Monifieth High School
SENIOR PHASE: FAQs
Q.Will my son/daughter have one-to-one time with Guidance/PC&S staff to discuss option choices? When will we find out what his/her agreed S4 course will be?
A.There will be discussion of course choice (and also careers) in Social Education and Form Time. The Course Choice form will be sent home for initial choices to be entered. Each pupil will have an interview with his/her PC&S teacher where final choices will be agreed. The form is signed by the PC&S teacher and then sent home to be signed by the parent, to indicate final agreement.
Q. When will the new SQA exams take place?
A.The SQA have yet to publish the exam timetable for 2014 (it is due in spring 2013). However, we expect the timing of the exam diet to be similar to current arrangements.
Q.When will the decision be made as to whether a pupil will sit a course at National 3, National 4 or National 5 level?
A.This will vary from subject to subject. Some subjects will recommend entry level in June at the start of the course. Other subjects, particularly skills-based subjects like Art or Music, may delay a decision until February of S4. In English and Maths, a decision will be made by October of S4. This is because in these subjects the course started in S3. In all cases progress in course work and assessments will be used to support the decision, and of course parents will be kept fully in touch.
Q. How will the new courses be assessed?
A.Both National 4 and National 5 courses are assessed through a range of informal and formal assessments. Each course will usually have 3 units plus a value-added element. This pulls together the learning and skills for that subject and usually consists of an assignment researched in class and written up under exam conditions. There will be formal examinations in May for National 5 courses (and in due course, for National 6 and 7 courses). There are no external examinations for National 4, but internal assessments will be rigorously monitored by SQA.
Q.Will standards be likely to rise or fall as a result of the new qualifications?
A.The Scottish Government is determined to “raise the bar”as a result of Curriculum for Excellence. We are already seeing pupils working at a higher level in S1-3, and they will be appropriately challenged by the new National 4, 5 and 6 courses.
The key change is a much greater emphasis on the development of high-order skills, which are essential for both personal success and international competitiveness in the modern world. Monifieth High School is very well placed to take full advantage of the new courses. Our Higher results in 2012 were the best for at least 5 years (e.g. 42% of S5 pupils gained 3 or more Highers in 2012, compared with 34% in 2010).
Q.Can you please tell us how to find more information on individual National 5 qualifications?
A.The Scottish Government’s Parentzone website is the best portal for accessing information on the new qualifications and all aspects of Curriculum for Excellence:
Q.If we were able to select 2 subjects from 1 column on the Option Sheet, this would permit wider choice. Is this possible?
A.Subjects that appear together in the same column are timetabled at the same time. Therefore it would be impossible for a pupil to attend both classes. A very thorough 'trial' run of possible course choices was run last term and we then adjusted the Option Sheet’s columns in response to parental feedback. The finalised S4 Option Sheet now delivers nearly all possible combinations of subjects. Remember, though, that the approach is to build up a portfolio over 2 or 3 years, so any subject that cannot be taken in S4 can be added in S5.
Q.Is it possible that the demand for certain S4 courses will outstrip the number of places on offer? If so what will happen?
A.We have been preparing for this change for many months, so it is highly probable that we shall be able to meet the course choices of all pupils. All schools are affected by budgetary cuts, of course, so in the (hopefully unlikely) case of a course being over-subscribed it may not be possible to organise an additional class. We will look at any such case in its merits, but broad principles apply: admission to a subject is determined by a range of information about a pupil's performance in S1, S2 and the first half of S3. Effort and homework are key indicators of a young person’s interest, commitment and suitability for a subject.
Q.Why are pupils studying only 6 National 4/5 courses in S4, compared with 8 Standard Grades?
A.As indicated above, the key feature of the new Senior Phase is a portfolio of qualifications assembled over 2-3 years.Studying 6 subjects in S4 crucially allows more depth, and therefore a better springboard for high-level qualifications in S5 and S6. Universities such as Aberdeen have already stated that they will not take account of the number of courses studied in S4 when determining offers for university places. Like many local Authorities (including our immediate neighbour, Dundee), Angus Council has decided that all its secondary schools will therefore offer 6 courses in S4.
Q.Why will English and Maths receive only 3 periods each in S4?
A.All National Qualification courses start in S4 apart from English and Maths which start in S3. The time allocation for each national course is 160 hours. This means that to deliver a course in one year requires 5 periods per week. English and Maths significantly exceed this 160 hour target by spreading the course over 2 years. We place particular importance on literacy and numeracy, and the longer time devoted to the English and Maths National courses supports this, together with the fact that literacy is also taught by all other subjects and numeracy by other relevant subjects.
Q. Will the pupils have adequate time to prepare for each subject when the certificate course is only 1 year long?
A.The 160 hours described by SQA for each course (see above) fully allows for the necessary preparation. In the past, when pupils studied 8 subjects, it was often the case that there were courses they did not want to take. This led to lower achievement, and less time available for the key subjects they wished to take forward. The emphasis on high-level skill development in S1-3 will form a very strong basis for the S4 courses.
Q.Are the portfolios important?
A.Yes. Pupils in S3 will complete their individual portfolio and profile by the summer. However, this is simply the start of an ongoing process in which pupils develop their experiences, skills and capacities through a range of activities in and out of school. Colleges and Universities alike are now looking for a range of “soft skills” which are best developed through such activities, and applicants will be expected to provide convincing evidence in these areas.
Q.Is P.E. compulsory in S4?
A.It is Scottish Government policy that all secondary school pupils receive 2 periods of P.E. per week. This is known as ‘Core PE’. It is also possible, in addition, to study Physical Education as a National Qualification at National 4, 5, 6 and 7.
Q.How will the new courses and qualifications affect University entry?
A.Highers will remain the key qualification for university entry. Universities are currently finalising their revised entry requirements which will take full account of Curriculum for Excellence. Aberdeen University, for example, has recently stated that it will accept a portfolio of Highers sat over 1, 2 or even 3 years. A minimum of 3 Highers will be expected in S5; the exception will be medicine where 5 Highers are required (including Chemistry plus two subjects from Biology/Human Biology, Maths, Physics). The number of National 5 qualifications will not affect the offer of a place.
Q. Will Colleges take account of the new qualifications in their entry requirements?
A.Yes. They are already preparing for this. Since they will also be delivering courses linked to these qualifications, there will be very good continuity between school and colleges.
Q.As National 4, National 5 (and in due course, National 6 - the revised Higher)are new exams, how do we find past papers, for practice purposes?
A.The SQA will provide exemplars in the next few months.
Q.Will pupils still take prelim. exams in S4 and S5?
A.Yes, but the timing and organisation will be adjusted to meet the needs of the new system. Course work/internal assessment makes a larger contribution to the final grade in the new qualifications.
Q.Can Biology, Chemistry and Physics be taken together in S4? If not, why not?
A.The emphasis of Senior Phase is on assembling a portfolio of qualifications over a 2 or 3 year period. It is fully possible to assemble a portfolio including 3 Sciences at National 5 or National 6 (Higher) level. There is an expectation from national guidance that breadth and balance should be maintained, however, so only 2 Sciences can be taken in S4. This will fully meet university requirements as there is no university course that necessitates 3 Science Highers in S5 (see the example of Aberdeen University above).
Q.At present, S5 pupils can sit Intermediate 2 courses (and, in some subjects, Intermediate 1) as an alternative to Higher? What alternatives to Higher will be offered by the school in future?
A.From June 2014, S5 pupils will be able to take National 5 courses (equivalent to Intermediate 2 and Standard Grade Credit) as an alternative to Higher. Additionally, most National 4 courses will also be open to them.
Q. How will S5 and S6 change in future?
A. The Senior Phase (S4-6) allows pupils to assemble a portfolio of qualifications over 3 years. Pupils will take a range of National 4, 5, 6 (Higher) and 7 (equivalent of Advance Higher) courses over this time. One pupil may wish to follow a particular subject from N4 all the way to N7: this will lead to significant depth of study but slightly less breadth. Another might not wish to continue with a subject beyond N5, and instead will start a new subject in Fifth year. This will lead to greater breadth of subjects. The different pathways on offer will mean that (from June 2014) there could easily be S4, S5 and S6 pupils studying at the same level in one class.