WELCOME

A warm welcome to our new S5/6 Curriculum Google Site. We have designed this to help you understand the different options available to your child as they move from S4 to S5, and beyond.

In short, there are three main pathways:

• SQA Highers in S5, followed by a mix of further Highers and Advanced Highers in S6

• The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) in S5 and S6

• The International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme, with built-in HNC Business (IBCP) in S5 and S6

We are very proud of the choice we are able to offer - and it is important to note that success in each of these three programmes will lead to Higher and Further Education, subject to entry requirements, of course. The pathway your child chooses depends on a number of factors, and we would encourage you to discuss these with your child and come back to Mrs Kydd-Corr, Mrs McKenzie or Mrs Chisholm with any questions. Useful questions for your child to consider are:

• Do you have a particular career pathway in mind?

• Are you planning on University, College, employment - or something else? If so, have you looked at the entry requirements?

• What are your strengths and weaknesses both in terms of your learning style and your subjects?

• How do you expect to attain in your National 5 examinations?

• Do you enjoy learning over two years, or would you prefer to take exams over one session only?

• Do you wish to take exams in S6 only, or at the end of both S5 and S6?

• What pace of learning do you enjoy?

• Do you perform well under the pressure of examination conditions, or do you prefer continuous, open-book assessment?

• Do you wish a purely academic pathway, or would you enjoy a more career focused approach with vocational learning and exposure to employability skills?

• Do you wish to study, live or work abroad?

We really hope you find this site useful, and we will be developing it continually, so please check back for updates or if you need information about a particular course. We are aware that the website features many more IB resources, flyers and publications than SQA. This is for two main reasons: firstly, IB is new to the school and it is the one that pupils and parents would typically know least about. Secondly, the SQA do not produce many resources beyond course content.

The final four pages are Mrs Chisholm's Blogs and these are based on training exercises we have undertaken with staff and pupils which might give you an interesting new insight into international mindedness, the IB Learner Profile, our whole school approach to inquiry based learning and the IB Approaches to Learning and Teaching.

Please do check back regularly for updates and let us know via admin@lomondschool.com if you have any suggestions.