New for September 2008 we hope to introduce a suite of level 2 courses that are flexible, multidisciplinary and focus on skills development and learning.

These courses are ideally suited for those students who achieve mainly grades C, D, and E at GCSE.

Each course carries the equivalence of 2 or 4 GCSE’s once completed, and at Parkside School several of the subjects are offered for further study at Level 3 (A-Level).

The courses are largely assignment based, rather than examination based, and grades awarded are at ‘pass’ (equivalent to GCSE grade C), ‘merit’ (equivalent to GCSE grade B) and ‘distinction’ (equivalent to GCSE grade A) categories.

Each student will follow two courses that best meet their needs and interests. This will require a commitment of 16 guided learning hours for course delivery. All courses include mandatory and optional units of study. Moreover, students will have an opportunity to be involved in additional courses that include:

• Sports Coaching Qualification
• GCSE English
• Enrichment
• Tutorial

In particular, we place importance on the mentoring of students, and consequently students are provided with a ‘study’ tutor in addition to the ‘pastoral’ tutor, to ensure that students receive the appropriate support and guidance required for successful course completion.

Use the following links to view:

• The Level 2 Suite of Courses
• Possible course combinations as an example of how the suite is actually implemented.
• An example course (Art & Design) and its structure