A Level Enrichment

Girls are offered a rich, diverse curriculum. Alongside their A Level subjects, girls also take a fourth ‘Enrichment’ subject, designed to complement and broaden their learning.

The range of ‘Enrichment’ subjects varies from year to year but currently comprise:

• Advanced Cookery
• Classical Greek (AS)
• Computer Science (AS)
• Government and Politics (AS)
• Mandarin (AS or GCSE)
• Mathematics or Further Math (AS)
• Music Technology (AS)
• Photography (AS)

All students are expected to choose and complete a two year course in their enrichment subject. If students do not wish to be entered for examinations in their subjects, they can discuss this with their tutor.

Advanced Cookery Course

This comprehensive and exciting introduction to advanced cooking will give you a thorough understanding of culinary techniques, and the chance to explore the science behind them.

With training in how recipes work, time management, menu planning, food presentation, food safety and hygiene, pupils will gain a solid practical foundation as well as an impressive repertoire that will enable them to cook confidently, either independently or in a group.

As well as learning an essential toolbox of cooking skills, students will learn to cook a range of delicious recipes from around the world.

The course promotes a positive attitude towards food and students will be trained in healthy eating and adapting recipes for a balanced lifestyle. They will learn how to buy and store food sensibly, be taught store cupboard recipes and creative uses for leftovers, and be given an introduction to wine.

By the end of this 5 term course, whether going on to fend for themselves at university, cook for friends and family or cook professionally, your students will have developed the skills, knowledge, confidence and enthusiasm to enjoy a lifelong love of food and cooking.

With demonstrations from guest speakers and chefs from local restaurants, you will learn essential skills and preparation of interesting and adaptable dishes.

You will cover; healthy food choices – balanced meals and menu planning, how to buy and store local and seasonal foods, using up leftovers, time management, hygiene and food safety, and lots of practical cooking skills. You will gain a certificate in Food Safety in Catering Level 2, and a school based certification listing skills covered.

Classical Greek (AS)

This course is only available to students who will have gained a GCSE qualification in Classical Greek.

The AS builds on the GCSE, introducing students to a greater range of vocabulary, accidence and syntax. The course comprises 50% language, with one paper lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes, and 50% literature, with this paper lasting 2 hours. The literature examination requires the detailed study of prose and verse literature, inspiring and motivating students to gain a deeper understanding of the life and culture of the ancient world.

Students will develop their understanding of the Classical Greek language and the related ancient literature, values and society, making this a rich and rewarding qualification which complements both the Arts and Sciences.

Computer Science (AS)

Computer Science is a practical subject where students can apply the academic principles learned in the classroom to real-world systems. It’s an intensely creative subject that combines invention and excitement, and can look at the natural world through a digital prism.

This course is suited to those who would enjoy finding out more about the technical world around them. Students sit two written papers in the second year of the course: ‘Computing Principles’ and ‘Algorithms and Problem Solving’.

It opens up doors to further study, especially if taken alongside Maths and Further Maths. There is no need to have studied GCSE in this subject but a strong problem solving ability and logical thinking go a long way. There is no coursework-style assessment and so detailed programming knowledge is not required, rather an ability to use computational thinking to creatively solve problems. There is a huge gender bias in this subject and we are proud to be able to encourage girls to believe that this subject that they can excel in.

Government and Politics (AS)

This course is designed primarily to introduce students to the principles and practice of the British political system. Emphasis is placed on the major issues and party political debates arising from the British system, with a comparison to other political systems. Students entering the course should have an interest in current political affairs, and be prepared to read a quality daily newspaper (Independent, Times, Telegraph, Guardian).

The course is examined in the form of short answers, essays and documentary analysis. We study the workings of democracy and political institutions in the AS such as Parliament, the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the electoral system, devolution, political parties, the Judiciary.

Mathematics (Further Maths or AS Level Mathematics)

AS-Level Maths is equivalent to half of the A-Level Maths course. The content is delivered over 2 years and is assessed by two external examinations taken in the summer of Year 13. Over the two years students will meet and extend their understanding of topics from GCSE as well as learning new and interesting techniques and mathematical ideas.

62.5% of the content is dedicated to Pure Maths. This will cover Algebra and Coordinate Geometry, and you will learn the intricacies of Trigonometry, Calculus, and Logarithms. As students’ progress through the course they will discover how many of these topics are interlinked, and how many of the skills they learnt at GCSE form the foundations of higher-level maths. The remaining 37.5% will be divided between the two applied topics of Mechanics and Statistics. Mechanics explores forces and their effect on the world. The Statistics topics include Probability, Correlation, Statistical Distributions and Hypothesis Testing.

The logic and reasoning skills developed by studying maths beyond GCSE mean that this is a widely respected qualification. Students who study AS Maths are those who know how important it is to stand out from the crowd. To be the highly numerate humanities student or the social scientist with a strong understanding of statistics. These are the students who make strong and distinctive applicants, both at university and when applying for jobs. This course helps to keep students’ mathematical skills fresh and prepares them for the maths they will encounter after Year 13.

Further Maths

Students who wish to take Maths and Further Maths will need to choose the Further Maths option from the enrichment block to allow them to take this additional qualification alongside their other 2 A Level choices. Details of the course content can be found on the Mathematics A Level page.

Photography (AS)

Students will be introduced to a variety of experiences that explore a range of photographic media, techniques and processes. They will be made aware of both traditional and new technologies.

Students will be encouraged to explore relevant images, artefacts and resources relating to a range of art, craft and design from the past and from recent times, including European and non-European examples.

Students will use sketchbooks/workbooks/journals to underpin their work where appropriate. They may wish to develop their drawing skills in order to produce storyboards, thumbnail sketches and/or diagrams, where appropriate.

This promises to be an engaging and enriching course, where a genuine interest in Photography can be developed to such a point that each image or series of images created can become both informed and meaningful.