Below is a general overview of the topics students are taught throughout the year in each subject.

Year 10 students study English, maths, science, physical education, philosophy and ethics and either history or geography, they also opt to pursue three further subjects.

For a more in depth outline of each subject please click on the link for the subject page.

If you would like to speak to us about any aspect of our curriculum, or to request a printed version of our topic map, please get in touch.

Core subjects

Students study all of the below, with the exception of history and geography where they must choose to pursue one or the other.

English Language and Literature

English Language

  • Paper 1: Creative reading and writing: unseen fiction reading text and describe/narrate writing
  • Paper 2: Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives: unseen non-fiction reading texts and viewpoints writing

English Literature 

  • Paper 1: Macbeth
  • Paper 1: 19th century novel
  • Paper 2: Poetry comparison: Power and Conflict
  • Paper 2: Unseen poetry
  • Paper 2: An Inspector Calls

Visit our English page for more information

Maths

Foundation

  • Compound interest, growth and decay
  • Sequences
  • Trigonometry and Pythagoras
  • Similar shapes
  • Vectors
  • Volume and surface area
  • Sectors
  • Loci
  • FDP recap
  • Error intervals and bounds
  • Probability
  • Quadratics
  • Types of graph
  • Rates of change

Higher

  • Compound interest, growth and decay
  • Iteration
  • Sequences
  • Trigonometry and Pythagoras
  • Similar shapes
  • Algebraic proof
  • Vectors
  • Volume and surface area
  • Circle theorems
  • Equation of a circles
  • Sectors
  • Loci
  • Recurring decimals
  • Error intervals and bounds
  • Complex probability problems
  • Transformations of functions
  • Cumulative frequency and histograms
  • Quadratics
  • Types of graphs
  • Composite and inverse functions
  • Rates of change

Visit our maths page for more information

Physical Education (non-assessed)

• Preparing for exercise
• Movement
• Developing technique
• Teamwork
• The benefits of physical activity
• Scoring systems
• Competition
• Officiating
• Tactics and strategies
• Methods of training
• Achieving a personal best
• Valuing physical activity
• Analyse a performance
• Fitness testing
• Leadership
• Making informed choices

Visit our PE page for more information

Combined Science

Biology

  • Human interaction
  • Feedback and control
  • Genetics

Chemistry

  • Structure and bonding
  • Controlling reactions
  • Making substances

Physics

  • Newton’s law
  • Force fields
  • Home electricity
  • m radiation

Visit our science page for more information

Geography

  • The changing economic world
  • Economic development and quality of life
  • Strategies for closing the development gap
  • NEE case study: Nigeria
  • The UK economy
  • The living world
  • Ecosystems
  • Tropical rainforests
  • Hot deserts
  • The UK landscape
  • Coasts

Visit our geography page for more information

History

  • American West
    • The plains Indians
    • Early settlers
    • Settling on the great plains
    • The end of the plains Indians way of life
  • Norman Invasion
    • Anglo-Saxon society
    • The battles of 1066
    • Securing the Kingdom
    • The Normanisation of England

Visit our history page for more information

Philosophy and ethics

  • Cults and extremism
  • Healthy food choices
  • Crime and punishment
  • Relationships and sex education

Visit our philosophy and ethics page for more information

Optional subjects

Additionally students choose to study three of the subjects listed below.

Art

  • Skills building unit; theme food and drink
  • Personal portfolio; self-selected theme within the title ‘Distortion’

Visit our art page for more information

Business studies

  • Enterprise and entrepreneurship
  • Spotting a business opportunity
  • Putting a business idea into practice
  • Making the business effective
  • External influences on business

Visit our business page for more information

Child development (Cambridge National)

  • Health and wellbeing for child development
  • Create a safe environment and understand the nutritional needs of children from birth to five years
  • Understanding the development of a child from one to five years

Visit our social sciences page for more information

Computer science

  • Programming fundamentals
  • Algorithms
  • Producing robust programs
  • Memory and storage
  • Systems architecture
  • Ethical, legal and cultural issues

Visit our computing page for more information

Creative i-Media (Cambridge National)

Unit R081 & R082

  • Purpose and properties of digital graphics
  • Creating preproduction documents
  • Creating digital graphics
  • Reviewing preproduction documents.
  • Reviewing digital graphics

Visit our business page for more information

Dance

  • Set phrase and duet/trio performance
  • Choreography
  • Knowledge and understanding of choreographic processes and performance skills
  • Critical appreciation of own and set works

Visit our dance page for more information

Digital information technology (BTEC)

  • User Skills
  • Interfaces
  • Design principals
  • Project methodologies
  • Project tools
  • Data and information
  • Spreadsheet formula
  • Presentation methods
  • Data validation

Visit our business page for more information

Drama

  • Derek Bentley
  • Live theatre: semiotics
  • Devising: building blocks
  • Exploring stimuli
  • Live theatre: production designer
  • Devising: research
  • Devising: log
  • Devising: performance

Visit our drama page for more information

Engineering design (Cambridge National)

  • Principles of engineering design – 40% exam
  • Design strategies and processes
  • Design requirements
  • Evaluating design ideas
  • Communicating designs – 30% NEA coursework
  • Sketching
  • Engineering drawings
  • Computer aided design (CAD)
  • Design evaluation and modelling – 30% NEA coursework
  • Product evaluation
  • Modelling design ideas
  • Virtual modelling
  • Physical modelling

Visit our D & T page for more information

Engineering manufacture (Cambridge National)

  • Principles of engineering manufacture- 40% exam
  • Manufacturing processes
  • Engineering materials
  • Manufacturing requirements
  • Developments in engineering manufacture
  • Manufacturing a one-off product – 30% exam
  • Planning the production of a one-off product
  • Measuring and marking out
  • Safely use processes, tools and equipment to make products
  • Manufacturing in quantity – 30% exam
  • Preparing for manufacture
  • Develop programmes to operate CNC equipment
  • Safely use processes and equipment to make products in quantity

Visit our D & T page for more information

Enterprise and marketing

Unit RO65: Design a business proposal

  • LO1: Be able to identify the customer profile for a business challenge
  • LO2: Be able to complete market research to aid decisions relating to a business challenge
  • L03: Be able to develop a design proposal for a business challenge
  • LO4: Be able to review whether a business proposal is viable

Visit our business page for more information

Food and nutrition

  • Practical
  • Factors influencing food choice, food culture, food hygiene
  • Practical
  • Nutrition & food science
  • Practical
  • Nutrition, food safety, food labelling
  • Practical
  • Nutrition, food labelling, food sustainability
  • Cooking methods, calcium, processing, raising agents, meat and fish production
  • Practical
  • Practical
  • Afternoon tea project

Visit our D & T page for more information

Health and social care (Cambridge National)

  • Milestones
  • Autism
  • Safety in and early years setting
  • Risk assessments
  • Design your own nursery
  • Types of communication
  • Factors for positive communication
  • Barriers to communication
  • Personal qualities
  • Planning for interactions
  • Role play

Visit our social science page for more information

Modern foreign languages

German or Spanish

  • Free time
  • Friends and family
  • Technology
  • My region
  • Holidays

Visit our modern foreign languages page for more information

Performing arts (music pathway)

  • What and how to?
  • Musical genres
  • Using music software to compose
  • Planning for progression
  • The cover version
  • Exploring music products and styles

Visit our music page for more information

Physical education

  • Paper one – the human body and movement in physical activity and sport
  • Applied anatomy and physiology
  • The structure and function of the cardio-respiratory system
  • Anaerobic and aerobic exercise
  • Movement analysis
  • Physical training
  • Use of data

Or

  • Paper two – sociocultural influences and well-being in physical activity and sport
  • Sports psychology
  • Sociocultural influences
  • Commercialisation of physical activity and sport
  • Ethical issues
  • Health and fitness
  • Use of data
  • Non examined assessment – analysis and evaluation of one practical sport

Visit our PE page for more information

Philosophy and ethics

  • Christian beliefs and practices
  • Muslim beliefs and practices
  • Existence of God

Visit our philosophy and ethics page for more information

Product design

  • Technical illustration techniques
  • Mechanical devices
  • Materials and their working properties
  • Developments in new materials
  • New and emerging technologies
  • Energy generation and storage
  • System approach to designing

Visit our D & T page for more information

Sociology

  • Key sociological concepts
  • Families and households
  • Education
  • Research methods
  • Applied research methods

Visit our social science page for more information

Sport (BTEC)

  • Unit 1 – fitness for sport and exercise
  • Know about the components of fitness and principles of training
  • Explore different fitness training methods
  • Investigate fitness testing to determine fitness levels
  • Unit 6 – leading sports activities
  • Know the attributes associated with successful sports leadership
  • Undertake the planning and leading of sports activities

Visit our PE page for more information

Sport studies (Cambridge National)

  • Contemporary issues in sport

You will understand a range of topical and contemporary issues in sport, including learning about participation in sport and barriers to completing sporting activities.

  • Performance and leadership in sports activities

In this unit you have an opportunity to develop your skills both as a performer in two different sporting activities, and as a leader, developing a range of transferrable skills.  You will work both independently and as part of a team.

  • Increasing awareness of outdoor and adventurous activities

You will understand how to find out information about what opportunities there are in your local area as well as nationally in the UK for all different types of outdoor/adventurous activities. You will learn how to enjoy activities safely by finding out what equipment, clothing, facilities and technology you need.

Visit our physical education page for more information