Art and Design - GCSE - TEXTILES Key Facts The Art Textile course explores textiles as a medium in many different ways. Students will many textile techniques, starting with the safe and effective use of the sewing machine. They will have opportunities to learn many traditional as well as contemporary textile techniques including, weaving, printing, appliqué, silk painting, silk paper, fabric manipulation, latch-hook, and locker-hook work, knitting, hand and machine embroidery. Outcomes can be two or three-dimensional. They can be fashion items, fashion accessories, soft furnishings, costume design, wall pieces, bags, shoes, masks, sculptures or a series of textile pieces. Emphasis is placed on an experimental and highly creative approach to design and making. Visits to museums, galleries and exhibitions help pupils understand the role, purpose and function of Art and Design Textiles in society and students are helped to develop individual creativity, to make informed judgements about their work, as well that of others. How the course is assessed: Portfolio of Work = 60% No time limit Work presented is marked by the centre and moderated by AQA. Externally Set Task = 40% Supervised time 10 Work presented is marked by the centre and moderated by AQA Exam Board: AQA Career Implications – further studies may lead on to a career in: Film, Television, Theatre, Textile Technology - Smart Fabrics - Textile Fashion - Costume design - Marketing and Management - Design for Television, Film or Theatre - Product Development and Innovation, the Interior Design, Fashion, Illustration, Exhibition Work etc. Other information: The Art Textile course demands a homework commitment of at least two hours a week. Working outside school hours and the systematic keeping of sketchbooks/notebooks form an essential part of the course.
Media Studies - GCSE Single Award Key Facts If you enjoy any aspect of the media - films, pop music, magazines, television, radio - Media Studies is the subject for you. It is a mixture of applied skills and analysis work. Half your work will be looking at current Media products. The other half will be creating your own Over the two you will study a wide range of Media. The main focus is on Magazines, Films and Advertising. You will develop your hands-on skills using video cameras, digital cameras and audio recording tools. Then you can edit your raw materials with editing software such as Adobe Photoshop and Premiere. The course also includes tasks in poster design, creating advertising campaigns and storyboarding video. Almost all of your coursework will be done on PCs. As well as the hands-on work you will also study and analyse the Media that already exists. A large part of the course will consist of written work and essays. Some of the written work will require detailed study of aspects of the Media. You will learn about the way the Media business works. How it has changed and its appeal to the audience. You will study the way the media represents people, groups and events. How it entertains and informs people and how the media is controlled and regulated. How the course is assessed: 1 hour and a half written exam (40%) and 3 controlled assignment units (60%) Exam Board: AQA Post 16 progression routes: AS and A2 in Media Studies, Film Studies or Photography. BTEC Media Production. Other information: This would be a really good choice if you would like a career in the Media. It is also useful for any subject where you are asked to analyse texts and understand audience reaction such as English, History, Psychology or Sociology. Student voice: ‘The best thing about Media is that it teaches you to understand how it all works and how the audience is manipulated. I can’t watch an advert now without thinking about how they are persuading me to buy the product.’ Year 11 Media Studies student.
Physical Education - GCSE Key Facts This qualification is ideal for anyone who is interested in sport and/or considering a career in the sport industry. The course is run over a 2 year period. In the first year you will submit a controlled assessment score on Analysing Lifestyles and 4 practical scores (which can be selected from a huge list of sports!). You will have both practical and theoretical lessons which cover all aspects of the Physical Education curriculum, for example, your bodies readiness for sport, diet and nutrition and how to follow a healthy active lifestyle, to name just a few. In the second year of the course you will submit a controlled assessment score on Analysing Performance, repeat and improve the 4 practical sports submitted in the first year of the course and an exam score. You will have both practical and theoretical lessons which cover all aspects of the Physical Education curriculum, for example, developing physical and mental capacity, the human body and sport psychology, to name just a few. How the course is assessed: 4 practical sports – 50% 2 controlled assessments – 10% (5% each year)) 1 exam – 40% Exam Board: OCR Post 16 progression routes: AS, A2 in Physical Education/Sports Science BTEC National Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science information: To take this qualification you will need to your sport and PE and you need to be motivated and organised. This would be a really good choice if you are interested in a career working in the sporting industry and/or you would like to take PE and sport further after Stringer. This subject would go well with Biology and Psychology. Student voice: PE is a subject that allows you to express yourself in a fun and different way compared to most subjects. The modular exams/controlled assessment allow you work towards the grade you want. (Year 10 pupil)
Statistics - GCSE Key Facts There is considerable overlap between maths and statistics at GCSE level. This will greatly benefit those who want to achieve a ‘B’ or higher at GCSE maths. Pupils will topics covered in maths GCSE but will have the opportunity to extend these and to use them in real life situations. Data will be collected, presented and analysed using techniques such as pie charts, cumulative frequency polygons and histograms. Data will also be analysed by using the mean, mode, median, range, quartiles, percentiles etc. Probability is also part of the syllabus. In addition, pupils will learn new ways to interpret data looking at topics such as seasonal trends and population. The course then moves on to look at other uses of statistics such as financial statistics (e.g. cost indices, RPI) and population statistics (birth and death rates) Knowledge of statistical analysis is also becoming increasingly important in the work place. Having a GCSE in this subject will greatly benefit those pupils considering a variety of career options such as computing, business, education and media. Note that pupils who are currently in Set 1a who particularly want to Statistics should speak to Mr. Whitton about the option course. How the course is assessed: 1 written exam (2 - 75% Controlled Assessment - 25% Exam AQA Post 16 progression routes: AS or A2 Mathematics AS or A2 Further Mathematics Other information: Statistics is used across the curriculum in subjects such as geography, science, environmental science, psychology and philosophy. Pupils taking Statistics GCSE will gain an advantage of a ‘second’ maths qualification at GCSE and it will aid the transition between GCSE and ‘A’ level. Pupils going on to study subjects including science, geography, social sciences and psychology at sixth form college will find knowledge of statistics extremely useful. Student voice: “Statistics allows you to use in the real world.”