CurriCulum Newsletter - spriNg term 2018

Paignton Community & SPortS aCademy

I am very proud of the way the vast majority of Year 10 students have made the transition across from Waterleat to Borough Road this Autumn term. They have settled well and have adapted to Key Stage 4 life with ease. They have shown a lot of maturity and independence in and out of lessons. The students are making progress across the curriculum with the next stage of their academic careers. The Year 10 exams are just around the corner so focus is moving to revision and exam technique. This coming term will require a lot of hard work and determination to ensure target grades are met and more importantly passed. All students will have the opportunity to attend revision classes and catch-up sessions so I hope the year group take advantage of this and produce the best results possible. Thank you for your continued support in your child’s education and please do not hesitate to contact either myself or Mrs Sanford for any help or support.

M Easton, Head of Year

Believe and Achieve

SCIENCEThis term students are continuing their ‘Combined Science Trilogy’ GCSE course, with the exception of the top sets that are learning the ‘Separate Science’ course. All students will be following the AQA Trilogy specification, in preparation for taking the GCSE exams in 2019. Scientific literacy and the impact of science and technology on everyday life have featured highly in past examinations and there will be a focus on this throughout the year. This term begins with an internal PPE (pre public exam) which will focus on assessing their knowledge of the course content taught so far, with the exception of Energy and Electricity. The following modules will be assessed in their first formal assessment at KS4: cell biology; organisation; infection and response; bioenergetics; atomic structure and the periodic table; bonding, structure and properties of matter; quantitative chemistry; chemical changes and energy changes. The results from these assessments will be communicated to parents later in the academic year. Revision guides are available to purchase through Parent Pay. The revision guide covers the entire GCSE course and it is recommended that all Year 10 students have one. To support students in their learning, we provide revision sessions after school on Tuesdays (Higher tier only) and Wednesdays (Foundation tier). After the formal assessment students will begin to work through the modules of Homeostasis and Response; Inheritance, Variation and Evolution; Ecology; Forces and Rates of Equilibrium. Each of these modules will be taught on a rotation some students may not cover one of these modules until the Summer term. For the remainder of this period, regular assessments will take place in a variety of different forms including practical assessments and tasks and traditional end of unit exams. Further information is available on the AQA website http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/combined-science-trilogy-8464http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/biology-8461 http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/chemistry-8462

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/physics-8463

YEAR 10

MATHSMathematics students will spend the term covering factors, powers and root, graphs and working in 3D. At the end of January students will take their Spring PPE exam which will give both students and teachers a good idea of their current progress mid-way through their GCSE course; this can then influence specific areas of revision, stretch and challenge and intervention strategies. Topics that will be studied include many that have already been seen in Mathematics – factors and multiples, prime factor decomposition, powers and roots, surds, drawing straight line graphs, equations of a straight line, kinematic graphs, linear and quadratic functions, 3D shapes, volume of a prism, volume and surface area. All students have a unit assessment at the end of each unit and grades issued. These are staggered one week after the unit has finished to allow students time to reflect on their learning, review areas of development, revise prior to their exam and practise good revision techniques in preparation for their final GCSE. Homework will be set primarily through class charts. If students do not have access to class charts, then please have a word with your maths teacher to discuss homework. All students have access to google classrooms– this is to give students an online revision space to help review their knowledge and consolidate each lesson, filling potential gaps in understanding.

CONTACT INFORMATIONT: 01803 403003 E: brdadmin@paigntonacademy.org

www.paigntonacademy.org

ENGLISHAs you know, GCSE examinations are now terminal and will take place at the end of the two year course – May 2019. During the Autumn term we covered 20th and 21st Century non-fiction and a drama text, ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J.B.Priestley, with students completing end of unit assessments on these topics. Students will now be studying 19th Century fiction. During the first half term students will be learning how to address an unseen text looking at how authors use language and structure to create effects, developing their skills of inference, analysis and evaluation. In the second half term we will be studying a 19th Century novel, ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. Assessments will be conducted at the end of each half-term; these assessments will closely mirror the final examination papers. All exams are now closed book which means students have to know the prescribed texts very well. To enable them to do this it is useful for them to have their own, personal copy of the texts studied. Homework is set regularly on Classcharts. Revision resources and details of revision sessions will be on the school website and learning gateway. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the English department.

IMPORTANT DATES

201829th Jan Exams12th - 16th Feb Half Term8th March Parents’ Evening29th March Last day of Term16th Apr First Day of Summer Term

CHILD DEVELOPMENTThe group will continue by studying R018: Health and well-being for child development. Students will study childhood illnesses and safety. This is an examined unit to be taken in January 2019. Students will then begin a coursework unit focusing on equipment choices for babies and children aged up to 5 years. They will also learn about the nutritional requirements and choices available for babies and children aged up to 5 years.

HEALTH & SOCIAL CAREThe group will continue studying unit R021: Essential values of care for use with individuals in care settings. Students will focus on understanding personal hygiene and security and safety measures used in settings. This is an examined unit to be taken in January 2019. Students will then begin their first piece of coursework focusing on effective communication used in settings.

MEDIA STUDIESAs this new Media Studies curriculum is 70% exam based, this term will see the Year 10 students expanding on their emerging media knowledge, using relevant media keywords and analysing media texts narratively and semiotically.The term will start with the students finalising their mock Non Exam Assessment (NEA – Brief 5) on print adverts for a range of wrist watches. They will analyse their own work as media creators, thinking about what selection, construction and mediation processes they went through to create their finished product. With this practitioner’s viewpoint, we will then revisit the Close Study Products (CSPs) already encountered in order to achieve a deeper understanding of how media language elements conform to codes and create meanings.The rest of the term will concentrate on studying the CSPs for Music Videos with a focus on Media Institutions and Media Audiences; Film Industry with a focus on Media Industries; and Radio with a focus on Media Industries and Media Audiences.

GEOGRAPHYDuring the Spring term, the Year 10 Geographers will be starting their urban issues work. This involves investigating the patterns of population change across the world and looking at how countries cope with these changes. Case studies in Nigeria and UK will be used as specific examples.Towards the end of the Spring term, we will recap and further investigate the topic of coasts (first introduced in Year 8). We will evaluate the different methods of coastal management and look at long term, sustainable solutions to the global issue of sea level change.

HISTORYYear 10 students will conclude the study of the American West by investigating the settlement of the Great Plains. They will consider the impact of the government, railroad and new technology on the survival of homesteaders. The term will move onto the Elizabethan age where students will study the Golden Age of Discovery, class divisions and the political dangers facing Queen Elizabeth throughout her reign.

BUSINESS STUDIES

In the Spring Term students will continue to study Unit 1: Enterprise and Marketing Concepts to help them to develop their knowledge and understanding of what it takes to become a successful business. We will continue to cover the enterprise & marketing theory of concepts such as market segmentation, market research and how to target a market. We will look in detail at product development and how to attract customers. Students will also look at the main issues to consider and activities to carry out before starting up a business, such as business planning, business finance and types of ownership. In preparation for the Summer examination we will also be looking at developing examination techniques by working through past paper questions, looking at model answers and also looking at effective revision strategies. A Business Studies support session runs every Tuesday lunchtime in B35.

ICTYear 10 are continuing with the exam unit of work for which they will take the assessment in the summer. They have worked through data, information and how it is used. They are now using different software to input and analyse this data using a variety of tools and techniques. It is vital that students are practising these skills in their own time and revising the exam content throughout the Spring term.

COMPUTER SCIENCETheory topics for Year 10 include system security, system software and ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns. These are the final topics of Unit 1, which will prepare students well for their PPEs. Practical topics will include reading/ writing to files, complex programming skills, which have been key to past Controlled Assessments. Students will then begin to break down challenges, looking at creating algorithms and identifying skills they will need to solve these challenges.

ARTStudents will be continuing with their Natural Form and Shoe Sculpture. They will produce work in response to a variety of artists, designers and craftspeople. Students will be focussing on workshop based lessons which explore a range of techniques and processes. They will develop design ideas, experiment with 2D and 3D materials, collage and paint techniques. The final outcome will be a 3D natural form shoe sculpture. During this project pupils use their sketchbooks to develop their ideas, drawings, research and experiments which will be annotated, self-evaluated, group critiqued and marked by the class teacher. Discussions between student and teacher about progress take place on a regular basis and are documented in sketchbooks along with targets. Students will be concentrating on the formal elements; texture, shape, form and colour. Homework for Year 10 is set on a weekly basis, both a continuation of class work and specific coursework tasks. Stretch & Challenge Independent Learning is also set alongside the project. KS4 Art Club runs on Tuesday lunchtime and Tuesday after school, where students have the opportunity to complete any unfinished coursework. It would be beneficial for students to have art equipment at home to help complete coursework and encourage independent learning.

ENGINEERING VCErT LEVEL 2 IN ENGINEErING

STUDIES The students are continuing with their 120 hour course, designed to give a broad understanding of engineering. They have 4 units to complete, one of which, Unit 2, is externally assessed in March 2018. The students have been continuing to make preparations for their examination by developing their Computer Aided Design and measurement skills. The students have nearly all completed Unit 1 which involved the production of a detailed and broadly researched folder looking at the engineering sectors, employment and the use of science, technology and mathematics by the engineer. All of our engineers will be given the opportunity to take part in the South Devon College “Apprenticeship Day”. This is a day in which they will further develop prototypes of products made in the Academy workshops. Information about the course, and Unit 2 past papers, are available to see and download from the NCFE website. Go to www.ncfe.org.uk , search “Level 2 Certificate in Engineering Studies” and look for support material.

PE AT THE ACADEMY During the Spring term, core PE activities will include competitive games in ultimate Frisbee, handball, volleyball, football and netball. Some groups will have the opportunity to work on individual fitness plans in the fitness suite or sample individual sports such as badminton, table tennis and even short tennis.

It has been fantastic to see an increase in the number of students representing the Academy in rugby. Girls’ rugby has also seen an increase in participation levels and the girls have started to play competitive games.

We are extremely proud of Harrison Grainger, Herbie Sage, Lenard Hernandez and Jamie Maguire who have been crowned U16 Table Tennis champions, a fantastic achievement.

The Sports Council and new GLAM Girl project are looking into ideas to improve PE and Sport within school and the community.

BTEC PEThe Year 10 BTEC Sport cohort will complete the Sports Leadership unit before starting their preparation for the online exam which they will sit this term. A mix of practical and theory lessons will continue to be delivered in order to deepen student knowledge of ‘Fitness for Sport’. The different topics covered have ranged from relating the different components of fitness to different sports and athletes.Homework and revision sessions will become extremely important over the next term in order for students to fulfil their full potential.

CONSTRUCTIONThe spring term will see the Year 10 young builders take the Construction Technology Exam. This is one of the Core Units within the subject and holds a substantial weighting of their final grade. After the exam they will focus on a new unit of Construction and Design where they will begin to understand the benefits of the work of the construction industry in society as well as producing creative sketches of design ideas to suit a client’s needs. This forms the other half of the Core Units and will therefore be studied in great detail.

OUTDOOR EDUCATIONStudents have begun work on their BTEC Outdoor Education course with the ‘Leading sports activities’ unit. Students learn the attributes of a good sports leader and then plan and deliver a short mountain biking leading session. Students have also been orienteering at a range of off-site locations including Halden Forest and Parks Estate to gain evidence for the practical sport unit. Parents are able to see what coursework tasks their young person is working on by asking them to show them the work they have been doing via google drive. This system allows students to work on their assignments using a variety of devices including smart phones. Now we have moved into winter we would ask parents for their support in ensuring students are prepared for off-site activities with suitable warm, waterproof clothing, suitable footwear and lunch.

CAREERSMost great things begin with a plan. Your career should be no different. A plan will give you something to work towards. I will also help you make the most of the opportunities that come your way. Use the ‘Making choices’ & Careers research’ sections of the school website to start planning a career that is right for you.• University of Exeter residential

applications opened• A variety of off-site university/

employer led activities• Participate in a number of employer/

future opportunities assembliesTo help your young person plan for their futures you may find the following website useful:

www.parentadviser.co.uk

FOOD & NUTRITIONWe will be starting a module on nutritional, physical, chemical and sensory properties of foods in storage, preparation and cooking. By the end of the module students should be able to demonstrate scientific awareness and have basic understanding of the nutritional, physical, chemical and sensory properties and characteristics of food in relation to preparation and cooking techniques used in the home – heat transfer, vitamin loss, colloidal systems, denaturation, gelatinisation, thickening, aeration, emulsification, coagulation and caramelisation. An example task would be ‘Eggs form important functions in food preparation and cooking. Explore and produce four dishes which show different uses of eggs.’.

FRENCHDuring the Autumn term Year 10 have continued to prepare for the new GCSE, through the topics of Home and Local Area, Customs and Festivals and Social Issues. In the Spring term they will move on to the topic of Global Issues and Environment.

French - How parents can help. We would love you to support your child with their home learning by regularly helping them to learn vocabulary in preparation for their weekly vocabulary tests. Allow them to explore fun ways of learning from home for example sticking post-its on the fridge on their back, so you can test them aloud, get them to teach you, rap it, sing it , dance along to it, record it ( “pod-casting” as it’s now referred to ) watch it on “Paignton Online” and use the “look, cover, check” method. There are endless ways to learn and only by experimenting will they discover which method works best for them. Thank you for supporting us with your child’s learning. Merci et Bon Courage!

DRAMAStudents study AQA GCSE Drama. This term they will be completing their devised performances on the theme of persecution for Unit 2 of the exam. They will be writing a log book alongside this performance which is worth 40% of the GCSE. Students will also go on to study their set text ‘Blood Brothers’ for the written exam; this will also include a performance of 2 key extracts for a mock of Unit 3. Homework is set weekly and is in preparation for the Unit1 written exam.Support materials can be found at Paignton Online, Google Classroom, GCSE Bite-size for Unit 1, AQA GCSE Drama.

DANCEThe Year 10 Dance students will continue their learning for ‘Component 2: Developing Skills and Techniques in the Performing Arts’ in the first half of the Spring term. They will be learning a piece of repertoire from a professional dance work which they will then perform and are assessed on their technical capabilities at this performance. In the second half of the Spring term, learning will move on to ‘Component 1: Exploring the Performing Arts’ and learners will begin to analyse and compare different practitioners in the professional world of dance and study a variety of professional dance works. They will apply this learning practically by exploring themes and styles in their dance lessons whilst developing their dance technique further.

MUSICStudents will continue with Unit 1: The Music Industry, and Unit 4: Composition.This unit will allow students to gain a good understanding of the scope of the music industry with a view to getting work in and using the organisations that exist. They will investigate music organisations to find out about the work they do and how they relate to and rely on one another. Students will also be given the opportunity to find out about the people who work in these organisations, from performers to people who work in technical, production and administrative roles. They will also need to understand how the industry operates for the individual entrepreneurs, sole traders, partnerships and small organisations that predominate. Students will be continuing to develop performance and composition skills in practical sessions.Monday after school: Revision sessionWednesday after school at WRC: Academy BandThursday after school at WRC: ChoirFriday Lunchtime: Senior Choir

ETHICSYear 10 will continue with GCSE studies which will conclude at the end of Year 11. The modules they will be working on will be ‘Peace and Conflict’ and ‘Islamic Practices’. Each module is designed to develop opinion and discussion, allowing students to reconcile their own ideas and the ideas of others. Each module examines the world from both religious and secular perspectives. There will be two assessments per module, each based upon GCSE style questions. In addition, students will regularly attempt GCSE questions during lessons to help develop their writing skills and exam knowledge. There are many complimentary resources on Google Classroom which can be used for revision, home learning tasks and more in depth study of the topic areas. Students will be given all the material needed for revision to ensure they can enjoy Ethics GCSE success.

PSHEAll students receive one lesson a week in PSHE. Each class rotates to take part in a different area of the subject. Each student will complete a programme including ethics, life hacks, relationship & sex education, careers and citizenship.

Ethics Apartheid; Discrimination; Radicalisation; responsibility for actions; Suffragettes; Malcolm X

Relationship & Sex Education

Pregnancy; STIs; Chlamydia; HIV & AIDS; Contraception; Pornography versus Sex Education; Consent

Careers CareerPilot; Skills; CVs; Interviews and Career management.

Citizenship What age can I?; Consumer rights; Voting; Law Making; Asylum seeking; Trading Game.

Life Hacks On the Road; Births, Weddings & Funerals; Banking, Saving & Borrowing; Health Matters; Know your rights; Somewhere to Live.