Introduction to the Lower School

The Fourth Form: Pupils come to Cranleigh in September and enter one of six Fourth Forms. These forms represent a very broad streaming based on Scholarship and Common Entrance results or on results in Cranleigh’s own entrance exams; Maths is setted across the whole year group.

All pupils study Art, Biology, Chemistry, Design, Drama, English, French, Geography, History, Information Technology, Mathematics, Music, Physics and Religious Studies. In addition, a pupil studies German or Spanish ab initio and either Latin or Classical Civilisation. Latin demands a strong performance at Common Entrance if it is to provide a pupil with a realistic and rewarding course.
The Lower School and GCSE: Our aim at Cranleigh is to work within the spirit of the National Curriculum, but to offer more, taking full advantage of our independence and the extra time available to a boarding school.

We retain a very broad curriculum in the first three years so that few options are ruled out before A Level choices are made in the Upper Fifth year. English, Maths and French are taught as core subjects. There is an options system in the Lower and Upper Fifth Forms which enables a pupil to take between nine or ten GCSE subjects before moving on to AS Levels in the Sixth Form. In Science, pupils can complete either two or three full GCSEs within the option system. Fuller details are given below. It is a manageable, though demanding, workload over a range of subjects wide enough to satisfy universities and future employers.

Brief descriptions of GCSE courses are given under subject headings. All courses are sufficiently rigorous to provide adequate preparation for Sixth Form work. For Sixth Form entry, we expect our pupils to achieve C grades in Maths and English Language and a total of six “points” from their GCSEs as a whole. For this purpose A* or A grades count as two “points” and B grades as one “point”.
The Lower and Upper Fifth Forms: Core subjects for all are Mathematics, English Language and Literature and French. Pupils are required to study the three sciences (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) and take two or three GCSEs in science subjects. Additionally all pupils will take Religious Studies as a certificated short course which is examined externally at the end of the Lower Fifth year.

To complete their choice of GCSE courses, pupils also opt for one of the subjects in each of the option blocks as set out below.

Block A: Classical Civilisation, Design, Geography, History, Latin, Drama and Music

Block B: Classical Civilisation, Geography, German, History and Spanish

Block C: Art, Design, Geography, History and Drama

Block D: The Triple Award GCSE Course, Geography, History, Music

Block E: The Triple Award Science GCSE Course or The Double Award Science GCSE Course

Block F: The Triple Award Science GCSE Course or The Double Award Science GCSE Course

Those opting to take the three modules in each of the three sciences will take Biology, Chemistry and Physics in the three blocks (the “Triple Award” GCSE Course in blocks D, E and F); those opting to take two modules in each of the three sciences will study the science subjects in the two option blocks (the “Double Award” GCSE Course in blocks E and F). The courses are of a similar intellectual standard: both represent an appropriate challenge and an appropriate base from which to study science at AS Level. Those taking two modules in each science are able to choose four other subjects, whilst those taking three modules in each science will choose three others (see “The Sciences”).

The School may advise some pupils to study a subject from five rather than six of the above blocks: in such cases extra time would then be available for the pupil concerned to complete coursework through private study.

Information Technology is delivered through individual subjects in the Lower and Upper Fifth. Each subject provides a series of tasks which are completed using various aspects of IT, such as word-processing, spreadsheets, databases, the internet, and subject-specific software.

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Introduction to the Lower School