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Curriculum

In Year 12, most pupils study four subjects to AS level. Girls wishing to study Further Mathematics may do so, but the whole course equates to two of the four subjects. Each subject is allocated eight periods of 35-40 minutes per week and group sizes are capped under normal circumstances at 14, though most groups are smaller than this. There are no requirements to study any particular subject(s).

In Year 13, some pupils will continue with four subjects to A2, although most pupils choose to continue with three. In addition they will attend General Studies lessons and some will go on to take the A2 examinations in that subject, although this is optional. There may also be extra lessons for those applying to Oxbridge, preparing for Olympiads, or keen to extend their knowledge beyond the A-level specifications.

The following subjects are offered to A Level :

Art	French	Further Mathematics
Biology	Geography	Music
Chemistry	German	Physics
Computer Science	Government & Politics	Psychology
Drama & Theatre Studies	Greek	Religious Studies
Economics	History	Spanish
English Language	Latin
English Literature	Mathematics

Click here to see the details and specification of all the above subjects.

A new Enrichment programme is being introduced for Year 12 students in September 2016, in place of the General Studies course that was previously undertaken. The new course contains core elements of PSHCE, Careers, Professional Skills, Financial Literacy and a Speakers Programme. All girls are expected to take part in some physical activity and some voluntary service. Beyond those compulsory elements, girls have a choice of the following subjects:

Italian Russian Painting for Pleasure Communication Skills Voices of Dissent Knitting

Computer Coding British Politics Interpreting Film The Renaissance Astronomy Football

Yoga Fitness Training Maths in the Courtroom Mosaics Eastern Philosophy

Some of these courses are five weeks long; some are ten weeks long. Some Enrichment lessons are one period long; others are an hour or take a double period. Girls are aware of these differences when making their choices, and all girls must choose a minimum of four single-lesson, five-week courses per year. Many choose to do more than that.

Following the results of the GCSE mock examinations, current pupils will have a personal interview with the Careers Department to discuss their future plans.

Pupils will then be required to make firm decisions regarding their A Level choices in February. The subjects are arranged in ‘blocks’, based on the subject combinations chosen by the girls. Most will be able to study their selected subjects, but there may be a very few girls whose preferred options cannot be fitted into the blocking system along with the choices made by other students.

Some pupils may change their minds after making their choices. This is, of course, understandable and will be accommodated as long as subject sets are not full and the combination of subjects is possible within the existing blocking system. However, pupils must bear in mind that the timetable is constructed on the basis of which subjects they initially choose, and group sizes are balanced at that point. Some changes may not be possible after the timetable has been constructed because of the implications for other groups of girls switching between blocks. This especially applies to practical subjects such as Sciences, where the ability to run certain experiments may be compromised in larger groups.

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