Key Stage 4

Art and Design equips students with the skills to enjoy, produce and engage with the visual arts throughout their lives, and it has immense value as a GCSE subject. GCSE Art and Design provides the opportunity for students to:  

• explore both contemporary and historical sources of art, craft, and design first hand through, for example:  
•  visiting museums, galleries, art shows and fairs  
• experiencing audio-visual productions, including still, and moving imagery  
• their surroundings and environments.  
• take an individual approach to their art, craft and design making.  
• develop the skill of selecting their best and most appropriate work for presentation. 

60% is coursework based.  

40% is an externally set 10 hour exam 

Our specification – Edexcel GCSE Art and Design (2016) | Pearson qualifications 

Our aim is to provide a curriculum that enables all students, whatever their starting point, to successfully navigate the world around them by being strong communicators: readers, writers, orators and thinkers. The function of English Literature and Language is to provide students with powerful knowledge, that can often be hidden from view or distorted in the mainstream, and to give them a sound skills base with which to express themselves.

Year 10 & 11

• A range of non-fiction extracts, comparing 19th and 20th century sources.
• A Christmas Carol
• Writing a in a range of forms for an appropriate audience using various rhetorical devices. 
• Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’
• reading a 20th Century fiction extract, and analysing and evaluating the use of language and structure.
• Unseen Poetry 
• An Inspector Calls
• Power and Conflict Poetry

Once students reach GCSE Geography they will have already gained the Geographical Skills and core content needed in order to be successful at GCSE. Therefore, the teaching for GCSE aims to challenge students to further develop their geographical understanding within a variety of different contexts. Students continue to embed their skills and understanding. Students achieve marks in GCSE Geography for their Knowledge (K), their Understanding (U) and their Application (A) to familiar and unfamiliar contexts.

(Paper 1 – Physical Geography)

Year 10 and Year 11

The GCSE is divided into three papers. Below is a summary of the core content:

Paper 1 (35%) – Living with the Physical Environment (1.5-hour exam)

· The Challenge of Natural Hazards.

Students develop their understanding of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tropical storms, extreme weather events and climate change. Students focus on a similar structure for each: causes, impacts and management (supported by specific case studies).

· The Living World.

Students study the distribution of major biomes and their characteristics. They also study ecosystems and the impact of human activity upon the delicate balances within a food web. Students study Hot Deserts and Tropical Rainforests in depth, focusing upon distribution, climate, animal and plant adaptations, deforestation (causes, effects, management), desertification (causes, effects and management) and three case studies (Amazon Rainforest, Mojave Desert and The Sahel).

· Physical Landscapes of the UK.

Students will study marine and fluvial landscapes within the UK. These complement one another and focus on processes of erosion, weathering, transport, deposition and mass movement. The unit explores the landforms created by these processes and considers how management can reduce the impacts of natural processes on the human environment.

Paper 2 (35%)- Challenges of the Human Environment (1.5-hour exam)

· Urban Issues and Challenges

Students study this unit through two major case studies: Rio and Leeds. Students explore the opportunities and challenges faced by each city, as well as the ways in which the challenges are being managed. There is a focus on sustainability and what the future may hold. The case study nature of the unit allows students to study the unit in a more holistic and challenging way.

· The Changing Economic World

Students consider the unequal nature of our world, focusing on the difference in country development. Students develop a deeper understanding of development indicators (for example, their reliability), causes of uneven development and ways in which the development gap is being reduced. Students study the country of India as an example of a developing NEE. Students will also study the economy of the UK.

· The Challenge of Resource Management

Students study three resources: Food, Water and Energy. Students reflect on the uneven distribution of these resources and the impact on social and economic well-being. Students then study the Food Option unit in more depth, learning about factors affecting food supplies and how we can increase food supplies in the future, in a sustainable way.

Paper 3 (30%)- Geographical Applications (1.5-hour exam)

· Issues Evaluation

In the March of each year, a pre-release material is issued to schools, presenting to us a geographical issue. Students will study this issue and then be examined on this in their Paper 3 exam.

· Fieldwork

Students will undertake fieldwork at GCSE, focusing on two contrasting environments. Students will study longshore drift and the impacts of tourism. The learning from this fieldwork is examined in the Paper 3 exam.

• Natural hazards
• Plate tectonics
• Earthquake case studies (Nepal vs Chile)
• Weather theory and formation of tropical storms
• Weather case studies (Typhoon Haiyan vs Storm Desmond)
• Climate change
• Ecosystems
• The rainforest
•  Cold environments (Svalbard case study)
•  Rivers (UK case study)
•  Coasts (Holderness case study)
•  Fieldwork (field trip in preparation for Paper 3)

Year 11 (Paper 2 – Human Geography)

• Urbanisation
• Rio case study
• Manchester case study
• Sustainable urban development
• Development
• India case study
• UK and employment
• Resource management – water
• Pre-release study (issued 12 week prior to the exam by AQA for Paper 3)
• Revision and final prep for exams

Our Specification – AQA | GCSE | Geography | Specification at a glance

Our aim is to provide a curriculum that enables all students, whatever their starting point, to successfully navigate the world around them by being strong communicators: readers, writers, orators and thinkers. The function of English Literature and Language is to provide students with powerful knowledge, that can often be hidden from view or distorted in the mainstream, and to give them a sound skills base with which to express themselves.

• A range of non-fiction extracts, comparing 19th and 20th century sources. 
• A Christmas Carol
• Writing a in a range of forms for an appropriate audience using various rhetorical devices.  
• Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’
• Reading a 20th Century fiction extract, and analysing and evaluating the use of language and structure. 
• Unseen Poetry
• An Inspector Calls
• Power and Conflict Poetry 

GCSE – Full Course

Course – AQA Specification A

100% Exam

Two papers worth 50% each.

In GCSE Religious Studies students will be challenged with questions about belief, values, meaning, purpose and truth, enabling them to develop their own attitudes towards religious issues.

Students will also gain an appreciation of how religion, philosophy and ethics form the basis of our culture. They will develop analytical and critical thinking skills, the ability to work with abstract ideas, leadership and research skills. All these skills will help prepare them for further study. Students should consider different beliefs and attitudes to religious and non-religious issues in contemporary British society. They should be aware that the religious traditions of Great Britain are, in the main, Christian, and that religious traditions in Great Britain are diverse. They include Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism, as well as other religious and non-religious beliefs such as atheism and humanism.

There are two components.

• Component 1- The study of religions, beliefs, teachings and practices.
• Component 2- Thematic Study

Component 1

At South Shore Academy we study the religions of Christianity and Judaism.

Short Course

• AQA Specification A
• 100% Exam

Students will be challenged with questions about belief, values, meaning, purpose and truth, enabling them to develop their own values and attitudes towards religious issues.

Students will also gain an appreciation of how religion, philosophy and ethics form the basis of our culture. They will develop analytical and critical thinking skills, the ability to work with abstract ideas, leadership and research skills. All these will help prepare them for further study.

There are two components.

• Component 1- The study of religion beliefs and teachings.
• Component 2- Thematic studies

Component 1

Studying Christianity and Judaism

Key beliefs

• The nature of God:
  • God as omnipotent, loving and just, and the problem of evil and suffering
  • the oneness of God and the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• Different Christian beliefs about creation including the role of Word and Spirit (John 1:1-3 and Genesis 1:1-3).
• Different Christian beliefs about the afterlife and their importance, including: resurrection and life after death; judgement, heaven and hell.

Jesus Christ and salvation

• Beliefs and teachings about:
  • the incarnation and Jesus as the Son of God
  • the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension
  • sin, including original sin
  • the means of salvation, including law, grace and Spirit
  • the role of Christ in salvation including the idea of atonement.

Judaism

Key beliefs

• The nature of God:
• God as one
  • God as Creator
  • God as Law-Giver and Judge, loving and merciful.
• The divine presence (Shekhinah).
• Beliefs about life after death, including judgement and resurrection.
• The nature and role of the Messiah, including different views on the role and importance of the Messiah.
• The Covenant and the mitzvot
• The promised land and the Covenant with Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3.
• The Covenant at Sinai and its importance including the role of Moses and the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:1-17.
• Key moral principles including justice, healing the world, charity and kindness to others.
• The importance of the sanctity of human life, including the concept of ‘saving a life’ (Pikuach Nefesh).
• The relationship between free will and the 613 mitzvot.
• Mitzvot between man and God and mitzvot between man and man, including the difference between them and their importance.
• Component 2
• Theme A: Relationships and families
• Students should study religious teachings, and religious, philosophical and ethical arguments, relating to the issues that follow, and their impact and influence in the modern world. They should be aware of contrasting perspectives in contemporary British society on all of these issues.
• They must be able to explain contrasting beliefs on the following three issues with reference to the main religious tradition in Britain (Christianity) and a contrasting belilef:
• Contraception.
• Sexual relationships before marriage.
• Homosexual relationships.
• Sex, marriage and divorce
• Human sexuality including: heterosexual and homosexual relationships.
• Sexual relationships before and outside of marriage.
• Contraception and family planning.
• The nature and purpose of marriage.
• Same-sex marriage and cohabitation.
• Divorce, including reasons for divorce, and remarrying.
• Ethical arguments related to divorce, including those based on the sanctity of marriage vows and compassion.
• Families and gender equality
• The nature of families, including:
  • the role of parents and children
  • extended families and the nuclear family.
• The purpose of families, including:
  • procreation
  • stability and the protection of children
  • educating children in a faith.
• Contemporary family issues including:
  • same-sex parents
  • polygamy.
• The roles of men and women.
• Gender equality.
• Gender prejudice and discrimination, including examples.
• Theme B: Religion, peace and conflict
• Students should study religious teachings, and religious, philosophical and ethical arguments, relating to the issues that follow, and their impact and influence in the modern world. They should be aware of contrasting perspectives in contemporary British society on all of these issues.
• On the following three issues they must be able to explain a belief from the main religious tradition in Britain (Christianity) and a contrasting belief:
• Violence.
• Weapons of mass destruction.
• Pacifism.
• Religion, violence, terrorism and war
• The meaning and significance of:
  • peace
  • justice
  • forgiveness
  • reconciliation.
• Violence, including violent protest.
• Terrorism.
• Reasons for war, including greed, self-defence and retaliation.
• The just war theory, including the criteria for a just war.
• Holy war.
• Pacifism.
• Religion and belief in 21 st century conflict
• Religion and belief as a cause of war and violence in the contemporary world.
• Nuclear weapons, including nuclear deterrence.
• The use of weapons of mass destruction.
• Religion and peace-making in the contemporary world including the work of individuals influenced by religious teaching.
• Religious responses to the victims of war including the work of one present day religious organisation.

In Years 10 & 11, learners undertake their GCSE through the exam board AQA with the following topics selected building on their knowledge and enquiry skills developed since Year 7:

Year 10

Health and the People c1000- to the Present Day – AQA Paper 2

Elizabethan England c1568-1603 – AQA Paper 2

Year 11

Conflict & Tension, 1894-1918 (First World War) – AQA Paper 1

Germany 1891 -1945- Democracy and Dictatorship – AQA Paper 1

The course is 100% exam based with no coursework element. In-depth but clear breakdowns of the content and knowledge of each topic can be sent directly to parents on request.

Our Specification – GCSE History Specification Specification for first teaching in 2016 (aqa.org.uk)

Year 10  

Biology   

• Cell division  
• Organisation and the digestive system  
• Organising animals and plants  
• Communicable disease  
• Preventing and treating disease  
• Non-communicable disease 
• Photosynthesis 

Chemistry   

• Structure and bonding  
• Chemical calculation  
• Chemical changes  
• Electrolysis  
• Energy changes 

Physics   

• Energy resources  
• Electricity circuits 
• Electricity in the home 
• Molecules and matter  
• Radioactivity 

Year 11   

• Biological response  
• The rate and extend of chemical changes.  
• Waves  
• Chemical analysis  
• Inheritance, variation, and evolution  
• Chemistry of the atmosphere  
• Forces  
• Ecology  
• Magnetism and electromagnetism  
• Using resources  
• Crude oil and fuels  

• Revision and final prep for exams 

Our specifications – AQA | Subjects | Science

Key Stage 4 – OCR Sports Studies 

Units of Study

Contemporary Issues in Sport

This is the main theory element of the course and is assessed through a formal written exam. Key areas of study are user groups, barriers and solutions to participating in sport, sporting values, the Olympics, performance enhancing drugs, hosting major sporting events, the role of national governing bodies and Technology in sport.

Performance and Leadership This unit is mainly practical and focuses on individual and team sports. You will be required to improve your skill level both in practice and game situations. You will develop the skills to analyse

your performance and keep a record of the activities you complete. You will also develop your knowledge of rules and tactics in both activities.

This unit develops your understanding of a range of leadership roles and the qualities required to become an effective leader in sport. You will also gain knowledge and experience in how to plan, perform and evaluate through becoming a young leader.

Increasing awareness of Outdoor and Adventurous Activities

You will gain knowledge about the wide range of outdoor activities available and experience the activities of orienteering and Hight Ropes. You will gain an understanding of the equipment required to participate and benefits of participating in outdoor activities. You will also gain knowledge of how to plan an outdoor activity successfully.

Cambridge National Sports Studies

R184 – Contemporary Issues 40% Written paper (75 Minutes)

R185 – Performance and Leadership 40% Course work – With a mixture of practical and theory

R187 – Outdoor Adventurous Activities 20% Coursework – With a mixture of practical and theory

		OCR Sports Studies Sequencing
Year 10	Term 1	R187 – Increasing awareness of outdoor and adventurous activities   R185 – Topic Area 1 Key components of performance
	Term 2	R185 – Topic 3 Organising and planning a sports activity session  R185 – Topic 4 Delivering a sports activity session
	Term 3	R185 – Topic Area 5 Reviewing your own performance in planning and leading a sports activity session  R185 – Topic Area 1 Key components of performance
Year 11	Term 1	R185 – Topic 2 Applying practise methods to support improvement in a sporting activity  R184 – Contemporary Issues (Exam Unit) Topic 1 – Issues which affect participation in Sport   R184 – Topic 2 The role of sport in promoting values
	Term 2	R184 – Topic 3 The implications of hosting a major sporting event  R184 – Topic 4 The role of National Governing Bodies
	Term 3	R184 – Topic 5 – The role of Technology in Sport  Revision and Exam (May)

Our Specification – OCR Level 1/Level 2 Cambridge National in Sport Studies specification