Hamstead Hall Academy

Hamstead Hall Academy
Part of the Hamstead Hall Academy Trust Hamstead Hall Sixth Form

  • Pride

  • Persistence

  • Patience

  • Preparation

  • Progress

"Success for All through Hard Work and Harmony"

Year 9 Curriculum

Year 9 Pathways Information

For detailed information on KS4 subject options please download the Year 9 Pathways Information Booklet

When you've decided follow the link to the Year 9 Final Option Survey to make your final decision.

Year 9 Curriculum information

Art

Pupils refine and extend their skills and knowledge through the following projects:

  • Cityscapes: studying the art of Friedensreich Hundertwasser
  • Observation Drawing: looking at cylindrical objects and focusing on ellipses, curved
    surfaces, distortion and shading techniques
  • Still Life: through the work of Roy Lichtenstein

Design and Technology

Product Design- USB

Students are introduced to GCSE Product Design to assist with their option choice. This project introduces areas they will study at GCSE including designing for a client, material choice, sustainability and developing practical skills.

3D Design- Ring

Students are introduced to GCSE 3D Design to assist with their option choice. This project introduces areas they will study at GCSE including product analysis, material choice, developing practical skills and designer inspiration.

Drama

Drama is a growing part of the school curriculum at Hamstead Hall with lessons delivered to Year 8 and 9 once every 2 weeks.

These lessons are designed to develop skills in working effectively with others as well as teaching performance and communication skills. Drama is taught and assessed in three disciplines, creating, performing and evaluating. This is to enable students to gain a full range of drama and life skills and build a foundation for future study at GCSE.

Assessments will be conducted on a term by term basis with development, performance and evaluation as key indicators of progress.

An end of year report will take into account progress made throughout the year in all practical lessons. The units cover a wide range of themes and drama skills such as using script, exploring themes and issues, devising, role play, character development, confidence building and team work.

English

In year 9 students study a modern novel, a non-fiction topic, a Shakespeare play, poetry, writing and pre 1900 novel.

Geography

In year 9 students study development, china, tectonic plates and the coast.

Mathematics

The Mathematics Department will be covering the following areas of the new curriculum during Year 9 to ensure that all our students meet their expected progress.

We follow a 3 year scheme of work that prepares our students for the new 9-1 GCSE Edexcel examination.

Topics covered include:
Integers and place value, Decimals, Indices, powers and roots, Calculations, checking and rounding, Indices, roots, reciprocals and hierarchy of operations, Factors, multiples and primes, Standard form and surds.

Algebra: the basics, Expanding and factorizing single brackets, Expressions and substitution into formulae, Setting up, rearranging and solving equations, Sequences

Tables, Pie charts, Scatter graphs, Averages, range, Representing and interpreting data, Scatter graphs.

Fractions, decimals, Percentages, Ratio and proportion.

Statistics and questionnaires, the averages, Polygons, angles and parallel lines, Pythagoras’ Theorem and trigonometry.

Angles, lines and symmetry, Polygons and parallel lines, Interior and exterior angles of polygons, Graphs: the basics and real life graphs, Linear graphs and coordinate geometry, Quadratic, cubic and other graphs.

Modern Foreign Languages

In Year 9 we ensure students are well equipped for GCSE.

As well as recapping what has been seen in Years 7 and 8, we add the following features:

  • Simple future (regular and irregular verbs)
  • Comparatives and superlatives
  • More modal verbs
  • More work on extended writing
  • Practice of GCSE style speaking
  • Conditional and/or imperfect tense (top sets only)

In the summer term we start the GCSE course itself. Students study the first subtopic, free-time. At the end, there is a GCSE-style writing assessment.

As from 2016, there will also be an initiation to Spanish in both Years 8 and 9.

Physical Education

Range and Content

These are the areas within PE that the students will be developing throughout the year through a range of different activities. They will also be developing their leadership skills throughout all lessons.

ARA
Accurate Replication of Skills
OO
Outwitting an Opponent
ESE
Exercising Safely and Effectively
PML
Performing at Maximum Level
ISP
Identifying and Solving Problems
ECICE
Exploring and Communicating Ideas, Concepts, Emotions

At the start of the year students are placed into ability groups in

Physical Education

They have two PE lessons per week and the activities they follow are rotated half termly throughout the whole year. Students are assessed for every activity using the EdExcel GCSE Physical Education criteria.

Activities include:
Badminton, Football, Rugby, Netball, Basketball, Trampolining, Hockey, Table Tennis, Health Related Exercise, Dance, Rock Climbing, Handball, Outdoor Adventurous Activities, Cricket
Rounders, Softball Athletics.

Religious Education

Topics covered include P+D, Martin Luther King, Judiasm, Anne Frank, The Holocaust, Loss of faith and thinking about God.

Science

Science is a 3 year course at this Academy.

You start in year 9!! In year 9 you will study two topics in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. One every half term. You will be assessed by internal exams each term to monitor your progress. Practical activities are compulsory and you will develop the skills needed as part of the course. The external exams which give your final grades are at the end of year 11 only. There are 6 exams (2 per subject) for the Combined Science each lasting 1hr 15 minutes. There are 6 exams (2 per subject) for the Triple Science each lasting 1hr 45 minutes.

For further information about pathways or the year 9 curriculum please download the PDFs below.

Pathways Sheet 2018
Year 9 Pathways Information Booklet February 2018
YEAR 9 CURRICULUM INFORMATION 2017-2018