This booklet sets out which courses we are offering this year. If you need any more information then please feel free to contact us.

Curriculum Offer 2019-20

Curriculum overview

All students at The Connected Hub follow a core programme of:

English GCSE and/or Functional Skills and/or Entry Level Certificate

Maths GCSE and/or Functional skills and/or Entry Level Certificate

Biology GCSE and/or Entry Level Certificate

Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE

PSHCE

Some students will do English literature GCSE

Some students will do Combined Science GCSE

Students can also choose one option from the following although these will only run if there are enough people interested:

Art Craft Design GCSE Outdoor Studies (based at our allotment) AQA Unit Awards Child Development AQA Unit Awards

Students who have already started on a vocational college course can continue with this.

Our Careers adviser also works with students and local employers to find suitable work experience placements.

Core Curriculum

English Language

This year we will be studying the AQA English Language GCSE.

Students may also study for and take Functional Skills exams at the appropriate level.

Welcome to the world of the imagination: reading, writing and the spoken word. We will read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts, trying wherever possible to explore our students’ own interests. We will practise writing letters, leaflets, web pages, stories and magazine articles. We will stage debates and presentations, valuing opinions and teaching students to state and defend these.

We will offer opportunities to visit the theatre, the cinema and a poetry slam, providing experiences and opportunities to develop an interest in and love for the spoken and written word.

Some students will be given the opportunity to develop their English Language skills through a themed approach. We will explore issues related to a particular aspect of being human in our world today. For the rest of The Connected Hub, these will be concepts and ideas that form the theme of the week. We will dive into these ideas and write creatively and informatively, read around each of the subjects and discuss them in depth. These students will achieve an Entry Level Certificate before being entered for the Functional Skills exams. They will then tackle the GCSE in the summer along with everyone else, confident of their ability.

Each week the ‘Theme of the Week’ board is displayed and focuses on current events

Maths Students at The Connected Hub study the Edexcel linear exam, at the appropriate level for them (foundation tier or higher tier). The GCSE exam is made up of 3 papers, one non-calculator paper and two calculator papers.

Students study aspects of Data Handling, Algebra, Number and Calculations and Shape, Space and Measure.

Students also have the opportunity to gain Functional Skills qualifications in maths

Some students will be given the opportunity to develop their mathematical skills in relation to the theme of the week within The Connected Hub. While this will not always be possible, the approach will always be to make the learning relevant to everyday life, providing them with the confidence to step out into the world and handle numbers wherever

they appear. These students will grow their confidence first through achieving the Entry Level Certificate before being entered for the Functional Skills exams. They will then tackle the GCSE in the summer along with everyone else, confident of their ability.

Biology GCSE

We will be offering Biology GCSE to all students. This will give students the opportunity to study in detail the Biology aspects of the science curriculum enabling them, in a year, to complete a GCSE. We aim to make it as practically based as possible and highlight the fun in science and how it can be relevant to our lives and the world around us. Trips out will enhance the sessions. Students study the AQA Biology specification and will be assessed in 2 written papers at the end of the year.

At the same time we will cover the requirements for the Entry Level Certificate Science qualification, which will cover the required chemistry and physics. The students will be assessed throughout the course and there is no final exam.

Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE

Students will study the Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE. The courses are built around practical skills with all students preparing, cooking and presenting food each week. All of the ingredients are provided and students can eat what they have made at break, lunch or after school. Students quickly become expert in food safety procedures and develop cooking skills so that they can start to cook for themselves and make choices about food on a

daily basis. Students build up a portfolio of nutritious, healthy dishes and recipes and are able to regularly try new foods.

In the controlled assessment, students will carry out two practical assignments. For the first, they will carry out a practical investigation exploring the properties of ingredients. In the second, they will prepare, cook and present nutritional dishes. For the GCSE, the coursework covers 50% of the course. In the summer there is a written exam covering the remaining 50%.

We will also be including some short AQA Unit Awards in food related area.

Student exam work Staff enjoy student food enterprise lunches

Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) – non-examined

Students will cover issues relevant to their lives and the world around them. These include:Drugs and alcohol - Students will gain an understanding of the effects of drugs and alcohol and risk-taking behaviours as well as gaining skills in keeping safe and discovering where to get help.Relationships and sex - Students will learn about: different types of relationships; healthy relationships; what consent means in relation to sex; grooming and online safety; body image in the media; STIs and skills in practising safe sex. Emotional health and well-being - Students will learn about mental health and different illnesses. These lessons aim to reduce stigma around mental health and provide skills in reducing stress and getting help. This also includes handling the stress that comes during the revision and exam period.Transition to college or work - Students have time to consider their future and apply for courses or apprenticeships. They will gain support in sessions tailored to them that use resources to help them set goals and motivate them for the future.

The units are enhanced by visiting speakers e.g. ‘RU-OK?’ and the police. The school nurse and various health related professionals also come to The Connected Hub regularly.

English Literature GCSE

English Literature gives students the chance to study whole texts in more detail and gain an extra GCSE.

We are likely to study: Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet, An Inspector Calls and poetry. We will read texts, watch videos, visit the theatre and judge poetry slams. There is an opportunity to do controlled assessments in addition to the exam option in the summer.

We will get to know characters, settings and stories. We will improve our understanding of the language of novelists, poets and playwrights. Studying English Literature further develops students’ analytical skills, improving their grades in English Language.

Performance of Romeo and Juliet with Theatre Company

Combined Science GCSEFor those who want to study science at a higher level after GCSEs, we are offering a Combined Science course, resulting in 2 Science GCSE qualifications. This will be assessed in exams at the end of the year. Students studying this course will not take the Biology GCSE, as there is already a biology section to this double award course.

Mentoring

Students have the opportunity for one to one mentoring sessions. These friendly and confidential sessions aim to listen to students’ views and support them in understanding their barriers to learning and finding strategies to address them. Sessions are planned with students' interests in mind, and we often use creative activities to support the mentoring programme.

Through mentoring, students learn skills that can: Motivate them to be successful and achieve.

Help them to become more resilient and manage difficulties in their lives. Raise their self esteem. Encourage them to be self sufficient .

The learning mentor is also able to signpost and refer students to other agencies who may be able to support them alongside The Connected Hub. This may be support or guidance with mental health issues, anxiety, relationships and identity.

Through these sessions, students will also gain support in filling in college applications, college and work interview techniques, managing time at home and at school, independent study, revision, and preparation for exams.

Careers Advice & Work Experience

At the Connected Hub we aim for all of our young people to have the best opportunities and support so that they can succeed in education and their careers. We therefore regard careers education, guidance and work- related learning as a fundamental part of our role. Students at The Connected Hub will receive high quality and impartial information and guidance through:

Face-to-face career guidance sessions with The Connected Hub’s dedicated Careers Adviser Individual careers action plans and transition plans Employability and career mapping workshops Interview preparation sessions Employer and training provider visits Trips to careers events Work Experience opportunities Short accredited courses

We also organise parents’ evenings around post-16 options.

The Connected Hub’s Careers Guidance and Work Related Learning Policy is in line with the statutory guidelines outlined in the Education Act 1997.

Options Students can study one option from the following but they do not have to do an option:

Art Craft Design GCSE Outdoor Studies (based at our allotment) AQA Unit Awards Child Development AQA Unit Awards

Art

Studying Art at The Connected Hub enables students to explore art in a way that is personally relevant to them. It is not just about being able to draw or paint, it is about creativity and how that is relevant in our world today.

The GCSE specification does require some drawing skill; however, this does not mean naturalistic drawing alone. This element can be met through use of plans, simple drawings and sketches. These collected together, along with mood boards, mind maps, artist research sheets and finished pieces, will form a portfolio (which must contain at least one finished project). Students will also be able to achieve AQA Unit

awards. Theses short projects will help introduce new methods of working, techniques and materials.

Students will be asked to look at the work of many artists. They will then be asked to reflect, comment and record their thoughts on the artworks they have seen. Ideally this study will inspire the students’ own work. Students will find that the skills of independent research and recording are transferable to other subjects and lifelong learning.

Assessment for the course is 60% for the portfolio (coursework) so be prepared to work throughout the year. Only 40% of the marks are given for the Externally Set Assessment (exam) which takes place in the summer term. The ESA should reflect the values, enthusiasms and skills that each student has developed through the year.

Studying Art gives students a time to express themselves, they will do best when they are able to work independently, inspired to follow their own ideas

Child Development

This is a new option for students who think they may be interested in a career in childcare. The course will focus on the child from 0-5 years and cover areas such as safety, play, equipment and types of development. The course will be studied in short modules each leading to an AQA Unit award. Tasks will vary to include practical projects such as making a child’s book, cooking a meal for a child and written assignments. You are likely to visit a children’s nursery and playgrounds in the local area. You will be able to use your own experience and knowledge of younger siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews and friends’ children.

Outdoor Studies

If you enjoy nature, designing or doing practical tasks, then this is the option for you. We have weekly sessions at our allotment, which is a short distance from the school. In these sessions, we design, build and create a space to grow plants, fruit and vegetables.

Sessions at the allotment can include a variety of activities such as building raised beds/ pond/decking area; sowing seeds/bulbs; weeding and clearing; planting/pruning fruit trees; harvesting and enjoying our crops.

Students will also have the opportunity to gain AQA unit award qualifications over the year, which will be especially relevant to students who want to go on to work in skilled trades like carpentry, landscape design, construction, gardening and horticulture.

Enrichment

We also invite students to take part in enrichment activities. In recent years, these have included visits to Northbrook College, Sussex University, Tulley’s Farm Shocktober, The Road Safety play, poetry slams, cinema trips, theatre trips, bowling, boxing, sports mentoring and a visit to an air raid shelter. In a previous year, we ran a project called ‘Connecting Children with their City’ as part of our curriculum. This involved work with Downs Junior School to provide experiences and materials for their pupils linked to the Brighton Booth Museum.

Students involved in creating a kit-car

Prom 2018

Tulley’s Farm ‘Shocktober’

Volunteering at the Brighton Marathon

Christmas at the Hub

Go-karting trip during induction

‘Hubble’, our snow puppy.

The Connected Hub Tilbury House Florence PlaceBrightonBN1 7GU

01273 291294

Admin@tch.brighton-hove.sch.uk

www.connectedhub.co.uk