using source material for comparison (non-fiction)
  • English Literature paper 1: Shakespeare (Macbeth) and revision of A Christmas Carol
  • English Literature paper 2: Modern texts and poetry. Unseen poetry as well as An Inspector Calls and Power and Conflict poetry revision

From the Easter holidays onwards, classes will follow a bespoke programme of study to ensure revision is tailored to individual needs.

 

Maths 

Students will spend the Autumn term of Year 10 in mixed ability classes. However, from the Spring term of Year 10 onwards, they will be moved into higher and foundation classes based on their achievement in the pathway assessment. 

Year 10 

Autumn term: Equations and inequalities; quadratic equations and graphs; probability; multiplicative reasoning; congruence and similarity; right angled triangles

Spring term: Graphs; revision for pathway assessment

  • Higher: Further equations and graphs
  • Foundation: Transformations; constructions; loci and bearings

Summer term

  • Higher: Further algebra; circle theorems; further trigonometry; sine and cosine rules
  • Foundation: Ratio and proporion; further percentages; averages from a frequency table

Year 11

Autumn term 

  • Higher: Further statistics; vectors and geometric proof
  • Foundation: Circles, cylinders, cones and spheres; fractions and indices; standard form

Spring term

  • Higher: proportions and graphs
  • Foundation: further algebra

From this point onwards, classes will follow a personalised curriculum based on detailed analysis of their mock exams.

 

Science

Students who are working at grade 6 or above by the middle of Year 10 will take separate GCSEs in biology, chemistry and physics. All other students will take the trilogy science qualification; worth two GCSEs, this course includes biology, chemistry and physics units. 

As the two courses share significant content, students will be placed into science pathways during the Spring term of Year 10 and from that point onwards, students on the triple science pathway will work at an accelerated pace. 

Trilogy Science – Year 10

  • Bioenergetics: factors affecting respiration and photosynthesis
  • Atomic structure and radioactivity
  • Chemical energy changes: exothermic and endothermic reactions
  • Chemical changes: what happens to a chemical during a chemical reaction?
  • Electricity: current, voltage and resistance
  • Homeostasis: the control of internal conditions through the nervous system and hormonal systems
  • Measuring and calculating the rate of chemical reactions
  • Properties of waves and the electromagnetic spectrum
  • Forces and motion: how and why do objects speed up, slow down or change direction?
  • Infectious disease: how do we stop the spread of disease and respond to infections in the body?
  • Organic chemistry: the structure of fuels and their uses 

Trilogy Science – Year 11

  • Chemical changes: what happens to a chemical during a chemical reaction?
  • Forces and motion: how and why do objects speed up, slow down or change direction?
  • Infectious disease: how do we stop the spread of disease and respond to infections in the body?
  • Forces and motion: investigating Newton’s laws of motion
  • Measuring and calculating the rate of chemical reactions
  • Chemical analysis: how can we test for specific chemicals?
  • Inheritance: how do cells replicate and how can we predict patterns of inheritance?
  • Chemistry of the atmosphere: how has the Earth’s atmosphere changed over time?
  • Evolution: How has life changed over time?
  • Magnetism: how do we use magnetic forces in a motor’s electromagnets?
  • Using resources: where do we get our useful elements such as copper from?
  • Ecology studies: how can we estimate the sizes of populations of plants and animals?

Additional content for triple science students (covered across Year 10 and 11)

  • Biology: Culturing microorganisms; monoclonal antibodies; plant disease; the brain; the eye; control of body temperature; maintaining water and nitrogen balance in the body; plant hormones; cloning; theory of evolution; speciation; genetics; decomposition; impact of environmental change; trophic levels; food production.
  • Chemistry: Properties of transition metals; bulk and surface properties of matter including nanoparticles; yield and atom economy of chemical reactions; Using concentrations of solutions in mol/dm3; use of amount of substance in relation to volumes of gases; titration; chemical cells and fuel cells; reactions and alkenes and alcohols; synthetic and naturally occurring polymers; identification of ions by chemical and spectroscopic means; using materials; the Haber process and the use of NPK fertilisers.
  • Physics: Pressure in gases; increasing the pressure of a gas; hazards and uses of radioactive emissions and background radiation; nuclear fission and fusion; moments, levers and gears; pressure and pressure differences in fluids; changes in momentum; reflection of waves; sound waves; waves for detection and exploration; lenses; visible light; black body radiation; loud speakers; induced potential, transformers and the national grid; space physics (the solar system, stars, satellites and red shift)

The options guide for the current Year 10 can be found here.

The options guide for the current Year 11 can be found here.