Year 9 Options
"Life presents many choices, the choices we make determine our future"
Catherine Pulsifer
From year 7 we ask students to start considering their future pathways and careers. We have a broad and challenging curriculum to enable students to aspire to any career or education pathway which they choose. Once students reach Key stage 4, it becomes GCSE territory and the number of subjects is reduced to help students to start targeting subjects which will support their aspirational ideas. All students study 10 GCSE subjects which include English Language and Literature, Mathematics, Religious Education, and Combined Science (double GCSE). The other subjects, students need to consider and make choices about which to study. This is completed in year 9, known as our options process.
The aim of the options process to ensure that students continue with or start new subjects which allow them to have access to their future career or academic paths. We have a range of support mechanisms to support students with these decisions, which include PSHE lessons, Unifrog, options interviews, speakers, careers fair and assemblies.
Students need to consider ahead, looking at the qualifications needed and the different routes into their potential career paths. This allows them to work backwards to ensure they have made the correct GCSE choices.
Example 1:
A student wanting to go to Oxford or Cambridge to study a particular subject will need to look ahead at the requirements so they can see what A levels will be needed. They should then look at the sixth form prospectus and see what the GCSE requirements are for those A levels.
Sixth Form Prospectus
Example 2:
A student wanting to go into nursing has multiple ways to enter into this profession.
It can be approached from a college route, starting with a BTEC or T level. Or from school with A levels onto university, all the way up to a Masters Degree if they so wished. So looking at the different paths and seeing which route suits you best is a good start. Once you have this, you can then work out the GCSE requirements to help you make your decisions.
Further information:
Please read our year 9 options booklet:
Spare options forms are available below:
English Baccalaureate Options Form
Non English Baccalaureate Options Form
Unifrog:
Students have also been given access to Unifrog https://www.unifrog.org/sign-in
Tips:
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Good areas for students to start are with the interests and personality profile, especially if they are not sure what their future career may be yet.
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To investigate different careers and pathways into them, the careers library is extremely helpful.
If you need further help or guidance, please contact Mrs Jennings at jenningsr@kls.herts.sch.uk
