A levels APPLY TODAY. Why choose LDE UTC? Brand new school. Industry sponsored

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1 APPLY TODAY TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE A levels Why choose LDE UTC? Brand new school New modern facilities Industry standard specialist equipment State of the art digital technologies Businesslike environment Industry sponsored Curriculum delivered through industry-led projects Work with employer sponsors who are looking to recruit Opportunities for real experience of work Industry transferable skills training LDE UTC pledges to support all students in achieving one of three pathways when they leave school: Higher education Employment Apprenticeship We are starting our application meetings in November 2015, for a Sixth Form place in September Apply now using the form on our website.

2 Dear prospective student, Thank you for taking the time to consider the LDE UTC as a potential sixth form option, enabling you the successful chance to progress onto higher education, employment or an apprenticeship. Whatever you want to do next will need to be planned and prepared for. Our staff will make sure that you enjoy the curriculum and are stretched by it to develop skills and take on new ideas about the world around you. We will challenge you to achieve the best grades possible for you and we will make sure that you have a greater appreciation of the opportunities available for young people. We will expect you to work as hard as you can to get the best grades in your course and to have a great time too. Most of all, I want you to be noticed, to stand out from the crowd, to be an interesting person to talk to. To achieve this you will need to get involved and to make the most of every opportunity. We all want to help you on this journey. The LDE UTC has a businesslike environment with a simple dress code and a real working day. We will talk to each other as if we are at work, this means professionally, with respect and on first name terms. We are really looking forward to opening the school and welcoming you to it. Geoffrey Fowler Principal

3 What is the course about? A levels are academically demanding courses which provide you with a great opportunity to learn about your chosen subjects in breadth but also at significant depth. A levels will give you qualifications highly regarded by universities, but also by employers for apprenticeships and trainee schemes. In order to succeed at A level you have to be good at preparing for, and being successful in, examination assessment. Each student on A levels will complete a work experience placement, a project qualification, undertake success coaching and take part in the cross curricular events and employer focused projects. Significant support is available to help you decide whether you want to apply for university or apply for apprenticeships. How will I learn and be assessed? You are ideally placed at this school to learn from the local environment, city developments and close, regular contact with our industry sponsors. Being in London also means that we are close to galleries, exhibitions and museums, where we will learn about the history and development of your chosen field of study and you will also be able to visit places of scientific and technical interest. There will be a proportion of the curriculum delivered via project based learning. This will ensure that you understand the links between technology and science, give you great experiences to talk about in your university application and at interviews, but also help you make an informed choice about what you want to do next. Some of the A levels have coursework assessment; deadlines for this are strict and you will find that this training will give you important skills in time management. You will be assessed by examination in all subjects and so it is important to develop good habits in independent learning and preparing for the many practice tests and examinations you will face during the two years. Completion of independent learning tasks is an important and compulsory part of the course. You will also complete a research portfolio in your success coaching sessions. The government recently reformed A levels to increase the rigour of the assessment. At the end of the first year you will sit AS level examinations which will give you a real experience of the type of assessment you have to pass. You are expected to pass these AS levels to show that you can succeed in exam based assessment. Then, for the reformed A levels (Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science), all the assessment is at the end of the second year. The only A levels which allow you to count the AS level marks towards your A level grade are Product Design and Mathematics. AS levels are graded A to E, whilst A levels are graded A* to E. Entry requirements Students will need at least five A*-C grades, which must include English, Mathematics and Science. Additionally, you must have a GCSE profile which shows achievement at least at Grade B in subjects relevant to the subjects chosen. A levels

4 Course summaries Biology This looks at issues in Biology and then explores the science concepts behind them. You will study the following topics; Lifestyle, Health and Risk, Genes and Health, Voice of the Genome, Biodiversity and Natural Resources. Then in year two the topics include On the Wild Side, Immunity, Infection and Forensics, Run for Your Life and Grey Matter. You will study molecular biology, genetics, cell structure, physiology and microbiology at a much greater depth than before and the data analysis skills developed over the two years will make you very much an evidence based scientist. The exciting biology that underpins these issues and how the biological sciences can help society, prevent or cure, manage and maintain are analysed in detail. The grade for the course is based on examination performance only and the Core Practicals are reported as a separate grade on the A level certificate. Chemistry Chemistry is the study of what substances are, how they behave and how to control them in order to benefit society. The topics covered will include structure and bonding, energetics, equilibria and kinetics, acids and bases, inorganic and organic chemistry, transition metals and modern analytical techniques. The fascination in chemistry is to understand how these topics are woven into storylines which help you understand how chemists can help build a better world by contributing to developments in fuels, food, chemicals for industry, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, the chemistry of colour, polymers, innovative use of metals, pharmacology, biological molecules, biochemistry, sustainability and the understanding of our planet, the atmosphere and the oceans. The grade for the course is based on examination performance only and the Core Practicals are reported as a separate grade on the A level certificate. Computer Science This subject allows you to apply the principles you learn about to real world systems. It is creative and exciting and will help you develop the skills to problem solve, design systems and understand the power and limits of human and machine intelligence. The curriculum includes Software and Software Development, Exchanging Data, Algorithms, Legal, Ethical, Moral and Cultural Issues, Computational Thinking, Problem Solving. Further studies extend to Pattern recognition, Abstraction and Decomposition. You will also complete a programming project in the second year which counts for 20% of the overall final grade. Physics A context based course in Physics allows you to find out about the facts and theories and how they are applied. The following topics are included; Mechanics, Electric Circuits, Materials, Waves and the Particle Nature of Light, Electric and Magnetic Fields, Nuclear and Particle Physics, Thermodynamics, Oscillations, Space, Nuclear radiation and Gravitational fields. The grade for the course is based on examination performance only and the Core Practicals are reported as a separate grade on the A level certificate.

5 Product design This course comprises around 60% coursework and 40% examination over the two years. This subject runs through the full cycle of the design process; client brief, planning, designing, selecting materials, considering cost and sustainability as well as the environment. The course gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your creativity and flair in producing products in either the resistant materials or graphics areas. The course units encompass Design and Technology in Practice, Commercial design, a Portfolio of Creative Skills and Designing for the Future. You will be taught in highly equipped facilities which will enable you to bring your imagination to life. Mathematics This will cover a core of mathematics which includes Algebra, Coordinate geometry, Trigonometry, Differentiation and Integration, Exponentials and Logarithms, Sequences and Series. A third of the course is applied mathematics which investigates how mathematics is used in industry, business, economics, science and other sectors. In this part of the course units will be selected from Statistics, Mechanics, or Decision Mathematics. If you love mathematics there will be plenty of challenging problems to enjoy! The assessment of mathematics is 100% examination and considerable practice will be needed to ensure examination success; we find that most maths students love this practice and usually will just keep on going until we turn the lights out. Find out more at our OPEN EVENTS LDEUTC.co.uk/events

6 Where could this course lead to? There will be a focus on University or Higher Apprenticeships. The employment market for people trained in science, technology, and mathematics is very good. A lot of occupations will require you to be a graduate, so you may have to also study at university first, and many of you will be looking forward to that. In recent years there has been a substantial amount of growth in employers offering apprenticeships and traineeships to A level students, who wish to further their studies whilst working. For the first time in many years students have a wide choice, but the employers and universities want the best and so you must work hard to achieve the highest grades possible. All the A levels we offer are very challenging, and highly regarded subjects. Your subject combinations can be important, for example Engineering at university will require you to study A-level Mathematics, Biochemistry will require Chemistry and usually Biology. It is a good idea, before you start on your A levels, to think about possible careers, just in case there is a required combination. We will discuss this with you at interview. Please don t worry if you have not yet decided, we can provide guidance and if you pick the subjects you love the most, these are usually the ones you will do the best in. Finally, do some research. A good place to start is the university course search at UCAS. By just looking at the titles of the courses on offer it can open your eyes to the wide range of courses, and therefore, careers you might consider. Further reading: Find out more at our OPEN EVENTS LDEUTC.co.uk/events