Year 9 Options Process

 Dear Parents/Guardians

The GCSE options process starts soon for Y9 students and we have planned a number of activities in order to guide the students in making their choices. We wanted to share our timeline with you early so that you were aware in advance of the upcoming events.

During December 2015 all Y9 students will begin preparing for the GCSE options process via their Global Thinking Skills lessons and year group assemblies.

The formal process will begin in January 2016 as follow:

Thursday 7^th January students will be off timetable during periods 4 and 5 for an extended presentation led by Mr. Greg Thornton (Vice Principal of Middle School) and Mrs. Sian May (Head of Middle School). New subject teachers have also been invited to talk about the various courses on offer and guide students to the right choices for each individual student. The day will conclude with a student question and answer forum.  During this afternoon students will be given a booklet titled ‘Options’ to help them understand this process in more depth. We would be extremely grateful if you could read this booklet and discuss the contents with your child.

Year 9 Parents’ evening will take place on Tuesday 12^th January and there will also an additional informal question and answer session for parents who would like further guidance on Wednesday 20^th January. Parents who wish to make individual appointments to see our Higher Education Counsellors at 12^th January Year 9 Parents’ Evening are welcome to do so. Our Higher Education Counsellors will also be available for the meeting on Wednesday 20^th January.

These choices can then be entered into GATEWAY via an online sign up. The GATEWAY sign up will open on 20^th January and needs to be completed by February 15th 2016.

The Options process in Year 9 is primarily intended to be a mechanism by which students are encouraged to reflect, evaluate and learn how to make decisions. The framework of the option choices has been designed in such a way that it ensures that whatever curricular choices a student makes for Years 10 and 11, that their studies will always be balanced, and excellent preparation for any further programme of study. It is therefore of paramount importance that students opt for subjects that interest them and that they think they will enjoy over the next two years.

We hope that this staged approach will lead to informed and confident decision making and stimulate discussions between students, their parents and teachers.

Kind regards

Mrs. Sian May                                              Ms. Mary Paciello

Head of Middle School                              Head of Year 9