Curriculum to GCSE

MCS enjoys an enviable academic reputation with outstanding annual results at A Level and GCSE. Approximately 30% of the Upper Sixth regularly gain offers for Oxford and Cambridge, and almost all pupils go on to prestigious universities in the UK and abroad.

The MCS curriculum is designed not only to ensure and facilitate this academic momentum within school, but also to maximise success beyond it. The aim of the early years is to establish good habits of work and to enable pupils to study the widest range of subjects so that they can discover their interests and talents and lay solid foundations for future success. Subjects are taught in departmental areas in order to give all pupils the advantage of specialist facilities such as laboratories, art studios, computer suites and design equipment.

Pupils are setted by ability in French at the age of 11 and in Mathematics and Latin at the age of 12. There is an additional intake of pupils from preparatory and maintained schools at 13 and it is at this stage that boys make their first subject choices.  The core GCSE curriculum consists of English, English Literature, Mathematics, the three sciences and French. PE and Games are also part of the curriculum for all pupils. In addition, pupils may opt for three of: History, Geography, Theology, Music, Art, Latin, Greek, German and Spanish. Almost all pupils therefore take ten GCSEs. Classes are taught by subject specialists and class sizes are usually in the low twenties, although in some subjects they will be much smaller.