DOWNEND SCHOOL - A Technology College

All students will participate in this programme for one morning and one afternoon each week. The activities and courses are designed to contribute to the two year AQA Baccalaureate Award which provides students with a variety of enriching experiences to make certain their university and job applications are outstanding.

AQA Baccalaureate

As part of its education reform programme, the government has introduced a series of measures to both improve the manageability of GCE Advanced level examinations and to provide additional 'stretch and challenge'. There is now a reduction in the number of units an A Level student has to study and a significant reduction in the course work requirements as well as a new A* grade.

We are one of around 100 school nationally who provide the opportunity to undertake the AQA Baccalaureate Award. An integral part of this is the AS Level Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) which encourages students to produce an extended piece of work or artefact which relates either to an area they are already studying or something in which they have a particular interest.

Delivery involves a programme of study skills developing academic research skills, independence and good time management all of which are essential to becoming a successful Post 16 student. We involve South Gloucestershire Advanced Skills Teachers and Universities in the delivery of this programme.

For the EPQ learners will be required to:

• select a topic or area of interest

• identify and draft aims of their project and justify their choice of project

• plan, research and carry out their project

• provide evidence of all stages of the project

• deliver a presentation to a specified audience

Examples of EPQ titles from Downend students include:

General Studies AS Level

All Year 12 students will participate in a programme of General Studies. The main delivery will be through visiting speakers from a wide range of organisations talking about subjects such as, the environment, global poverty, and current political issues. The course allows students the opportunity to develop political literacy, reasoning and debating skills, and gain a further qualification which carries valuable UCAS points. Students will sit two exams in January with the aim of achieving their Target Minimum Grade. If this is not achieved they will be entered again in June. To gain the AQA Bacc. students have to pass this course.

Critical Thinking

In Year 13, students will be given the opportunity to study this AS Level course. Students will investigate how arguments work, how they are constructed and how to evaluate them. They will have the opportunity to analyse and debate their reasonings and action. It will be taught through discussion and on-line learning to enable students to cultivate their analytical skills

Young Applicants in Schools and Colleges Scheme

The Open University’s Young Applicants in Schools and Colleges Scheme (YASS) enables academically gifted students in Years 12 and 13 to study a range of selected undergraduate modules at first-year level alongside their AS and A levels. Students will normally begin an OU module in February of Y12 and complete the module over the summer break.

Benefits include:

• OU study differentiates them from other candidates on their UCAS application and admissions officers view such study very positively – particularly for the more competitive subjects such as medicine.

• Those students who decide to continue their university studies with The Open University can count the module they have passed while at school towards their degree.

• Students encounter new subject areas and/or approach familiar subject areas from a different standpoint.

Examples of Modules available:

Life in the oceans: exploring our blue planet

Fossils and the history of life

Introducing astronomy

How the Universe works

Human genetics and health issues

Chance, risk and health

Robotics & the meaning of life: a practical guide to things that think

Vandalism in cyberspace: understanding and combating malicious software