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About the case study

The school, in collaboration with a range of partners, offers key stage 4 students a choice of two pathways. It offers students five opportunities to follow courses in the entitlement areas and has developed a work-related curriculum for a small group of students.

The school

Wyedean School is an 11-18 mixed comprehensive school with around 1,000 students on roll coming from the Forest of Dean and Chepstow. In September 2003 it became a specialist school for mathematics and computing.

Rationale for the key stage 4 curriculum

The school aims to offer a well-balanced range of courses at key stage 4, enabling students to keep their options for post-16 progression open. Specifically, it aims to:

• fulfil the requirements of its specialist status in mathematics and computing
• work collaboratively with other schools in the consortium and the local FE college to expand the range of opportunities available to key stage 4 students
• develop a coordinated approach within the consortium to avoid course duplication and to ensure consistency of course delivery
• include all students at key stage 4 by offering suitable courses at all levels
• promote post-16 participation and progression.

The key stage 4 curriculum

The curriculum is organised into two pathways. Pathway one, followed by the majority of students, has a core of English (including English literature), mathematics, science (double award), a modern foreign language, religious education (GCSE short course) and physical education. In keeping with the school’s specialist status, students study ICT to GCSE level. Students then choose four further options from mixed option blocks. They are given the opportunity to follow a GCSE in a vocational subject in place of two general options.

The school is committed to developing a work-related curriculum for the small number of students (a maximum of 25 each year) who choose pathway two. This has a smaller core comprising English, mathematics, science (single award), religious education and physical education. The work-related component taught in school includes two double-award GCSEs in vocational subjects. Students who follow this pathway are currently disapplied from design and technology and modern foreign languages. They attend the local FE college one day each week. An induction programme offers taster courses in four vocational areas chosen from the 10 available, after which students choose the vocational area and qualifications they want to pursue.

The key stage 4 curriculum structure

The school operates a fortnightly timetable of 50 one-hour lessons.

View key stage 4 curriculum diagram

The entitlement areas

In pathway one, the school gives students five opportunities to study courses in the entitlement areas, in that modern foreign languages is compulsory and the other entitlement areas are available across four option blocks. It is committed to the teaching of modern foreign languages and may retain a modern foreign language in the core after the entitlement areas are introduced in 2004. Students may study two European Union languages, provided they have done so at key stage 3. Geography and history are offered twice in different option blocks, so that students may study both subjects if they wish to do so. The arts are covered by art and design, drama and music, while the school has opted for resistant materials design and technology in that entitlement area.

Pace and progression

Following the granting of specialist status in mathematics and computing, a wider range of mathematics courses will be available at key stage 4. The most able mathematics students start the GCSE course in year 9 and have the opportunity to take GCSE statistics at the end of year 10. They take GCSE mathematics at the end of year 11.

Students also have the opportunity to take the GCSE short course in religious studies at the end of year 10.

Until recently only GCE advanced level courses were offered post-16. As the demand for sixth-form places has increased, a wider range of courses has been developed, building on the experiences of students moving up through the school.

Also see

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

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Page updated: 12 June 2008
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