Well done! You have come this far in your education and you are about to choose some of the subjects that you want to study for the next two years. The process of selection needs a lot of thought, care and discussion with all sorts of people who are ready and willing to help. The courses that students follow will lead to Level 2, GCSE or BTEC/CNAT qualifications with grades 9 – 1 (9 being the top grade).
Choosing the right courses to ensure that you both succeed and have some challenge in your work is very important. All courses will have some form of examination, some will have a controlled assessment element, and others will be assessed entirely on a final examination, so choosing the right type of course for you is important.
Is anything compulsory?
There are some courses that all students are required to follow and cannot opt out of. These are English Language, English Literature, Maths, Combined Science (unless Separate Science is chosen as an option), PE and PSHCE. The groupings for these courses will be based on your progress and predicted grades at the end of Year 9 in the core subjects, using internal test results and teacher assessments.
After that, there is a range of subject choices to fill the remaining hours of the school week, but there are a few limitations.
Students must choose at least one subject from the following list: History, Geography, Religious Studies or French. These subjects help keep future pathways open and provide a strong base for progression into further education and training. Alongside these, we continue to offer a wide variety of subjects to complement the core curriculum, including Art, Business, Health & Social Care, Computer Science, Design and Technology, Drama, Food and Nutrition, ICT, Music, PE and Sport, Photography, Separate Sciences and Construction.
A key point for all students to consider will be progression to post-16 education or training. Achieving GCSE passes at Grade 4 or above in English and Maths will play an important role in securing places for the next stage of your educational career.
The subjects you eventually choose will be challenging, engaging and designed to give you the best opportunity to achieve strong outcomes, ensuring your choices after Year 11 remain as broad as possible.
Aspects of Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education will also be compulsory and will be delivered through the PSHCE curriculum. All students will continue to take part in core PE, giving everyone the opportunity to demonstrate and develop leadership skills.
Students will receive individual guidance about the most suitable courses and levels for them; choices that will support future success in both education and employment. While we aim to offer students their preferred combinations of subjects, this is not always possible, and the final decision regarding option allocations rests with the school.
If you have any queries, please contact: Mrs T. Woolley (Head of Year 9), email: [email protected] , Mrs A. Thorpe (Assistant Headteacher): [email protected]
Did you find this page useful?
