Key Stage 4
KEY STAGE FOUR CURRICULUM.
1. Option choices and Career planning.
To enable our students at DSGD to make informed choices about their futures we are embedding Unifrog into our Form Time activities. Unifrog is an online platform where students can easily explore their interests, then find and successfully use this knowledge at the next stage of their school life and beyond. Unifrog allows students to apply their learning to the world of further education and see what pathways will be the right fit for them. In KS4 and KS5 students will also have the opportunity to attend University Open days as well as University Expo Qatar an annual event showcasing the different university programs offered in Qatar.
IGCSE Qualifications. This is a 2 year programme where the girls will take up to 9 IGCSEs (International General Certificate of Secondary Education). These are awarded by the UK Government and accepted and validated by the Qatar MOE for submission for the Qatar Leavers Certificate.
Islamic and Qatar History are non-exam subjects but must be taught as per the instruction the Ministry of Education. – All students regardless of IGCSE choices, will take part in these lessons.
2. Compulsory subjects for IGCSE
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Arabic
- Science
* Students will either study Dual or Triple Science. If a pupil wants to study Triiple Science then they must choose Science as one of their optional subjects
* All students holding Arabic Passports (Qatari and the Middle East) now must take Arabic IGCSE as a first language.
3. Optional Subjects (Students may take 1- 4 options) The majority of students will take 3 Options.
- Science
- French
- Spanish
- Islamic
- English Literature
- Drama
- Drama
- Food and Nutrition
- Art Design technology (Fashion and design or Art)
- Music
- Psychology
- Computer science
- Business Studies
- History
- Geography
- Travel and tourism
Subjects offered are dependable on demand and options may alter on a yearly basis.
4. Optional Subjects for KS4 and KS5 that are not offered in the KS3 Curriculum.
“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious” – Einstein
What is more interesting than learning about what makes us who we are? Psychology looks at how we develop as individuals and what makes us tick. Are we a product of our genetics or of our upbringing is the million-dollar question and this is where we start our journey into the mysteries that are the people we are and who we interact with? Exploring and developing an understanding of the complex nature of human behaviour and experiences and why and how people are different is central to this subject. Questions such as what memory is and why is mine better than hers, how do we communicate without words and why do we show our emotions in different ways in different situations are some that we endeavor to answer during this course. We also focus on how we can ‘test’ these answers through examining scientific research methods which includes looking at experimental design, results analysis, and ethics.
It combines a range of skills from technical writing, developing scientific methodology to the interpretation of data. It will enable you to present information, develop arguments and draw conclusions through a critical approach to psychological evidence.
Psychology can lead you in numerous directions aside from being some sort of psychologist (sports, forensic, criminal, counsellor, educational support) from teaching to research to business and marketing, advertising, or human resources. It plays a part in all aspects of the world and is also accepted for some medical courses as it has all the rigor of the more traditional sciences.
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door” – Milton Berle
Business is the bedrock of all societies – where would we be without the entrepreneurs of the world- Bill Gates (Apple), Richard Branson (Virgin), Anita Roddick (Body Shop) and Tory Burch (Fashion). When shopping in the mall can you imagine what has taken place to get those designer handbags and shoes into your hands. All the processes that have taken place before you decide to buy them from the idea to the design onto the financing the project, sourcing of materials, finding a place and the staff to make and sell them, marketing the product and hopefully making a profit.
We are surrounded by businesses not just those like we see on our trips to Place Vendome or Festival City. What about all the construction happening in Qatar which involves architects, designers, structural engineers, suppliers, accountants, and hundreds more people, all the new online platforms and stores and the fast -growing technology -based companies. Business Studies allows you to explore the how of business and links what we buy to how it gets there and involves an exciting range of skills and may encourage you to in the future become a businesswoman yourself.
Studying Business can open your eyes to the numerous possibilities for employment in marketing, retail, design, finance, and a whole lot more. It has the potential to see you explore a whole range of professions and melds very well with other subjects from Art to Mathematics.
“Travelling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
Tourism has played a major role in the development of Qatar in recent years and at DSGD we aim to give our girls a greater understanding of why these changes have occurred and the future developments tourism can bring to Qatar and the wider world. Many of our students have bee fortunate enough to visit overseas destinations and appreciate different attractions, cultures, traditions and climates.
What will I learn?
The study of travel and tourism looks behind the scenes at many of the world’s most popular tourist destinations and provides students with an appreciation of the scale and importance of the global travel and tourism industry. Girls will view tourist destinations through the eyes of different stakeholders; tourists, residents, hotels, airlines, local businesses and transportation companies. They will use problem solving, data handling and ICT to identify main trends and impacts within the travel industry. Travel and Tourism is taught alongside geography in KS3 and can continue this as an IGCSE and AS option in KS4 and KS5.
Travel and Tourism in my future
Like geography and history, the skills learnt in Travel and Tourism can be transferred to many subjects and careers. Careers can include event planning, business management, customer services, tourism officer and travel coordinator.
5. Key Stages
