At the heart of the curriculum at The Emmbrook are the nationally agreed CORE SUBJECTS: English, Mathematics, Science, Information and Communications Technology, RE, Citizenship, Health and Careers, Work Related Learning and Core PE. These subjects are studied by all students.

As well as the Core Subjects students will also choose their Learning Pathway which is made up of a combination of SPECIALISED COMPONENTS which are taught at The Emmbrook, other local schools, at Bracknell and Wokingham College or Thames Valley University. Choices are made after careful guidance from the school and from parents. Whatever choices a student makes, we provide a broad and balanced curriculum which aims:

• To provide all students with the opportunity to reach their educational potential.
• To equip students for the 21st century by developing transferable skills suited to a wide range of future opportunities.
• To enable students to progress successfully onto further education, training or employment.
• To give all students the opportunity to enjoy their learning now and in the future.

In considering their choices students should:

• Think about how well they have done so far in particular subjects.
• Listen to advice.
• Talk to students in Y10 and Y11.
• Ask lots of questions.
• Discuss any problems you find.

We advise you NOT to:

• Choose a subject to be the same as a friend.
• Choose a subject because you think it will be easy - there's no such thing!
• Choose a subject because you like a particular member of staff - there's no guarantee that they will be teaching you.

Really detailed information about all of our courses can be found at the exam board and government web sites:

www.aqa.org.uk
www.edexcel.org.uk (includes BTEC)
www.ocr.org.uk
www.asdan.co.uk
yp.direct.gov.uk/diplomas

Each Learning Pathway offered at the Emmbrook takes up 40% of a student's timetable during Key Stage 4, but each Pathway is slightly different in terms of how the time is divided up:

Compass Pathway: This could be made up from four specialised components such as GCSE subjects or a mixture of GCSE and BTEC courses. The majority of our students are likely to follow the Compass Pathway.

Foundation Pathway: This pathway consists of the CoPE/Skills Force course together with two specialised components such as GCSEs, BTECs or entry level qualifications. This pathway is designed for students who might find a four subject pathway too demanding but who are still keen to achieve recognised and highly valued qualifications.

College Pathway: Students who are successful in gaining a place on a college course will spend one morning a week in college. They will also take two further specialised courses which might be GCSEs or BTECs.

Diploma Pathway: Diploma courses occupy two days a week and are combined with one further specialised component.

Young Apprenticeship Pathway: The YA course requires a student to be in college for two days a week. The remainder of the student's Key Stage 4 course is taken up with one specialised component course.