Year 9 - what to expect

[minesawine]

Hi all. I asked this question for my DS when he was about to start Year 8 and got some really helpful responses.

He is now moving up to year 9 and I would be really interested to hear the MN views of what to expect from this year. I found year 8 much less stretching for him than year 7 and felt that he did not take his work/homework as seriously as he could, leaving everything to the day before, where he had been quite good in year 7. Despite this he has done really well and got high level 7's and a couple of level 8's for his end of year exams.

What can I expect from year 9. We have had no communication from the school apart from them saying he will start some GCSE's in year 9 and others in year 10. Is this normal? Also what about his options? When do they choose them and how many can they take. You hear about some children taking 10 or more GCSE's. How do they fit that many into a school week.

Finally, does the studying and homework go up a gear? Is he in for a big shock. He does need a kick up the bum because he is bright but very lazy. Is this the year it happens?

In my DS's school they do the science GCSEs over 3 years rather than two and so start the courses in year 9 but finish in year 11 as normal.

GCSE choices were made around February I think. If you've been given the school calendar or can look at it on the website you may find that there is a year 9 parents' evening and / or GCSE options evening in the Spring term. The deadline for making the choices was quite soon afterwards for us. It is usual for a number to be compulsory. For us it was maths, two English GCSEs, three sciences, a language and a humanity, but this varies according to school.

Teachers told me that year 9 can be a tricky year in terms of boys' behaviour in school, but that they settle down a lot in year 10.

I have checked with the school and they said information will be sent out in year 9. So I have to wait.

It is not private, just a very good secondary, with poor communications with parents

Hopefully his behaviour will be ok as I have had a year of teenage strops and am hoping to be at the end of that stress.

I will give him 'the talk' over the summer and perhaps offer a bribe!

Towards the end of year 9 they can loose heart in the subjects they are not carrying forward and it can be pretty hard to motivate them.

It does vary, but, IME (I have a ds just finished his A-levels and a dd in Yr10, at different schools, both ordinary state comps) Yr 8 is a bit of a 'relaxed' year.
Not that I ever noticed any 'ranking up' of homework with either of mine - particularly ds.
They choose their options in Yr9 - in both my dcs cases, around Feb 1/2 term, but in reality, there's not a huge amount of choosing to be done by the time you've ruled out a couple you don't want to or ruled in one you definitely want to do.
Some schools now move on to their next year timetable after the public exams finish in June - so Yr 9 might start their Yr 10 work then, but I don't think it's that common for them to be starting GCSE work early anymore - the move is all towards final exams now, not lots of individual module takes and retakes, or that much controlled assessment (although there is some).

HTH

DD1 will be starting her GCSE courses - school are doing them over 3 years, not 2. She has chosen her options and is happy with them, and even happier to lose a lot of subjects she doesn't like.

There are no more SATs in Yr 9 and haven't been for some time now.

DD2 has found Yr8 challenging, she was placed in a 'super set' and has really had to work for her marks. Marking has been much harsher too, but that's good preparation for whatever the Man Gove comes up with next, I suppose.

You really need to talk to the school.
If you have had no communication regarding options then it would seem that options are selected at the end of year 9 into year 10 when they start GCSE. This would also suggest that core subjects start GCSE in year 9. Dependent upon the school this could mean nothing: 2 year KS3, 3 year KS4 rather than vice versa - basically meaning they do all exams at end of year 11.
However, science can be different with exams taken at different points throughout the 3 years (9/10/11). Even English and Maths (though normally only for higher achievers) could be taken early.
Talk to the school and understand what your child is being subjected to.

Y9 is traditionally the year group teachers dread, so maybe some decline in attitude and behaviour from your child and their peers.
Although I have had a few teachers say recently now that the end of Y8 is worse than Y9 nowadays.

If DS1 was anything to go by, you can expect a complete lack of motivation in the subjects he isn't continuing to GCSE.

As a parent, I found Y9 very disjointed. The GCSE courses all started at different points during the year. Biology, Chemistry & Physics started in December, English in February, German and History in June..

No kick up the bum here Y9 was pretty much a repeat of Y8 as far as work levels are concerned

Ds started science and maths GCSEs but will be doing them over three years so taking the exams in Y11

No more h/w than in Y8 - most weeks he had less than his Y6 sister. Once options are chosen he took his foot off the pedal for the subjects he was dropping (can't blame him!)

Allegedly it will all go up a gear next year but tbh ds1 didn't start pulling his finger out until after his (disastrous) mocks