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About the case study

This case study shows a key stage 4 curriculum that gives students a wide range of choice and enables them to build individual programmes from subject blocks of different sizes, while meeting the entitlement requirements. It makes extensive use of vocational qualifications and college-based provision.

The school

Bridgemary Community School, in Gosport, Hampshire, is an 11-16 mixed comprehensive school with around 1,200 students on roll. Around 40 per cent of the students have special educational needs without having statements.

When a new head teacher was appointed in September 2001 and the school was shortly afterwards classified as having serious weaknesses, a number of clear priorities were identified, including a new key stage 4 curriculum and a restructured school day introduced in 2002.

Rationale for the new key stage 4 curriculum

The priorities for key stage 4 were to:

• meet the needs of individual students
• create a learning culture
• create a sense of challenge
• make links with and provide progression to local industry
• improve attainment, motivation and attendance.
  

The key stage 4 curriculum

The school had data such as CATs and key stage 2 SATs results, predicted key stage 3 SATs results and teacher assessments. These were used to investigate the nature and needs of the cohort entering key stage 4 and to plan an appropriate curriculum. The same data informed student choice of programmes. A group of students comprising around 10 per cent of the cohort was identified as potentially benefiting from a pathway that involves vocational work at a college or with a provider of alternative education.

The key stage 4 curriculum structure

Bridgemary Community School - Key stage 4: 2003-5

View key stage 4 curriculum diagram

Timetabling

To provide flexibility and choice to students, a fortnightly timetable, with sixty 50-minute lessons was chosen, each subject having one double lesson in one week and two in the other. This pattern was introduced to accommodate the teaching and learning approaches within vocational subjects, and other subjects now find it beneficial to learning. In fact, for 2003 lesson length will be extended to one hour and the total number of lessons reduced to 50. This breaks down to 25 core lessons and 25 within an option system.

The 25 core lessons, which provide for differentiation in English and mathematics, are English (for one group this leads to GCSE in English literature as well as English), mathematics (for one group this leads to GCSE statistics as well as mathematics), PE, RE (leading to GCSE short course in religious studies), ICT (leading to the key skills qualification in IT) and PSHE/citizenship.

Other subjects will be available as 10 or five lessons and students have a free choice from the subjects offered. The timetable structure depends on student choice Disapplication is used where appropriate. In 2002 only 25 out of 255 students had to reselect subjects as their choices did not run due to low take-up.

For 2003 the school will offer 10-lesson subjects leading to GCSE double award in:

Five-lesson GCSEs are:

These subjects were offered following an audit of staff skills and interests.

In place of one 5-lesson subject, students can have study support sessions, depending on need. In these sessions students receive support with homework and coursework, have reviews of their work and mentoring sessions. Some of this time is in the ICT suite. A member of the support staff is responsible for coordinating and monitoring this provision.

The school is also hoping to create open learning rooms in each of its main buildings where students can work independently under supervision, and which can be accessed for individual assignment work. The learning rooms will also be used in the case of teacher absence.

The entitlement areas

The school’s key stage 4 curriculum model, built around student choice from a single array of subject options, will meet the new statutory requirements for the entitlement areas while offering students a wide choice of courses.

As students are given a free choice to create 50 per cent of their timetable from a range of single and double GCSE subjects, they may study any combination of subjects, from five singles to two doubles and a single. Among the option choices there are two or more subjects or disciplines in each of the entitlement areas. The school says that it can give students this freedom of choice and meet their individual option choices.

Vocational programmes

The 10 per cent of the cohort that learn off school premises are timetabled as a separate pathway. In school, they take English, mathematics, science, key skills, and other statutory aspects of the curriculum. Students have one to four days out of school in college or on a work placement and their programmes may vary during the key stage.

To enable all students to access statutory provision:

• as far as possible, core national curriculum subjects are timetabled each day so that students can access them no matter which days they are off-site
• English is timetabled for more lessons than other subjects so that all students have their full time allocation
• subjects allocated only one or two lessons per week are timetabled on days when few or no students are out
• some subjects are timetabled in different places in week 1 and week 2
• individual student access is monitored and timetabled support sessions used where necessary.

Wherever they are learning, students are working towards a qualification – GCSE in a vocational subject or NVQ. College courses available in 2003 are:

• construction
• engineering
• plumbing
• care
• health and beauty
• hairdressing
• horticulture
• sport and recreation.

Evaluation to date

While the new curriculum has only been in place for a short time, senior staff can point to improvements in student motivation, behaviour and attendance. There has also been useful staff development to teach the new courses.

Use of GCSEs in vocational subjects

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

	Subject	Numbers		Curriculum Time
	Applied art and design	17		20 per cent
	Applied business	18		20 per cent
	Applied science	15		20 per cent
	Engineering	18		20 per cent
	Health and social care	45		20 per cent

Group size is limited to 20 and in practice group sizes range from 15 to 20. In 2002 45 per cent of the cohort followed a course of study which included a GCSE in a vocational subject.

These subjects are available as free options in key stage 4 and students opting for them are drawn from the full ability range in the school. They are delivered in 10 hours per fortnight (20 per cent of curriculum time) with the majority of lessons being doubles (two hours).

The time allocation and group size have allowed for the effective organisation of industry links and out-of-school visits, and also for time to be devoted to students' development as individual learners, including the development of individual research and study skills early in the course and opportunities to practise them in completing assignments.

In addition to the school's two-week work experience scheme for all year 10 students, those doing GCSEs in vocational subjects have a work placement linked to their programme of study. In allocating work experience the school gives priority and first choice to students studying GCSE in a vocational subject.

Subject areas have developed a range of links to outside businesses in order to facilitate industry-linked assignments and out-of-school visits.

The applied business students are involved in a study of the local Borough Council, visiting the Council Offices and analysing Council data. A partnership with a local leisure company has resulted in a series of half-day sessions at a local bowling alley. These sessions cover finance, booking systems, front of house, bar and services management, plus a session of professional bowling instruction.

GCSE engineering is provided at a partner FE college to two groups of students. One group is made up of students on the discrete vocational pathway in the school, and the second of students who have chosen engineering as one of their options. From 2003 engineering will be taught at the school, supported by college staff.  Facilities were created with support from a local company.

Industry visits are made relevant to topics being studied. Visits by the applied science group have included the local fire station (health and safety in the workplace) and visits to Fawley Refinery and the Water Board (use of micro-organisms) are planned. Half-day visits on days when there is a double lesson in the afternoon mean that students do not miss other lessons, and such visits can extend until 5pm or 5.30pm.

Staff at the school are working with the Local Education Authority and Hampshire County Council to set up a database of industry links for specific courses.

Also see

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

QCA online shop publication

Changes to the key stage 4 curriculum: Guidance for implementation from September 2004 [QCA/03/1167]

Documents to download

> Changes to the key stage 4 curriculum: Guidance for implementation from September 2004 PDF

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