Year 9 into Year 10 Options
The choices that students make for GCSE are important, both in terms of their achievement and their future aspirations. Positive choices at this stage will lead to students engaging with their studies and will maximise their choices at each stage of their education and career.
Students and parents are encouraging to attend the Virtual Year 9 into Year 10 Options Evening for information about this process. A recorded version will be available on this page following the event.
Please find information regarding Year 9 into Year 10 options below which will support students making an informed choice when selecting their courses.
The Compulsory Core
The table below summarises the two year KS4 programme for each Core subject area. Please note that the two year KS4 Core subject programme followed by students will be dependent on the sets students are placed in for English, Maths and Science.Students will receive a personalised pathway form based on their attainment to date, which will provide them with guidance regarding their option choices.
| Core Subject | Year 10 | Year 11 |
| English | GCSE English Language/ Literature | GCSE English Language/ Literature |
| Maths | Maths GCSE | Maths GCSE |
| Science |
GCSE Triple Science or GCSE Combined Science |
GCSE Triple Science or GCSE Combined Science |
| RS | GCSE Religious Studies | GCSE Religious Studies |
| PE | Practical PE | Practical PE |
|
Personal Development |
Personal Development | Personal Development |
| ICT | Practical ICT |
Further Subjects
Students will study a further 4 subjects in addition to those above. Most students will receive a pathway form which requires them to select a humanity subject (Geography or History) and a Modern Foreign Language (French, Spanish or Italian). Many students will receive a pathway form which requires them to select 1 or 2 BTEC subjects; this is because we are confident that this route will provide them with optimum outcomes at the end of Year 11, and reduce the exam burden of many exams in the summer of Year 11. If BTEC subjects are not a requirement on a student’s pathway form, this does not prevent that student from opting for one or more BTECs.
When selecting subjects please follow the guidelines on your personalised option form. You must put your preferences in rank order on your form. There is no guarantee that all top options will be allocated to any one student as the subjects have to be allocated on a best fit basis across the entire year group to ensure a fully fair process. It may be necessary for a small number of students to have to re-opt for a different subject if their original selection does not fit within the final timetable; this will be done with full consultation of the student and parents/carers.
Key questions to ask yourself
- What could you do if you successfully completed this course?
- What qualifications would you like to take at Sixth Form
or at college? - Does this course prepare you for those further courses?
- Do you have ideas on possible careers?
- What subjects do certain careers insist on now or later?
- What should you do if you do not know what you want
to do yet?
- Make sure you get advice from people who know what they are talking about
- Be careful with advice from the internet, can it be trusted?
- Never be afraid to ask too many questions – this needs to be right
- Do you have an idea of the assessment or exam work load for a subject you want to do? Generally BTEC subjects have a larger coursework weighting which can be completed throughout the course, whereas most GCSEs are largely exam-based at the end of Year 11
- Are you prepared to work at 100% in that subject for the full two years?
- Whichever course you take during Years 10 and 11 you will require motivation, hard work, determination and organisation to succeed
- Reflect on how well you demonstrate these areas in school at the moment and what, if any, you might need to work on
- All the subjects listed in this booklet are those we hope to run in September 2022
- Please be aware that courses will only run if a specific number of students opt to take it
- There has to be a maximum capacity for the subjects so the key is make your choices early and ensure that you are happy to take any of your options, including reserve choices
Click below for the Options Booklet:
KS4-Option-Booklet-2022-23.pdf
Click below to access the subject presentations:
