Personally Tailored Teaching
Senior School Curriculum: arriving in the Senior School
Moving on from the Junior SchoolYour child ’s class teacher is the key to settling quickly into the routine at the Senior School. They meet each other for the first time in June when you and the children visit us. The class teacher is always on hand to help and welcomes contact with you. He or she will take the children through a careful induction process in August - showing them where each of their lessons is held, explaining about Games and Activities and generally helping them to find their feet. The academic work builds from that at the Junior School. Teachers from both parts of the school are in regular contact and details of progress are always passed on. The Scottish 5-14 Guidelines provide an excellent way for us to formalise this information, particularly in the most important foundation subjects of English and Mathematics. Our target is that all children leaving the Junior School should have progressed beyond Level C and that the majority should have reached Level D. The indications are that this target is being comfortably achieved. |
Joining from other schoolsWe are always very pleased to welcome new boys and girls at any stage, and fi nd that any discontinuities in programme between their previous experience and our curriculum are quickly overcome. The children are always integrated into existing classes from the outset. Because of the Anglo-Scottish nature of our curriculum pupils from England will find themselves as at home academically as pupils from Scotland. |
Joining from other schools - different age levels
Geits (Primary 7, ages 10.6 - 11.5) |
Seconds (S1, ages 11.6 - 12.5) |
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Joining the Geits (Primary 7) is perhaps the simplest social transition. All children are new to the Senior School together and new friendships are quickly established. Any child from a Scottish primary school who is at or beyond level C on the 5-14 assessment scheme will find no particular difficulty in settling in to the work. Level 4 would be the equivalent on the English National Curriculum. |
Joining the Seconds is also a common option (i.e. transferring at the end of Primary 7) and we are keen to encourage more children to do this. Any child from a Scottish primary school who is at or beyond level D (Level 5 on the English National Curriculum) will settle quickly into our scheme. At this stage we make special arrangements for those who have no previous experience of modern languages by providing a French set for “beginners”. Pupils will also start a second modern language which they will continue with into 3rds: choosing either German or Spanish. |
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Thirds (S2, ages 12.6 - 13.5) |
Fourths or Fifths (S3 or S4, ages 13.6 - 15.5) |
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The obvious time for a child at an 8-13 Prep School to join us is in the Thirds, and the Academy curriculum sits neatly with the Common Entrance Curriculum. Children continue with the same range of subjects as the Geits and Seconds, although those wishing to pursue the study of French, German and Latin together must drop either History or Geography. |
For entry to the Fourths or Fifths (S3 or S4) classes, the previous school’s recommendation on GCSE course choices will be closely noted. Coursework completed elsewhere can be used, after moderation for marking consistency. Those from schools not doing GCSE will normally join GCSE classes and a decision will be taken as to whether they can realistically sit the examination. |
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Sixth Form (s5 or s6, age 15.6+) |
A-Level |
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We traditionally have a significant number of new pupils, both boys and girls, joining us to complete their sixth form education at the Academy. The report from the previous school, actual or predicted examination results and interview are the key elements of entry to the upper years. We would normally expect pupils moving into our Sixth Form to have at least 5 good GCSE or Standard Grade results. |
Students from schools that do not do A-Level often join after Higher. It is important to realise that not all Higher syllabuses are sufficiently compatible with A-Level syllabuses for the A2 to be taken in one year. Also the AS Level modules will have to be taken at some stage, probably in January in the case of those doing one year. |
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