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Year 10
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Year 12
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Year 14
To begin the application process, we need some information first. Please be as accurate as possible and double-check your contact info. If it is not correct, we will not be able to respond to your application.
Key Stage 4 Options
Our curriculum consists of 5 lessons a week of each SPARK subject which includes English Literature and Language, mathematics and science. In addition all students have one lesson of Life Long Learning (our PSHE provision) and one lesson of Physical Education.
Students are required to select four subjects from the list below, and they will receive 3 lessons per week in each of their chosen subjects:
Production Technology BTEC (including Lighting for Theatre and Events & Set and Props for Film, TV and Theatre) [cannot be taken with Production Hair and Make-Up]
Specialist Production Hair and Make-Up BTEC [cannot be taken with Production Technology]
Drama GCSE
Photography GCSE
Costume and Fashion GCSE
Games Design BTEC
Sociology GCSE
Art and Design GCSE
Film Studies GCSE
Music GCSE (Performance)
Music and Sound Production BTEC (Technology)
Enterprise BTEC
Creative Media Production BTEC
Dance GCSE
Students are advised to only select up to two options from the Arts Suite: Photography; Art and Design and Costume and Fashion
Our specialism is also enhanced by a focused projects team that works with internal and external projects. It is an expectation that learners will be involved with some extra curricular projects and clubs.
PE will take place for 1 hour per week.
It is a requirement that students have a PE offer throughout Key Stage 4 in schools, set by the Government and Department for Education. This offer must include; Ensuring that students are taught a range of team and individual games e.g. Basketball, Cricket, Football, Hockey and Netball and are able to develop their technical and performance skills in sport such as Trampolining, Athletics, Gymnastics and Swimming. Students are to be encouraged to work in a team, build on trust and develop skills to solve problems, either individually or as a group. To develop the ability to analyse their performances, compare against previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best; when taking part in competitive sports and activities.
Key Stage 5 Options
In order to be considered for a place at Elstree Screen Arts Academy we require all students to achieve five 9-4 grade GCSE or equivalent (including English and Maths). We also require students to achieve a grade 6 or higher in the area they wish to study.
We offer a variety of qualifications and pathways. All our qualifications are eligible for UCAS points.
All students need to follow a 15 hour curriculum to qualify for a place at Elstree Screen Arts Academy. In addition, all students have one lesson of Life Long Learning (our PSHE provision).
You are required to select a combination of subjects that add up to a sum total of 15 curriculum hours per week and are in separate blocks (see table below). Each block is equivalent to 5 hours of study. Occasionally students do undertake more than this, but it is dependent on their GCSE results (Eligibility Criteria: Grades 7 or above in the majority of their GCSE subjects).
Curriculum hours / week
10 hours
10 hours
10 hours
10 hours
5 hours
5 hours
5 hours
5 hours
5 hours
5 hours
5 hours
5 hours
5 hours
5 hours
5 hours
5 hours
5 hours
5 hours
5 hours
Subject
Production Arts UAL (equivalent to 3 A Levels)
Media UAL (equivalent to 3 A Levels)
Art / Photography UAL (equivalent to 3 A Levels)
Make-Up Double Award BTEC
Make-Up Single Award BTEC
Performing Arts Extended Certificate in Musical Theatre RSL*
Performing Arts Acting RSL**
Performing Arts Dance RSL**
Game Design RSL
Film Studies A Level
English Literature A Level
Maths A Level
Music Performance RSL
Sociology A Level
Art and Design A Level
Forensics Science BTEC
Drama A Level
Music Technology BTEC
Photography A Level
* You must also select Acting OR Dance
** Performing Arts Dance RSL and Performing Arts Acting RSL cannot be taken together
In addition to our courses, we run a range of certificated extra curricular projects that we are currently structuring for the next years timetable. Learners can build a stunning portfolio beyond their core academics in a structure that prepares them for work or higher education
ESA’s Pipeline Curriculum
ESA was established to support young people to access opportunities in the creative arts industry. Therefore, we have built our curriculum around the crafts, trades and technical disciplines that work across film, TV and theatre. The table below shows the courses we offer… we have sorted them into pipelines so you can see how the courses are sequenced through each stage, leading to the types of creative roles you might be interested in. This may help you think about which subjects you want to combine together when picking your options.
Take A Virtual Tour
Have a look around our campus and zoom in on some of our technical kit and facilities.
This virtual tour was our first collaboration with an alumni student of ESA – shot and produced in 2017 by Seb Alfano. His startups SA Virtual and SA Drones have gone on to win commissions from National Geographic, BBC, LandRover-Jaguar, Streamers Connected and Herts County Council. If you’d like to learn more about Seb’s time at Elstree, check out our original short film ‘Why Our Kind of Education Matters’.