Beyond the Curriculum

At Mount Kelly we are committed to the provision of innovative and flexible ways to help pupils make informed choices about their futures, develop the skills required to enhance their employability and contribute positively to the world in which they live.

To supplement our formal A Level or BTEC courses we believe that it is important to teach some additional ‘life skills’ and to introduce our pupils to the wider world that they will shortly be experiencing. The ‘Beyond the Curriculum’ programme has four elements:

Part A: Public Speaking and Personal Presentation

Formal training in public speaking for Year 12 has, for some years, been delivered through the medium of LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic art). All Year 12 pupils will attend one lesson per week for the first ten weeks of the Michaelmas Term, enabling those with the ability and inclination to sit a formal LAMDA examination in public speaking. Those who wish to continue with LAMDA beyond this point may opt to do so on a re-chargeable basis.

Part A will conclude with workshops on personal presentation, social skills and professional relationships and expectations.

Part B: Higher Level Learning Skills

Each member of Year 12 will complete two sessions in Study Skills for the first half of the Michaelmas Term. This will provide training in the core skills necessary for the successful completion of the EPQ (Extended Project Qualification), but also help pupils with the transition to A Level and BTEC. It will be led by those teachers responsible for the EPQ. It will cover the following topics:

• An introduction to the EPQ
• How to conduct effective research
• Footnoting, bibliographies and plagiarism
• Noting methodology
• Academic organisation
• The use of IT and digital technology in presenting academic findings
• Building and using questionnaires
• Reflection and review for improvement
• Revision techniques

Part C: Guidance and UCAS support

All Year 12 pupils will have one lesson a week in the Lent and Summer Term with the Head of Guidance. This will continue during the Michaelmas Term for Year 13.

This will cover the following areas:

• Interview technique and personal presentation
• Alternatives to university, and routes into employment
• CVs and covering letters
• Apprenticeships
• Unifrog and career choices
• UCAS research, open day research
• Personal statements and UCAS forms
• Global applications inc. USA and Hong Kong

A supplementary programme of talks, visits and careers fairs will run parallel to this course.

Sixth Form Guidance

Part D: General Studies

All pupils will follow a carousel of short courses, each of which will run for several weeks. The courses are intended to build on the formal PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education) curriculum followed up to Year 11, preparing the pupils to take their place in society. As is appropriate for sixth form, there is a greater focus on debate and exploring the pupils’ own opinions and perspectives.

Timetable

All four elements are compulsory for all members of Year 12. The delivery of the programme is structured as follows: