Y9-2024/2025

Resurrecting this quiet thread. I’m guessing all the DCs have submitted their options choices by now!

DD had exam week last week, so this half term break is a proper break as there is basically no homework. DD has decided to read about the Korean War and Afghan-Soviet War. She hasn’t even chosen history for GCSE! She’s doing plenty of relaxing too…

When do others find out whether they have got their GCSE options? DD thinks it won’t be until the last week of term, which the cynic in me thinks is to make sure they keep trying in all the other subjects in the meantime. Which is fair enough, I suppose!

I hope everyone is having a lovely half term break!

@PuttingDownRoots well done to your DD for making such good progress in English! I get the impression that that all-important ‘pass’ in English can be either Lang or Lit but doesn’t have to be both – is that correct?

Looking back to your comment about school trips, it does sound like your school is proactive! My DD has a France trip in the summer, but that’s all there is for Y9 as far as I can tell. I did ask the English teacher at parents’ evening whether they ever do theatre trips as Much Ado about Nothing will be on at the RSC at about the same time as the Y9s will be studying it, but she said that it’s too much expense and logistical challenge to offer such trips to 180 students… which I thought was a bit depressing! We’ve booked to go as a family anyway.

@Thesquaregiraffe I’m sure I’ve heard that GCSE CS isn’t a prerequisite for studying it at A-level or university, so hopefully nothing is lost in that direction. Do you feel that Business Studies is seen as a lesser option in some way?

It’s all happening so fast with options and even being examined on bits of the GCSE curriculum for @cwanne's DS! DD recently mentioned that they have started the GCSE science curriculum this year, and I know they do exam-style questions in their (frequent!) tests.

My DS has year 9 PPEs at the beginning of May. It’s set up as the first practice for GCSE. They picked most of their options at the end of year 8, except for choosing between history and geography, which they do at the end of this year. I think DS is getting rather fed up of hearing about GCSEs already! He is also hearing quite a lot about year 10 work experience.

GCSE options gone in here too... Mad how quickly GCSEs are coming around

We had parents evening and officially submitted choices last night. In the end they asked for three choices and 2 back ups.
And very proud of DD... she has gone up two "levels" in English this year already, and the teacher thinks she may go up a third. Her English predicted grade has therefore gone from 4 to 6. Literature still a bit ropey though.

All the schools seem to be so different. We had an earlier than usual report and parents evening and then an evening at the school (which was a bit pointless in my option).

My son has four subjects to choose and doesn’t have to take a language. They’re “encouraged” to not take both History and Geography but they can if they really want to but then choose a back up subject in case the timetable doesn’t work out, which is what my son is choosing to do. He’s also chosen Business Studies over computer science which I’m a bit disappointed with.

Its very difficult to offer advice on what subjects to concentrate on when he hasn’t a clue what he wants to do though.

The school seems to be going all out on trips this year. One or the other always seems to be off somewhere. Yr9 DD has been hill walking, two careers events and next week its "Girls in Stem" event. Her younger sister has been to London, the racecourse for maths, and tree planting. Not to mention they both have residential trips next term....

Yes, I think it nay be a grammar vs comprehensive thing. I vaguely knew about T levels but looks like I'll have a lot more research to do over the next couple of years! DD is bright but not superstar bright, plus dyslexia means she's heading for 6/7s at GCSE. We do think she'll be happier on a more coursework than exam based trajectory in the future. But doing the BTEC now won't rule out A levels in two years time. Shes doing separate sciences, Spanish and Geography alongside it .

That’s interesting, @PuttingDownRoots. DD’s school has advised them to choose what they enjoy, as it is rare for GCSE choices to limit further options. DD’s school does have a sixth form, as do most schools around here I believe, though there is quite a bit of movement between schools post-GCSE.

I don’t think DD’s school is very strong on career education. I suspect they rest on their laurels a bit as it’s a grammar school so they will assume that the vast majority will take the A-levels – university path. That’s a bit narrow minded these days though, especially with the costs associated with going to university!

Weve had two "careers" events (basically the post-16 options and the types of careers available, one in school which parents could go to after school and one for all the schools in the area, sixth forms are generally separate to schools here). Actually really useful as DD discovered T levels and found that the BTEC she was considering was needed for the course she wanted to do!

So we haven't formally chose yet, but she's pretty set on what she wants to do. They get three choices with no restrictions on humanities or languages.

@LetItGoToRuin He decided on Music, as he plays an unusual instrument that would be needed in compositions and ensembles by others doing music gcse so we thought he may as well get some credit. They also recently did composition using Sibelius (he hadn't done this before and was nervous) and it was easier than expected. Hope that helps.

Hi everyone – this thread has been quiet, so I hope no news is good news, and the DC are getting on well.

I know some of your DC have already picked their options, but DD's school is still in the thick of it. In the last few weeks, we’ve had an options evening at school, a written report and a progress evening (online.) In DD’s school they only get one full written report per year and one progress evening, and in Y9 they do them in March to help the DC make their choices.

Everyone does triple science (grammar school) so they have four options, one of which has to be a foreign language. Surprisingly, they don’t have to do a humanity. DD has been pretty set on French, Spanish, Music and RS for a while now, so we’re hoping the options form (to be released later today) allows for this combination!

@ScoutFinchMockingbird what did your DS decide between Music and German?

DH works away so we checked last month to try and block it in his diary... unfortunately unsuccessfully but we are used to checking for important dates!

Ours does an options evening and they also had info on the website that's there year round with run downs of the different courses and the various pathways open to the kids. They did extra sessions for the kids in assembly as well.

Hadn’t thought of looking on the school website but can now see it’s in the diary there for 13 Feb - can’t believe I didn’t think of looking there haha

thank you! 😀

Nothing official yet, but can see the Options night/parents evening on the school calendar.

A very general question here. Did your schools get in touch regarding choosing GCSE subjects or hold any sessions with parents on how to help/guide your child through the process? So far I haven’t heard a thing DS school but wasn’t sure if this is the norm?

Trying to decide between German as an extra language here (they have to do French) or Music. I am nervous of the amount of vocab needed for 2 languages. DS is nervous of the composition element in Music. Not sure what to do. He does well in both.

Hmm, if the MFL department struggles that much for staff it does put a different spin on it!

The other thing is DD is technically on the top set for both IT and Spanish currently. However the setting is actually based on their Maths and Science ability, and the top set had to switch from French to Spanish at beginning of Yr9 due to lack of French teachers. So she's only done Spanish for one term so far.