The Curriculum
Lower School
Years 7 and 8
We aim to provide a broad, balanced and challenging curriculum for our Year 7 and 8 pupils. These subjects are taught by specialists from each department. At the same time it is right that we teach pupils the academic skills which will serve them well as they move through the school. Therefore, Critical Thinking and ICT are taught as separate subjects. The wider curriculum encourages high personal standards, academic self-motivation and intellectual curiosity.
The pupils study a common curriculum which comprises the following subjects: Critical Thinking; English; Mathematics; Science; Spanish; Geography; History; Philosophy of Religion; Art; Design & Technology; Drama; ICT; Music; PSHE; Physical Education and Latin.
In Year 8 pupils opt for a second foreign language if this is appropriate, either French or German.
Learning Support
The highly experienced and well-resourced Learning Support department is available to test for learning difficulties, and to assist in the educational development of any child who, at any time, struggles with an aspect of their learning.
Main School
Main School runs from Year 9 to Year 11. The end product of these years is the GCSE examination, but these are also the years when we begin to identify those pupils who are developing at different rates in certain areas, and where the personalisation of the learning programme begins. Where appropriate, a pupil may be accelerated through a course. Similarly, pupils may find that they need more assistance to cope with the demands of a Trent academic education. Trent provides for each pupil in order to make these years happy and successful.
Year 9
The aim of Year 9 is to maintain a balanced curriculum taught by specialists, while also continuing to build upon the key areas targeted in the Lower School. In addition, pupils will be introduced to many of the skills and concepts that are later tested at GCSE level.
Years 10 and 11
At this level the aim is for pupils to begin to specialise academically by reducing the number of subjects studied. Whilst maintaining a core structure, pupils are given a free choice when selecting their GCSE subjects. Careful guidance is given by class teachers and academic tutors to ensure that a sensible balance is maintained between Arts, Humanities, Languages and Sciences and to take account of the possible effects on careers. The core curriculum comprises Physical Education (which is not examined at GCSE); English Language and Literature; and Mathematics. Pupils then opt for six further subjects from: Art; Biology; Business Studies; Chemistry; Design and Technology (Resistant Materials); Design and Technology (Electronic Products); Drama; French; Geography; German; History; Music; Physics; Spanish; Religious Studies. Every pupil is expected to study at least one foreign language and at least two separate science subjects, though students may choose the Single Science GCSE, incorporating elements of all three sciences in one course.
Click here to open the Main School Curriculum Booklet
Sixth Form
The aim of the Sixth Form Curriculum at Trent is not simply to attain the grades necessary to gain a first choice university place. It is hoped that by this stage, students will be consolidating the school's overall aims of developing self-motivation, intellectual curiosity and high personal standards.
Most students begin by taking four subjects in Year 12. During the second term they will also be given the opportunity to study an Extended Project. This is a piece of individual research designed to enhance the type of skills required of undergraduate students, and stemming from an area of the student's own interest. The EPQ, launched in January 2009, has already proved hugely popular with Trent students. It leads to a qualification, highly-regarded by universities, which sits alongside the A level portfolio.
In Year 13, most students will specialise in three A levels, while those taking the EPQ will complete before Christmas. From January of Year 13 onwards, the focus is then A level success.
Surrounding the intellectual rigour of the A levels and EPQ is the broader life of the Sixth Form. This is a time when Trent places emphasis on leadership and breadth in a wide variety of areas of school life, from Music, Drama and Sport, to being a prefect or leading the intellectual life beyond the classroom. It is a hugely busy time, and students are admirably supported by their tutor, whose job it is to help them to stay on an even keel.
The Sixth Form should be a time for hard work, of course, but also a celebration of all that our pupils have discovered about themselves at Trent. Getting the balance right between the academic life and wider interests is of vital importance.
Click here to open the Sixth Form Curriculum booklet
Qualification for Sixth Form Entry
The demands of Sixth Form life are not suitable for everybody, and with this in mind we insist that prospective entrants to the Sixth Form should possess a minimum of BBBCC at GCSE.
A Levels
A level study is central to the academic portfolio of a Trent Sixth Form education. A levels still form the basis of the majority of university offers, and are the "hard currency" understood by universities and employers. Most of those offers are based on three A2 (full A-levels). It is for this reason that we advise that most of our students focus on three A levels in Year 13.
Most Sixth Form students benefit from the breadth offered by a fourth A level subject. This is the reason for most of our students beginning with four subjects in Year 12, taking one of these to AS level. There are some exceptions, notably in Further Mathematics. However, the balance needs to be struck between enjoying a fulfilling and rigorous programme of study and extra-curricular activity, and the accumulation of qualifications.
AQA Baccalaureate
For some students, an all-round education means far more than simply a fistful of A levels. At the top end, pupils wish to demonstrate their academic prowess, and as well as top A level grades, the rigours of an EPQ display to universities that they have developed techniques of study which are desirable among undergraduates. This is especially crucial when applying for highly competitive courses such as Medicine or Law.
Pupils also wish to demonstrate that they are capable of far more than academic qualifications, and the AQA Baccalaureate (AQA Bacc) acknowledges their development in other areas such as community service, work-related learning, or personal development such as playing a musical instrument, acting, or on the sports field. The AQA Bacc is a good fit for such students, and also for the whole person which we rejoice in developing at Trent. It comprises:
- 3 A levels in any subject
- An AS level in a breadth subject such as Critical Thinking, Citizenship or General Studies
- An Extended Project Qualification
- Enrichment: At least 100 hours of certificated involvement in community service, work-related learning or personal development
The umbrella qualification of the AQA Bacc is not necessary for all our pupils, but will suit some, and is very well supported within the pastoral and academic system which we have at Trent. It is another means of delivering the personalised learning pathway which we hope to offer to all Trent pupils. Further details can be obtained from Lucy Matthews (Head of Sixth Form).
The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a free-standing qualification which encourages students to engage independently, explore and develop their knowledge of a subject they have chosen, either because it is of personal interest or because of its links with an area of their A level study. The outcome is also determined by the student, and can range from a mini-dissertation of 5,000 words to a piece of artwork, film or sculpture. Students carry out research, evaluation and development with the support of a member of staff and taught sessions in areas like study skills and presentation techniques, but have the freedom to follow their enthusiasms away from the restrictions of the A level syllabi. In terms of formal assessment, the EPQ is graded and is worth the equivalent of an AS - but we believe that its actual worth goes far beyond the UCAS tariff.
For Sixth Form students at Trent, the EPQ is the perfect accompaniment to the AS and A level courses they will follow. It encourages individuality, analysis and self-driven exploration, and develops the sort of skills which universities look for in their potential undergraduates. In an academic world where most of their applicants will achieve top grades, competitive universities are having to find other ways of differentiating between excellent candidates - and the EPQ has already been recognised as an academically rigorous and worthwhile way of doing so. According to Geoff Parks, Director of Admissions at Cambridge University; "The potential benefits are enormous. Opportunities to get deeply involved in a subject that interests you, to develop research skills, to pull together different areas of the other subjects you are studying and to develop extended writing skills will all be enormously valuable preparation for going to university. I would strongly encourage students to do an extended project whichever university they want to go to." (DFSCF). Whatever their ambitions, we believe that every Sixth Form student at Trent should have the opportunity to add the EPQ to their portfolio of qualifications.
For further information you could access the following websites:
www.aqa.org.uk and www.ucas.com/students/ucas_tariff