The Edron Academy (El Colegio Británico)A.C.

Secondary Faculties

The Communications Faculty consists of four departments, Spanish, French, English and Information Technology, as well as the Library.

The aims of the Faculty are as follows:

The Spanish Department, lead by Alma Leticia Arroyo, has 4 full-time members of staff. It delivers the Spanish curriculum from years 7 - 13. Students take IGCSE first Language Spanish in year 11. In IB, Spanish is offered as A1 and A2. Spanish Literature is a ' compulsory option' subject whereby students will choose in year 10 whether they would like to study Literature in English or in Spanish.

The English Department is run by Charlotte Crossland consists of one half time member and four full-time specialists, all of whom have degrees in the subject and who are native speakers. At IGCSE level, English is offered as a first or second language. At IB, English is taken as A1 or A2. English Literature is also taken at the end of year 11, by those who opt for it.

In August 2002 we introduced coursework into the IGCSE first language curriculum. This replaces paper 3 and accounts for 50% of the final grade. . We believe it is a good preparation for the challenges of IB .

Susan Wirth is the head of the French department and she is joined by Laurance Brillet and Michael Spooner. French is introduced in year 7 and can be chosen as an IGCSE option in year 10 and as an IB option in year 12 where it is offered as Language B, and from August 2002 it is also being offered to beginners as AB intio.

Graeme Stevens is the head of the Information Communication Technology Faculty. It delivers ICT curriculum from year 7-13. ICT is a compulsory subject in the lower school (Year 7-9). From Year 10 onwards ICT is an option subject,At IGCSE level we offer the London GCSE examination. At the IB level we offfer Information Technology in a Global Society (ITGS) and we are currently assesing the possiblity of incorporating Computer Science as a new option

In years 7 to 9 all students study IT and the focus is on acquiring the basic skills, which will be relevant to all computer users. Our early focus, at the moment, is on competent use of Word Processors, Spreadsheets, Databases, Desk Top Publishers and Presentation software as well as acquiring a familiarity with the Internet and email software. Whenever possible, attempts are made to co-ordinate project work with teachers in other departments. Our curricula in this subject area are reviewed on a yearly basis to keep in step with the increased familiarity of students coming up from primary and to respond to relevant developments in a fast moving industry. Hardware and software installation is also tailored to meet the needs of a fast developing curriculum-

Emilia Blake is the school Librarian and is responsible for the maintenance of the Library as well as for ordering new books and generally encouraging a love of reading throughout the whole school. The Library is open every day until 4.00 pm for individual study and reading.

Syllabi and Programmes of study for each subject and each year group are available.

Nature of the Faculty

The departments of English, Spanish and French strive to work closely together to ensure consistency of approach and that students transfer their language and literary skills between the languages. There is a strong focus on grammatical accuracy which ties in with the themes and topics of study. The faculty comprises mostly experienced and some new teachers and meets to exchange ideas regarding methodology and philosophy of approach. Extra-curricular events support the work undertaken in class.

Special Events

Each year a Creative Writing house competition is organised by the Faculy, and students are encouraged to submit entries in any of the languages taught at the school. The entries are in the form of stories, poems or play scripts.

During reading week there is a book fair and workshops run for our pupils by local authors.

Development plan

The faculty has a literacy code followed by all departments to encourage our students to evaluate and improve their written accuracy. We are also implementing a new approach to supporting students in class who struggle with these basic skills in Spanish and English through a system of individual support records which aim to provide specific, short-term targets for students to work to. In order to further support all of our students, particularly those talented in written expression and reading comprehension, we meet to continually update and streamline our schemes of work and policies of approach regards skills development, exam technique and study habits. The ICT departemen tis working on the updating of all the curriculum and we are considering offering Computer Science in the near future.

As part of this philosophy, we endeavour to include a strong practical focus in all our teaching - and where possible to make explicit links with other subjects. In Science, for example, there is a consideration of the ethical aspects of science and technology - so that students and teachers feel they can discuss and debate contemporary issues such as cloning, technocracy and modern environmental problems; in Maths students are encouraged to use mathematics as a powerful tool to investigate a number of problems not traditionally associated with pure maths.

Mathematics

During their secondary education, students follow a curriculum, which has been developed by considering the best of the UK National Curriculum and the local SEP curriculum. At IGCSE, two levels of entry into exams are offered, allowing the teaching to be tailored to the abilities and interests of student groups. At IB, where maths is a compulsory area of study, we have recently introduced a third course, allowing us to extend our highest ability students. We have, of course, mantained the two courses offered in previous years.

Science

It is a strong part of our philosophy that the traditional sciences (biology, chemistry and physics) should be taught as an integrated science for as long as possible. Throughout secondary this is the approach followed, although at times specialist teachers are used in the IGCSE years to ensure the best possible exam preparation.

At IB level, we currently offer Biology, Chemistry and Physics at two levels of study; and are hoping to introduce a new science in the near future.

Staffing and timetabling

The faculty currently has two teachers in the IT department, three in mathematics and six in the science department. All teachers are specialists in their subject areas. The majority of teachers are recruited from the United Kingdom and we have an excellent mix of experienced teachers and younger staff who frequently inject new ideas and teaching methods into the subjects. Over 90% of all lessons in the faculty are delivered in the English language, but it is important to the bicultural nature of our school that this figure never reach 100%.

All subjects are strongly represented on the timetable, reflecting their importance both to the students and the school in general.

Facilities

All subjects are taught in specialized areas: the maths department has two classrooms; IT has a specialist IT classroom allowing each student in a class access to a computer and science has a set of three laboratories with a well stocked prep room to allow a wide range of experiments to be organized.

Plans

As our school entry expands, each faculty will have to expand with it and we are already planning for the recruitment of another three teachers over the next two years. As well as school entry, we area having to consider an expanding curriculum, with for example, the now realised plans for 2001-2002 to offer a more challenging maths course at IB level and our plans to offer Environmental Systems as an IB course within the next two years. Also seen as important to the faculty is the increase of IT availability in the year 7 to 9 age range.

Information Technology is one of the most exciting areas of any school's expansion plan and a ten-year development plan has already been drawn up and is fast gaining approval. As an early stage of this plan, all buildings and classrooms should be cabled to provide a school-wide network within the next few years, allowing access to all central computer resources and the Internet from any area of the school.

Special Events

Two of the major events on our calendar are the Science Fair and the Group 4 project.

The science fair is aimed at our year 7 to 9 students, and during a three-week time period, they are encouraged to work in groups, developing a project that they have suggested, investigated and presented by themselves.

The group 4 project is an integral part of IB science in which students from the three traditional sciences are asked to consider a problem of a reasonable scale and investigate sub-problems in groups involving students of all the sciences. The work leads up to a final presentation.

Many of the students at the Edron come from families with strong interest in, and/or professional involvement in the Arts. It is the philosophy of this faculty to develop and support the natural interest that the students have in these subjects. We believe that these subjects are as important as the more mainstream subjects in the education of our students. Four subject areas are represented in this faculty: Art, Drama, Music and P.E. Whilst there has been a tradition of excellence in the Art department at the Edron, it is only recently that the other subjects have begun to be taken seriously as possible exam subjects. The developments in the Arts faculty over the past two years have been very exciting as Drama was added to the official options curriculum and PE and Music are anticipating formal inclusion in the Options for senior students within the next couple of years. Whilst we are very pleased with the developments within the curriculum, we also value the fact that our subjects lend themselves to extra-curricular events. The School year has many artistic events ranging from plays, to art exhibitions to concerts and sports competitions. All of these events are supported by the staff of the Arts Faculty who are committed to the life of the school.

Art in the Edron Secondary School

This subject's curriculum divides naturally in two parts: the lower secondary (years 7, 8 and 9) and the examination groups (years 10,11,12 and 13) Years 7-9 Tasks are grouped under these headings: drawing, painting. Printing. Craft. Design. 3D projects, installations and Art History. Although the skills in each heading progressively become more challenging, complex and sustained as students advance to higher grades, the techniques are the same time-honoured ones used by professionals and infant school children alike. During the course of each academic year, each student should, at least, have an experience in each one of these activities, (sometimes one might include another, as in the case of papier machZ where craft and 3D are involved). At the end of year 9, students should: * Draw from observation, experience and imagination, making preliminary drawings when necessary * Know elements of art: line, tone, pattern, texture, form, space, colour and shape. * Know about primary, secondary and complementary colours and how to mis and degrade them. * Have an awareness of composition * Have an awareness of symbols and stereotypical images. * Be able to produce work from different graphic sources. * Have a working vocabulary and use the basic words for techniques, tools and materials. * Experience a wide variety of media: charcoal, chalks, pastels, pencils, watercolours, tempera, acrylic, India ink, printing inks, textiles, clay adhesives, etc. * Be aware of the different types of paper and their proper use. * Know how to maintain and care for tools and materials and recognise the health and safety aspects of their use. * Be able to modify and change their own work; discuss and make informed decisions about it. * Recognise a variety of artists from past and present and be aware of different styles.

YEAR 10-13

Students in year 10 and 11 follow the IGCSE syllabus for Art and Design, concentrating basically on two papers: 1, Observational Stud and 2, Interpretative Study, Paper 1 tests the students ability to represent form observation. At the end of year 11, they must be prepared to draw of paint a subject from a choice which will include the human figure, natural and man-made objects and interior or exterior scenes. Paper 2 tests the student's ability to organise a pictorial composition. At the end of year 11, they must be able to produce a visual image of an idea without resorting to literal illustration. Both papers require that students know how to arrive at a solution through a series of preparatory studies.

Years 12 and 13

follow the International Baccalaureate programme at higher and lower levels. At the end of year 13 students at higher level, should be able to present their personal studio work in a public exhibition, together with a well-kept, annotated book of their experiences as art students in the course of the last two years. Standard level students present either the book or the studio work. At both levels, they must be able to discourse on their work and support it orally using a technical ,working vocabulary.

Drama and Theatre Arts

The Drama department was originally formed as a part of the English department to support the teaching of English in Key Stage Three. However with its increased popularity and the arrival of a Drama specialist it has become a flourishing department in its own right, and now comes under the umbrella of the Arts and P.E. Faculty.

The Drama Department aims to equip the students with a practical knowledge of the Theatre. Thus the lessons have a strong practical focus where theory of styles of theatre, acting technique and devising skills are learned through experience, rather than through "chalk and talk" style lessons. We believe that Drama lessons indirectly support other subject areas within the school as the students develop self-confidence, cooperation skills and imagination. As most Drama lessons are taught in English, the students also get an opportunity to practise their oral skills.

Years 7-9

Students in Key Stage Three receive one period a week of Drama. The programme involves different skills focuses taught under a different theme each term. Skills include trust exercises, improvisation games and skills, devising extended dramatic work from stimuli, characterisation, voice work, staging and role-work. Themes include Shakespeare, Commedia del Arte, Melodrama, Physical theatre, Forum Theatre, Storytelling and the Ancient Greeks.

Years 10 and 11

At the end of year 9, students get the chance to choose Drama as one of their IGCSE options. Drama is growing in popularity as an exam subject and the students who opt for it are very committed to treating it as a serious subject. They work during the two year course towards the IGCSE. This consists of a practical component where students work in groups to devise a piece of Drama from a stimuli over several weeks, using skills and theatrical concepts that they have learned during the course. Students are also required to prepare and perform a monologue This work is videoed and sent to England for marking. There is also a written exam paper where students are required to answer questions on their own devised work and also on a pre-released extract from a published play.

Year 12 and 13

At IB students may opt for Theatre Arts. This course is more theoretical than the IGCSE course. Students are required to learn about the major theatre practitioners and their contributions to the Theatre. They are expected to do exercises and practical activities related to these practitioners and they have to keep a written record of these for their portfolio which is submitted at the end of the two years. During the two years they are required to be involved in at least two productions, either in an acting or a directorial or design role. They are also required to read and study three contrasting plays from a practical theatrical perspective. In addition to this they have to do an individual research project on their own chosen style of theatre. The final examination involves an oral analysis of a pre-released play where students have to analyse the play from a directorial perspective explaining their concept of directing the play and being able to justify it through linking it with theoretical ideas and concepts.

Plays at the Edron

The Edron's reputation for serious drama has developed over recent years. Two plays are performed annually: the whole school play in July ; and the senior school play in December/Jan. The whole school play is a large scale production performed in a hired theatre and involving many students from years 7 to 12. The senior play is a more experimental production involving a small cast of senior students.

July 1999 Macbeth

Dec 1999 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

July 2000 Bodas de Sangre

Music

With the generous donation of instruments such as keyboards and guitars at the end of last year, the music department has been able to do more practical work involving composition this year. Many of our students come from musical backgrounds and many of them take private music lessons and we hope to integrate this knowledge and understanding of music with the curriculum as it is taught in school. The future development of music is seen as a high priority at the Edron and it is hoped that the recent improvements in the facilities will assist in the continued development of this subject as a vital part of the curriculum.

Students have two periods of music per week in Key Stage Three. Here they study both the history and theory of music and practical aspects of the subject such as singing, playing and composition. The introduction of IGCSE and IB music is planned for within the next two years and it is expected that this will raise the status of the subject within the school.

The school choir also takes part in many singing competitions in Mexico and they have a good reputation in singing traditional Mexican music. It is hoped that they will continue to develop their repertoire to include a broader range of music in the coming year.

Physical Education

At present students have two periods of P.E per week throughout Key Stage Three (Years 7-9). As IGCSE P.E has not yet been included in the options, students in year 10 have one period of P.E. and students in Year 11 have two periods. However, it is anticipated that a P.E. option group will be available within the next two years and this amount of time will consequently increase.

We try to offer as broad a curriculum as possible. We believe strongly in equal opportunities. Both boys and girls follow exactly the same course. On-site activities include football, rugby, basketball, hockey, volleyball, circuit training and gymnastics. Off-site we offer swimming and weight training to year 11 and athletics at a nearby stadium to year 8 Facilities Our sports facilities include a covered full size basketball/ five a side football court and a smaller volleyball court. We have plans to build a fully equipped indoor gymnasium on site. We also hope to be able to offer PE as an IGCSE subject in the near future.

Events: The internal sports events are generally organised within the framework of the house system, where students compete in teams and gain points for their house. We have three sports days one for each part of the school: Kinder, Primary and Secondary. All three are held at a nearby athletics stadium. Football, basketball and athletics competitions against other schools are also part of the annual calendar of events.

Staff:

Head of Faculty and head of Drama :Dominique Nevilee

Head of Art: Stuart Bracewell

Head of Music: Anne Marie Garas

Head of Physical Education: Shelly Anderton

Social Science's Faculty

Our Faculty curriculum combines Mexican programmes (SEP and UNAM courses) and British subjects (national curriculum, IGCSE and IB) from year 7 to 13. It provides our students a wide understanding of local and global social environments.