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"...students are attracted to the practical elements of the course" (GCSE engineering)

SEMTA is the national training organisation for engineering manufacture.

Comberton Village College


		11-16 schools

		6th form schools

		Colleges

About the case study

This case study shows a curriculum that includes collaborative vocational provision as part of a range of key stage 4 options. It already meets the entitlement requirements but the school is examining how to use the greater flexibility for further development.

The school

Comberton Village College is an 11-16 mixed comprehensive school situated in a rural area to the west of Cambridge. There are approximately 1,100 students on roll, 11 per cent of whom have special educational needs without statements.

The school is a Leading Edge school, a training school, and has specialist sports status.

Rationale for the new key stage 4 curriculum

to provide a curriculum that is broad, balanced and relevant
to meet the individual needs abilities and aspirations of students
to develop students as individual learners
to provide for smooth progression post-16 to further education or employment.

The key stage 4 curriculum

All students follow a core programme that includes English, mathematics, science (double award), ICT (new CLAIT), PE (GCSE short course) and RE. In addition, students must choose a modern foreign language, a technology option and two further options. A core skills option provides support for students who benefit from doing fewer examination subjects.

The school uses personal development days to focus on PSHE and citizenship. Five days are held over the year, during which normal timetable is suspended for the whole school.

Extracurricular classes at the end of the school day and in the evenings are available for students wishing to take an additional GCSE. In 2003-5 these will lead to GCSE art or dance, and AS economics. After-school classes also take place as part of the provision for a GNVQ in intermediate ICT.

The key stage 4 curriculum structure

A fortnightly timetable operates with sixty 50-minute lessons. Each option has one double and one single lesson in each week.

View key stage 4 curriculum diagram

The entitlement areas

The school’s 2003-2005 curriculum model has the entitlement areas of design and technology and modern foreign languages as compulsory at key stage 4, offering students a choice of two languages and five different design and technology options. Students then choose two other subjects from a single block, including geography and history (the humanities) and art and design, music and drama (the arts). Thus the key stage 4 curriculum already offers choice within the entitlement requirements that will be mandatory from 2004.

However, the greater flexibility offered by the new key stage 4 arrangements from 2004 is enabling the school to undergo a key stage 4 curriculum review. The key stage 4 manager has given presentations to senior and middle managers, illustrating a range of key stage 4 curriculum models and promoting discussion about possible future developments.

The rationale is to develop a flexible curriculum model in order to best meet the needs of each student.

Among the considerations are:

a curriculum model structured round the four entitlement areas, with each area compulsory
the introduction of pathways or routes
integrating AS economics, currently taught as a twilight class, into the curriculum
different time allocations within subjects for some students, for example reduced time on some core lessons for more able students, to allow for additional options or enrichment activities
development of new areas, for example health and social care.

Vocational programmes

Approximately 25 per cent of students opt for a vocational subject at key stage 4. GNVQ Intermediate in ICT is provided in school and makes use of a web-based approach through the school's intranet. In 2002 all students opting for this course chose it as a single option supplemented by an after school session of two hours per week. GCSE engineering and leisure and tourism are provided partly in school and partly at a further education college.

Collaboration

The school is part of an Increased Flexibility Programme partnership with Cambridge Regional College. Engineering and leisure and tourism students travel to Cambridge to use the college facilities (see Use of GCSEs in vocational subjects below). Timetable arrangements are negotiated between the school's key stage 4 manager and the college's 14-16 coordinator, with the college providing teaching to fit the school's timetable.

Use of GCSEs in vocational subjects

In 2002 the school provided GCSEs in vocational subjects as follows:



Subject	Numbers	Curriculum Time

Applied ICT	25	10 per cent

Engineering	17	20 per cent

Leisure and tourism	9	14 per cent

GCSEs in vocational subjects are offered as free options within the key stage 4 timetable. Applied ICT is taught in single option time. Teaching for engineering and leisure and tourism courses takes place both at school and college. Group sizes are limited by practical workshop guidelines and transport arrangements.

For engineering students a three-hour practical workshop session at the college is made possible by the school's timetabling of two consecutive double lessons of engineering on a Monday morning; this results in two-thirds of the provision taking place at the college and one-third in school. The college session reduces to two hours per week in year 11, allowing for additional time in school to focus on preparation for the externally assessed unit.

The engineering teacher at the school accompanies the students and the sessions at the college are co-taught by the lecturer and the teacher. Students and staff benefit from the resources and expertise available at the college, and the teacher is able to support and integrate students’ work on college assignments during school lesson time. At the college the teacher’s presence ensures that work is followed up and completed, and staff from both institutions have benefited from being able to share expertise.

Year 9 students are introduced to the engineering option during design technology lessons and a presentation for students and parents is made as part of the options process. Students are attracted to the practical element of the course which is highlighted by the use of off-site practical resources in addition to school-based resources.

Visits to engineering companies in the Cambridge area form part of the course and use is made in school of SEMTA (Science and Engineering Marine Training Agency) CD-ROM resources.

Leisure and tourism students have a single lesson at school and a double lesson timetabled at the college. Provision is flexibly arranged with an after-school session of one hour per week.

Visits have included Stansted Airport, where students were given a behind-the-scenes tour, and a two-day visit to Scotland. The students were involved in the planning of the visit, arranging flights and rail travel to survey a range of tourist centres.

Also see

> Collaboration
> Curriculum planning
> Statutory entitlement areas at key stage 4
> Pace and progression
> Using GCSEs in vocational subjects within the key stage 4 curriculum