Year 9

In Year 9 pupils get to know their peers and develop enduring friendships, whilst trying their hand at a number of subjects to discover what sparks their interest.
Each lesson provides support for learning, and pupils are guided by dedicated form tutors and Housemasters or Housemistresses. GCSE subjects are chosen during Year 9, in conjunction with parents and based on pupils' passions and abilities.
Unique to Brighton College, this course covers practical skills such as speech writing, as well as the opportunity to study some of the great speeches of history. Posture, breathing and intonation are covered as well as voice modulation and speech analysis.
Our recently developed Artificial Intelligence course provides Year 9 pupils with an understanding of AI: how it works, how it can help them in their lives – now and in the future – and potential pitfalls and risks. With this in mind, the course is both practical and philosophical.
Pupils learn about how large learning models (LLMs) actually work by studying the underlying machine learning technologies. This helps them understand the limitations of the predictive 'thinking' of which AI is capable, and the issues which can arise if we place too much trust in what AI tools produce. Pupils also explore the ethical implications of these tools, including questions about AI in the workplace, the impact of 'deepfake' technology and biased training data.