Post 16 Options Process

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The options form is now open in Gateway for your son/daughter to make their subject choices for the coming academic year. In order to do this they need to login to Gateway and access student options (under the administration menu). They need to follow the instructions closely as they have been setup to guide you through to a valid course for the Diploma Programme. Once the selections have been made you will need to login as a parent and confirm these choices.

Please note that our school timetable will be built around these choices, as it is important to us to create a new student driven timetable each year. This has two main implications the first of which is that you are not guaranteed your first choice of subjects. Although we do everything we can to accommodate student choice, this is not always possible and, if this is the case, the Head of Year will work with students to re-select subjects. Secondly, if changes are requested after the timetable has been set we can only accommodate them if there is space in the class and it fits within our school structure.

Finally, we are re-sending the letter below which details the support that students are receiving, during this option process, in order to make informed decisions in choosing their future pathways.

Students in Year 11 have been handed the results of the Morrisby Assessment which they took on Friday 2nd October. We have emphasized with the students on a number of occasions that the results from this, and other tools we use, are not to be considered conclusive in any way. The purpose of this assessment, and its attached report, and feedback from other tools we utilise are to open up and stimulate discussions about future study options and possible career pathways. We have found it to be very useful in helping students make informed decisions about their future.

Students and parents will also have the opportunity to discuss individual progress in academic subjects and seek advice and guidance for Post-16 study at the Year 11 Parents’ Consultation Evening on Wednesday 11th November.

Year 11 students will then have one-to-one discussions with their tutors in the week commencing the 16th November.  These meetings will be used to discuss Post-16 academic choices and future career pathways as well as set academic targets and discuss study strategies for the forthcoming IGCSE mock exams after Christmas. These meetings will also focus on individual student well-being.We hope that this consultation period will lead to informed and confident decision making and stimulate discussions between students, their parents and teachers.

Kind regards

Sian May                             Carlos Ortega
Head of Middle School     Head of Year 11