Academic Life

At KS5, boys enjoy independence and freedom when engaging with their A Level projects, choosing and researching the themes themselves.

A Level students follow the Edexcel A specification, which is split into eight modules:

• Lifestyle, Health and Risk
• Genes and Health
• Voice of the Genome
• Biodiversity and Natural Resources
• On the Wild Side
• Immunity, Infection and Forensics
• Run for your Life
• Grey Matter

We follow the Eduqas specification at A Level. The subject is assessed by three exams at the end of two years of study.  In Business the boys study a range of Business types from the sole trader/entrepreneur to multi-national corporations. They study all of the major facets of what every business will need to do and consider in order to succeed including:

• Marketing
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Operations
• Management
• Change
• Risk
• Globalisation

• A Level students follow the OCR A specification. Content of this course is split into six modules:
• Module 1 – Development of practical skills in chemistry
• Module 2 – Foundations in chemistry
• Module 3 – Periodic table and energy
• Module 4 – Core organic chemistry
• Module 5 – Physical chemistry and transition elements
• Module 6 – Organic chemistry and analysis

The A LeveL, Edexcel A Level Specification, involves furthering the skills of analysis, playwriting and acting to a much more complex level. The A Level requires students to:

• Think like a director
• Perform in both group and monologue performances
• Create detailed academic theatre evaluations
• Write complex essays concerning play script and their context
• Consider the social, cultural and historical context of theatrical work.

We follow the Eduqas specification at A Level. The subject is assessed by three exams at the end of two years of study.  In Economics the boys cover the fundamentals of Micro and Macroeconomics and in the second year of the A Level course also investigate global economic issues such as trade, the EU and development economics.

At A Level the boys receive seven periods of English a fortnight and benefit hugely from our central London location through the enriching opportunities which we are able to offer. In addition to viewing archived performances of their set texts in the V&A and being taken to multiple theatre trips to complement their studies, our Sixth Form boys have been able to attend literary lectures and benefit from visits from literary experts in the field of their study.

At A Level we continue to follow the AQA specification which provides a challenging, rigorous and current curriculum that best prepares the boys for higher education. In human geography, boys will study changing places including the gentrification of Brixton, global governance and population and environment which includes the study of diseases, migration and food insecurity. In physical geography, the boys will study the importance of water and carbon cycles, our global ecosystems and gain an appreciation of the beauty and diversity of the world’s coasts.

The coursework allows the boys to explore a particular interest of theirs from the course and design an investigation around it, developing valuable skills needed at university. Our boys are all members of the Royal Geographical Society and frequently attend their Monday evening lectures to expand their knowledge beyond the course.

Course Outline – Students will follow the AQA Politics (7152) specification.

Paper 1: Government and Politics of the UK (33.3%)

• Structure of British government
• Elections and participation
• Political parties and pressure groups

Paper 2: Government and Politics in the USA (33.3%)

• Structure of US government
• Electoral process
• Political parties and pressure groups
• Comparative politics

Paper 3: Political ideas (33.3%)

• Liberalism
• Conservatism
• Socialism
• Anarchism

We study the OCR History A Level. There is a very wide range of modules that can be studied, and what we study will change depending on pupil numbers and staffing. Currently the course consists of the following:

• Britain 1930–1997 (Enquiry topic: Churchill 1930–1951)
• American Revolution 1740–1796
• Civil Rights in the USA 1865–1992
• Coursework Essay (topic chosen by the candidates)

Latin A-Level (OCR) enables boys to further develop their understanding of complex grammatical structures whilst also providing the opportunity to gain further experience in reading and analysing the works of famous Roman authors such as Cicero and Virgil.

At A Level, we use the Edexcel specification for Mathematics and Further Maths. Each class will be split between two teachers, one focusing on Pure Maths and the other Applied Maths (Statistics and Mechanics).

At A Level, the AQA A Level is followed for French, German and Spanish

The A Level curriculum (AQA) has four parts:

• Metaphysics of God
• Metaphysics of Mind
• Moral Philosophy
• Epistemology

A Level students follow the AQA specification, which is split into eight modules:

• Measurements and their errors
• Particles and radiation
• Waves
• Mechanics and materials
• Electricity
• Further mechanics and thermal physics
• Fields
• Nuclear physics

In the second year, there is an option module, which offers a choice of Astrophysics, Medical physics, Engineering, Turning points in physics, or Electronics.