Aims and Principles
AIMS
· To provide a curriculum across 5½ terms for pupils in Years 7 and 8 that is both innovative and exciting.
· To provide a curriculum that contains a balance of formative and summative assessment that informs learning in every subject and at each stage.
· To enable us to give as full a view of each child as possible
· To ensure rigorous standards of achievement within a child’s range of abilities.
· To enable us to pass on more meaningful information to a pupil’s future school.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
· Pupils will comply with whatever the entrance requirements are for their intended senior school(s). For many this will be the school’s own entrance examination whether for a day school or via pre-testing for a boarding school. Where CE is mandatory or a scholarship is appropriate the pupils will be suitably prepared. The expectation is though that where an entrance test has been undertaken successfully then the pupil will take no further test or assessment by the senior school. The MD (Moorlands Diploma) will instead be submitted at half term in the summer term of their Year 8.
· The MD combines both summative and formative assessment. Examinations, for those subjects where appropriate will take place during the May of Year 8. Common Entrance style questions, or those of an equivalent standard will be used.
· MD subject grades will also be based upon units of work studied during Year 7 and the first 2½ terms of Year 8.
· Each assessment requires rigorous standards of achievement within the pupil’s range of ability.
· The process informs receiving schools with relevant transfer information.
Programmes of Study
· Programmes of study will be designed by subject co-ordinators and will be reviewed by them on an annual basis. They will be submitted to the Director of Studies and Headmaster for approval and to ensure consistency of standards. It is intended that the syllabus for each subject might grow and develop as experience dictates.
· Underpinning the curriculum and therefore the learning experience are 3 core strands. These will underpin the curriculum in every subject area.
The 3 strands are:
1. Critical thinking. This includes problem solving, analysis, independent learning, imagination etc.
2. Leadership and teamwork. This includes communication, direction and collaboration.
3. The application of Information Technology.
· Programmes of study for each subject will be largely based around the Common Entrance syllabus for that subject. This is essential as there may be pupils who might still need to be prepared for Common Entrance. The subject co-ordinator should design the Programmes of Study along CE guidelines incorporating the 3 core strands of the MD.
· The breadth of the curriculum and the opportunity to experience a rich variety of subjects is paramount. It is hoped that the curriculum will develop and expand as experience and the school’s resources allow.
· Leadership, teamwork and critical thinking are assessed separately and those marks are included in the final grading.
Assessment
· Each subject will be modular in approach with assessments at the end of each module.
· In “academic” subjects this will take the form of a written assessment at the end of the module. There will be an examination, along the lines of the CE exam, taken in the May of Year 8.
· In “practical” subjects assessment will be by means of the presentation of a portfolio of work.
· MD grades will be based on the units of work studied during Year 7 and the first 2½ terms of Year 8 together with the result of the end of Year examination in Year 8.
Grades are:
A 80%
B 70 – 79%
C 60 – 69%
D 50 – 59%
E 40 – 49%
The Diploma will be awarded with Distinction, Merit or Pass
Distinction = 11 or more grade As
Merit = 7 – 10 grade As
Pass = fewer than 7 grade As
The grades in examined subjects are based upon the average (mean) achieved in modular assessments over 5½ terms together with the mark achieved in the Summer exam in Year 8.
In non-examined subjects the same grades will be used, based upon the subject co-ordinators assessment – related to innate talent, aptitude, ability and commitment. During the week of moderation there will be a public display of art and design technology work that is to be assessed. Assessments in music, drama and sports will also be undertaken.
“Graduation”
Certificates will be presented to each leaving member of Year 8 at Speech Day.
We are exploring the possibility of an Honours board for those achieving a Distinction in the Moorlands Diploma.
The results of the MD will be sent to their intended school together with a Headmaster’s report, if not already sent.
