Dear Year 8 student,

You will soon be leaving your middle school and moving up to HarlingtonUpperSchool. We look forward to you joining us and we want to make sure that you have the best possible choice of subjects. We realise that by year 8 you may already have interests which are beginning to take you in specific directions and you may be discovering certain abilities which you will want to develop. Obviously at the start of year 9 you will be starting your GCSEs in English, Mathematics, Science and ICT and then later on you will be choosing the rest of your GCSE subjects.

However, before you move into year 9, we would like you to choose some courses to study next year.

You may choose subjects that can be:

  • ataster for a GCSE course
  • a second language
  • for interest and enjoyment only

The following pages outline ALL the available courses in Blocks A, B and C. Read them carefully to see what opportunities there are for you and what each course entails. You will have to make three choices (only two if you are taking a second language); as well as choose which of French, Spanish or German you want to study in year 9.

Remember that through the rest of the curriculum we have ensured that you will follow a balanced course and one which keeps all possibilities open for you. It is in these choices where you can give yourself extra time in a subject you really enjoy or try something new.

The choice is yours – use it wisely!

Mr S. Fell

Headteacher

Introduction

The purpose of this booklet is to give parents and students information about the subjects which may be studied in Year 9 at Harlington and to give guidance about the options process.

The remainder of this booklet is divided into three main parts:

NOTE: It is important to recognise that, although the courses are offered in good faith, the school must reserve the right to adjust the programme according to demand and the availability of staff and resources. In particular, it may be necessary to withdraw courses that are under-subscribed or to review choices where a course is over-subscribed.

Section 1

The Timetable Structure

The school operates a timetable with 50 one-hour periods in a 10 day cycle. For Year 9 these will be allocated as follows:

The Year 9 Option Blocks

Block A / Block B / Block C
Business St. / Art / Art
D & T / D & T / Business St.
Drama / Food / D & T
Food / Media / Drama
Music / Music / Food
PE / PE / Media
Sociology / Sociology / Da
TT / TT / Music
French / Sociology
German / TT
Spanish

Section 2

What do I have to choose?

  • A language – either French, German or Spanish
  • A subject from Block A
  • A subject from Block B
  • A subject from Block C

In each of the Blocks, you have to indicate a first and a second choice subject.

Please note that French, German and Spanish take up two Blocks.

The subjects in Blocks A, B and C fall into three categories:

  • Some are taster courses for a subject you might be considering taking as a GCSE or BTEC in year 10
  • Some are enrichment courses that you would take because you have a particular interest or talent in
  • Some are a second foreign language

Section 3 The Option Subjects

ART

On this course you will experience a variety of different ways of working and develop new approaches to making art work. These will include working on your own and in groups, working on a large scale, working in 3D, using a range of materials, using clay, and painting and drawing.

BUSINESS STUDIES

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the world of business and to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to the economic environment in which businesses operate; the contribution that organisations make to the creation of wealth and the nature and role of enterprising and managerial behaviour.

The students will be asked to develop and create their own business plan. The members of each group will have to establish their own business identity and corporate image, as well as decide on their product’s unique selling point. The groups will have to market themselves and their productand try to make as much money as possible. The nature of the product is unimportant and they will be told what it is. Occasionally constraints will be put in their way – perhaps a new tax, a competitor from ‘overseas’ or new laws. They will have to work as a team to strict deadlines.

Through this activity the students will learn about the challenges firms face in a competitive and dynamic global economy as well as the role of key functions such as finance, marketing, human resource management and production.

DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

Resistant Materials/Graphics

This is a practical course that will allow students to make products in various materials (wood, plastic, card and electronics) in a workshop/design environment. Students will be given the opportunity to use various tools and equipment including the Laser engraver/cutter. Opportunities will also be provided to develop and enhance your design skills as well as using Information Communication Technology to present your design concepts (ideas). Once the projects have been made, students will have the option of taking the finished products home, a fantastic way to discuss and share with others the skills you have learned. For students who enjoy making products, Design and Technology – resistant materials enrichment will be an excellent option, to support and further develop your skills.

DRAMA

Drama is part of a young person’s core entitlement according to the National Curriculum Orders and it exists as an academic subject in its own right at Key Stage 3 and beyond.

The students will connect with a range of stimulus in the following ways:-

Making (Creating)

  • Making and shaping ideas into actions
  • Exploring drama conventions, resources and techniques with increasing confidence
  • Sharing ideas and experimenting with different texts to deepen their understanding.
  • Interpretation of texts and stimuli.

Performing

  • Performance in class
  • Sharing ideas through enactment
  • Sustaining a role, communicating with an audience, creating a dramatic atmosphere and working cooperatively with others.

Responding

  • Reflecting on their own experience of drama
  • Critical thinking
  • Use of evaluative language
  • Analysis

Drama develops thinking, speaking and listening, reading and writing and critical analysis through emotional and imaginative engagement.

DRAMA ENRICHMENT

The course offers the opportunity to develop acting and directing skills. It allows the students to create their own pieces of theatre in a professional way. Students will take part in activities which will broaden their skills and enable them to facilitate their own workshops and presentations. Any student interested in taking Drama at GCSE level should consider this option.

FOOD

Year 9 Licence to Cook

This module of work will be following the Government Initiative ‘Licence to Cook’ to help improve the diet of teenagers and stem the increase in obesity from eating an unhealthy diet.

Opportunities will be provided for the following:

  • Students to have hands-on experiences with food, i.e. cook
  • Learn about and gain confidence in basic food hygiene and preparation skills
  • Learn about healthier eating through practical food work
  • Apply simple budgeting skills to food choices
  • Work independently and in small groups to develop a wider understanding of wider needs
  • Become a better informed consumer.

There will be two one hour lessons per cycle.

The majority of ingredients will need to be purchased and bought in from home, along with suitable containers for practical lessons.

MEDIA

Students studying this exciting course will aim to develop an understanding of the pleasure and enjoyment provided by the media. There is a lot to study in the media and some of the areas which may be covered are animation, news broadcasting, radio adverts, popular music press, games consoles, comics, films or any number of television programmes. There are four key concepts you will be introduced to: Media Language, Audience, Institutions and Representation. These will give you an excellent introduction to GCSE Media. The course will appeal to those who are generally interested in the Media and to those who may eventually consider careers in the Media Industries.

MUSIC

The course will provide an opportunity for musicians to develop their performance skills in a variety of music styles. Students will also be given the opportunity to compose their own music and learn about the fundamental aspects of music. This will be achieved through listening and appraising work. It is particularly appropriate for students who wish to pursue music at Key Stage 4 and beyond.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION – 2 COURSES

  1. This course offers you further experience in the following areas:
  • Sport Leadership
  • Dance
  • Outdoor Adventurous Activities

You will experience a unit of work in ALL three units throughout the year.

Sport Leadership

In this unit you will have the opportunity to develop your leadership knowledge and skills through taking roles such as coach, official, administrator, manager as well as performer. A range of physical activities will be experienced.

Dance

Students will study movement through performance and choreography. They will develop skills, techniques and compositional ideas to find imaginative ways to express and communicate ideas, concepts and emotions through dance.

Outdoor Adventurous Activities

In this unit you will develop your knowledge and skills in the different aspects of outdoor adventurous activities based at school, predominantly in an outdoor environment in variable conditions.

2. Performing Arts (Dance)

This course provides an opportunity to develop dance choreography, performance and appreciation skills through a range of different dance styles. It combines the practical and theory elements of dance. Pupils have the opportunity to work in groups and on their own. They will also participate in performances. This course will be particularly suited to those students wishing to study Performing Arts (Dance) beyond year 9.

TRAVEL AND TOURISM

Are you interested in the world? Do you like to travel? Do you want to gain skills that may help you in customer service related jobs such as the tourism industry? Then this is the course for you. You will learn about different tourist destinations in the UK and around the world as well as learning how the tourism industry works. At the end of the year you should have a broader knowledge about the world destinations and skills that could help you in customer related jobs. Students that study this may wish to go on to take the BTEC in Travel and Tourism in year 10 and 11 worth 2 GCSE’s or if you are interested in Geography this option would help to support those studies too. Throughout the course you will get the opportunity to work individually and as part of a group to be creative with the work you produce.

SOCIOLOGY

This taster to GCSE Sociology will cover subjects like:

  • FERAL CHILDREN - Students discover the life of the Feral Child. What is it like not to be socialised by people, but by animals?
  • UNSOCIALISED CHILDREN - What happens when people are poorly socialised?
  • WHAT MAKES US MALE OR FEMALE – Why are we male or female? A look at how we are socialised into our gender and the results of this socialisation.
  • FOOTBALL - Football as a social construction. Looking at how football can be used to bring people together or make divisions in society.
  • BIG BROTHER - What does the Big Brother show tell us about society as a whole? What does the term big brother mean?