Description and Purpose

Greenfields Upper Senior School is the equivalent of Year Groups 10 to 13 in the English State School System. The age range of students in this section of the school is normally 16 to 18.

The Upper Senior School years are amongst the most important in a student's career. In this part of the school he or she gains official qualifications such as General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSEs) or Advanced Subsidiary or Advanced Levels (A Levels), as well as many other Key Skills or Entry Level qualifications.

GCSE forms a major part of the school's delivery to its students. A GCSE course is a two year commitment. Students choosing a subject are expected to understand that they will see it through to the final product and work hard over the two years to overcome any and all barriers that might arise.

Greenfields aims for each student undertaking GCSEs not only to pass each subject but also to achieve the highest possible results -not for status, but because this demonstrates an understanding of the material sufficient not only to pass external examinations in the subject, but also to apply it to life.

A GCSE subject requires a 100% engagement with the material in order to get a good grade. 75% of the work will be done at school, but approximately 25% will be expected to be done outside school. Homework is not optional: in order to remain on target for the best possible result, each student must complete all given homework assignments on time. There are two primary reason for this:

i) to achieve a good grade, a significant volume of work must be done consistently over the two-year period, far more than can be achieved in school hours.

ii) at Greenfields we believe that education and the application of knowledge should be something that occurs in life, not just at school.

Completing homework requires some changes in the lifestyle of most students: they are expected to set aside sufficient time to complete all given work, and to have a dedicated space in which to do their work. To get the best possible academic result for your child, Greenfields works to obtain parents' help and agreement so that homework is given priority in the domestic schedule and that students have adequate space and equipment to get it done without distraction.

Internet connection is highly recommended outside school so that each student has access to all the tools available. Guidelines are available from school regarding the policing of access to this facility.

Despite some changes from governmental level recently, some GCSE and A Level subjects have, as a significant part of their delivery, a large amount of coursework which is completed mainly outside school before being handed in for examination internally and then sent away for external marking. Every effort is made by the school to "stagger" the deadlines for this coursework, subject by subject, so that it is not all required at once.

There are basically six terms in a GCSE cycle (three terms in the first year, three in the second): the last two are for the most part given over to intensive revision and the taking of exams. Most coursework is arranged to be completed before these last two terms, but there are occasional exceptions. It would be true to say, however, that the busiest time is between February and July of the second year of GCSE.

Some subjects require additional texts throughout the two years. Some texts are purchased through the school, while in other subjects the student is expected to buy these separately. This has been found to be the most workable method of ensuring that students have their own materials and are therefore able to "make the material their own".

Adding Value in the Upper Seniors

Greenfields is about adding educational value to any given student. In the Upper Seniors we deliver to two very different areas: one is an academic class designed for those doing GCSEs and going on to study A levels in some cases; the other is a vocational class, constructed around students' interests and career intentions.

Monitoring Student Progress

Progress Boards in each subject are displayed in the Course Room and are updated weekly by the subject tutors. Progress Boards are advantageous in two major ways:

• they show the minimum standard that all students are expected to achieve that year in each of their subjects
  
  and
  
  
• they display in any given week during the year where that student should be on each subject toward his end of year requirements. Each student can see where he or she stands, whether ahead, on or behind his or her target.

This gives students, tutors, supervisors and parents the information needed to set or adjust the students' pace of progress.

Parents are encouraged to see the progress boards frequently. This allows parents to take a much more active and informed role as they follow the progress of their child, supervise homework and help ensure it is done on schedule. With this information available every week, parents do not have to experience any unexpected surprises at the end of a term.

Holding the Standards

Upon completion of a checksheet the student is tested for application of the materials studied. Testing is done by and in our Qualifications Division independently, in a way that ensures the student knows and understands the subject studied and didn't just memorise facts for an exam. Testing detects any areas of uncertainty or confusion, which can then be addressed individually with the student.

This division also provides additional and individual care, using the tools of Study Technology to resolve any difficulties a student may have. Students trained in Study Technology are also apprenticed in its use through interneships.

The overall aim in the Qualifications Division is to confirm that each student fully understands and can apply what has been studied, that the standard of teaching and instruction is supporting the students, adding educational value and empowering learning so that the school maintains a superior standard of education, results and care.

Study Hall

To help the students keep on target we provide an additional supervised Study Hall on most school days from 4:45 to 6pm, free of charge. Students may be required to attend Study Hall until they catch up with the rest of the class. It is also used as a facility by students voluntarily to do homework in a supervised environment with reference materials to hand.

Tutors

Each class has its own tutor. In the Senior school, there are therefore eight separate tutors, one for each year level and for EFL and a Vocational class. Tutors are responsible for overseeing their class students' progress and their timetables, and for reporting to the Head of Lower Seniors or Head of Upper Seniors any anomalies found when interviewing them. They are the link between the student and the wider picture of the school, as well as between the school and the parent. Their duties include pastoral care.

Greenfields Academic Class

The academic class services the student who wishes to do the regular programme of GCSEs on their way to college, university and so on, or a student who has a set job or career path or university in mind requiring specific GCSEs or other academic qualifications. This is also the class for those who require a good grounding in GCSEs but who are not yet sure what they want to do in life.

Greenfields offers a full and adequate range of subjects which give a broad and rounded academic education in addition to sport and some other extracurricular activities.

As with any area of study there are certain prerequisites which are needed for students to be able to succeed in this class. The student's English tests and Reading Age should be appropriate for a 14-year old which is the level needed to be able to study the subjects well enough to achieve adequate grades in the examinations. These prerequisites are confirmed through the tests given initially to each student.

The student also has to be able to take the accepted minimum of five GCSEs in order to reach the standards for the college, university and, in most cases, the job of his or her choice.

A very important prerequisite is that the student has completed a Basic Study Manual. This provides the invaluable methods to be able to study with understanding at the beginning of the GCSE programme. Any new student is given this course as a first action before they begin other studies.

In any specific GCSE subject the student wishes to take, he or she is given an entry test which they must pass to be accepted.

Examination results are published in the summer of that year. It is expected that students should routinely perform at an A/B grade.

The GCSE class is made up of two year groups, Seniors 4 (First year GCSE, Year 10) and Seniors 5 (Second year GCSE, Year 11).

The curriculum for this class is divided into the specialist GCSE subjects, each of which has its own specification based on the National Curriculum. Each GCSE subject is delivered by a specialist teacher.

Subjects available in 2007/2008 include:

Maths
English
English Literature
Cambridge English
Art
ICT
Physics
Biology
History
Geography
Drama
Sport
Business Studies
Music
Modern Languages

From this list five to ten subjects are selected, with core subjects being English, Maths, ICT and a science.

The product of this two year course is a Greenfields Academic Graduate who would leave the school or move on to engage with our Sixth Form programme.

Greenfields Vocational Class

The vocational class is very different in its approach.

Students taking this class are often already on a different path from the academic one. Here Greenfields is catering for the needs and interests of those who are interested in or excel in other fields such as art or drama, or who plan to go into a family business and who do not need more than a basic grounding in certain subjects. These students have chosen a career which does not require the standard GCSE examinations in order to succeed in it.

These students develop and enhance the basics which anyone would need in the outside world in order to do well, including English, Maths and Science. We also offer a variety of subjects which will complement their future careers. Students receive individual programmes within the subjects available per timetable. They work at their own speed in these classes.

Certain key subjects are arranged so that when particular levels are reached they can be entered for external Key Skills examinations of which there are several levels, which can be taken at several points throughout the year.

This class as a whole is geared towards vocational success.

The prerequisites for this class are that the student is of the right age for the Upper Seniors, that they have completed the Study Skills for Life Study Technology course and the student's Reading Age is at least 12 years. It is expected that students will do a more advanced Study technology course (the Basic Study Manual) as part of their programme.

Students can be entered at any point throughout the year, but this is a one-and-a-half to two years' programme with graduation being at the end of the second year in July. The vocational class is made up of one group (covering both Years 10 and 11).

The curriculum for this class is made up of non-GCSE subjects, each of which has its own checksheets and/or class-based lessons.

Subjects available in 2007/2008 include:

Study Technology Courses
Key Skills Maths
Key Skills English/Cambridge English
Key Skills ICT
Key Skills Science
World History
Woodwork
General Knowledge
Drama
Sport
Art

Greenfields also offers a range of Life Skills courses which would enhance the performance in life of these students.

In addition, there are courses available on ethics and manners to equip teenagers to deal with today's society.

Occasionally a student may wish to, or may be academically able enough to be entered into one or two of the GCSE subjects offered in the academic class. Students are permitted to take GCSE subjects if they are assessed as being able to do so and meet the same prerequisites as the academic class, i.e. being of the right age, with Reading Age of 14 or above, passing the entry tests for the subject and completing the Basic Study Manual, and are accepted by the GCSE subject teacher, pending timetable restrictions.

To reiterate, this class is ideal for the student who has other goals than those offered by an academic route. Greenfields is working here with their intentions and career goals, some of which may not require GCSEs -some students have already made long-term choices about their futures and do not need to be pushed through a set of GCSEs which do not mean anything to them.

This class is also ideal for the student coming to Greenfields from a different country for whom English is a second language, and who is needing to be able to study in English. Students who complete our EFL programme automatically move into this class where we continue to bring up their academic standards so that we can work with their intentions and career goals. Some move forward on a vocational path, taking the Key Skills examinations; others will pass entry tests and thereby enter the GCSE class.

Work experience also fits in here. Different kinds of career options can be offered so that vocational students get hands-on experience with something that aligns with their goals.

The product of the vocational class is a Greenfields Vocational Graduate.