Year 9 - 2022/2023 Support Thread

[QueenMabby]

Hi
Having got a lot out of the thread for my ds who's just finished year 11 I though I'd start one for anyone wanting support/chat about dcs in year 9 from September.

Some schools will be starting GCSE syllabi this year and for those that don't there'll be options later in the year.

I have a dd starting year 9 in September. Her favourite subjects are languages and chemistry. We've not taken gcse options yet - that joy is to come.

I’d like to join please. I have DS starting Year 9 in September. They still do a full curriculum at his school in Year 9 - there is a meeting about GCSE options in Feb. He doesn’t have any favourite subjects yet really so still very undecided about options.

Hi, my DD goes into yr9 in September. They also do the full curriculum (ish). They’ve chosen/dropped a language and some ‘arts’. She’s dropped French, music and DT. But still has 3 languages, 3 humanities and 3 arts plus the usual maths, English, sciences. Seems like a lot. She’s wanting to do 9 GCSEs despite school suggesting 10. She’ll also choose in February.

I have one just going into Year 9 - she's my second and is currently in a sort of halfway house between GCSE options and not.

So she's picked her arts subjects
Drama
Dance BTEC
Music (after school )

and her language
Latin
She may end up also doing Spanish as a community language because she already speaks it.

but hasn't chosen between history and geography or whether she's doing triple science.

She's never had a dance lesson in her life so I've no idea how this BTEC will go (teachers assure me it will be fine). She only picked it because music was suddenly pulled from the curriculum.

Fingers very much crossed!

DS will be starting Yr 9 in September too and actually just starting Senior School, he was at a prep before. GCSEs not chosen yet, he's really excited for Year 9 and so am I :)

We're excited too.
DD made some option choices at the end of year 8 regarding subjects like art/DT/music etc but no gcse options until the Easter term I think.

Her school starts back on Monday 5th. What about anyone else's?

DD will be choosing options this year...when I was at school, taking 8 GCSEs was the norm.

What is current thinking? 8, 9 or 10?

At DD's school the norm is 10 but top set maths also do gcse further maths as an extra.
Dd currently wants to do everything so we'll have some narrowing down to do!

Here for it! Have name changed as well just cos it was time.

my DS is going into year 9, we’ve just moved from abroad so it’s his first year in a British school and he’s pretty nervous. His school starts GCSE this year which he’s a bit disappointed with. He’s doing 9: lit, Lang, maths, double science (maybe triple, not sure how that gets decided), mandarin, geography, photography and computer science

we did 11 in my day!!!

Yes please. DD as selected some choices, but not for GCSE's. She's decided on music, textiles, computer science and another that I can't remember.
She will sit one GCSE this year, and that's Philosophy and Theology, as her school likes them to get one out of the way.

@Citygirlrurallife - best of luck for your ds - will there be other new starters with him in year 9?

@aModernClassic - my dd is doing music too. There aren't many of them though. ☹️

Thanks @QueenMabby i don’t know - he did a taster week before summer ended and has met a few boys in his year in our village so it won’t be totally brand new - he’s still very nervous

First day back for dd. She had a good day and likes most of her teachers. None of her friendship group in her main teaching set but some in her maths set which is good.

Hope everyone else's dcs have a good start to the year.

DD also Y9... they picked options last year as have a 3 year GCSE track.

She's doing 8 plus a BTEC due to SEN.

Option choices were Music and Geography.

All but one teacher is a new one this year, which is both good and sad. Just wish I knew if they have the same teacher for 3 years or if they get new ones for Y10/11.

Dd2 back yesterday. Sad to see music not even actually on her timetable yet (they keep telling me they will take this afterschool option seriously but there's no sign of it yet) but she seems happy with other teachers etc. Pleased to see friends too.

She is probably taking 10 GCSEs plus one BTEC (unless she opts for combined science - which would involve dropping down a set).

Oof @minisnowballs - that's tough re the music. Dd says that in the whole of her year group there are only about a dozen taking it forward (she's one).

@OhCrumbsWhereNow - I expect that at least they'll have the same teachers for yrs 10 and 11. I'm not sure how it works on three year gcse tracks though.

Dd technically started gcse spec for sciences - they make them take all three individuals this year and then they can opt to do all three individuals or double combined for yrs 10 and 11.

Dd currently has a list of about 14 GCSEs she wants to do!

She's doing one (Classical Greek) off timetable and starts that next week and will sit the gcse at the end of yr 10 (2024). She also wants to do languages and all three individual sciences so it doesn't leave much other choice!

Gosh that is a hefty set of choices - and 14... wow. I was a Latin and Ancient Greek fan (even did the Latin at A level) and was rather sad DD didn't enjoy it at all.

We've been very lucky - music v popular choice and they're running at least 3 sets for it. I do hope your DD manages to get the out of school provision @minisnowballs

So far DD seems very happy - had her first session today for the BTEC subject and absolutely loves it and the teacher. Big relief as I rather chose that one for her!

Can I join? DS just started Y9 today. I can't imagine him doing his GCSEs next year so I think it's probably good that his school don't start them this year!

His cohort and school in general are, well, interesting might be a polite term. There's a new head this year after two years of disruption with the old head leaving suddenly, an interim head and then the new appointed buggering off after a year. So I'm hoping for some stability, an improvement in general behaviour (DS is fine on that score but finds it hard to concentrate at the best of times) and that maybe DS will start to apply himself a little bit!

My DS had his first day at his new school and was beaming when he got home - thank god! He was so nervous last night and this morning

Hello, pleased to see this!

DS started Year 9 yesterday. He's very happy. They're in sets for the first time and he's in set 1 for English and Maths, and set 2 for science but was told by the head science teacher he was nearly in set 1.

DS has ADHD and struggles with concentration (and occasionally behaviour when bored, hmm) and was finding chemistry hard. He should have been given extra time in the end of year 8 exam but wasn't, so that's something I have to raise with the SENCO. He's very motivated to work hard and get himself into set 1 for science and even said he'll ask DH for help with chemistry, which is unheard of. It is so great to see him taking school seriously; a big change from Year 7 and the first half of year 8!

He's very happy with all his teachers apart from one. Which is a situation that I need to keep an eye as its potentially concerning. I did a thread:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/4628223-teacher-not-speakingunderstanding-english-well

Aww - I did Classical Greek GCSE @QueenMabby - loved it. Never used it since except to decipher road signs when on holiday. My older daughter (Y11) is regretting Latin - finding it quite tough, I think with a mum with a classics degree their expectations of her are high (and she is quite good at spanish so it would have been easy). DD2 loves it though and she's in a class of 12... probably the smallest they would have allowed to run.

They don't always get to keep their teachers at her school - mainly if they leave. DD1 has a new maths teacher for Year 11 and some new science teachers too - though she's delighted by both. It's not always a bad thing - fresh perspective might be good.

She's also worried that they've moved the maths setting around - she's definitely clinging on by her fingernails to Set 1 - plenty of time for sets to change @TigersAndToucs...great he's taking science so seriously.

Meanwhile back in Year 9, DD2 has a 'very boring' maths teacher who sat at the front and informed then that 'I've seen your projections - I'm expecting xx number of nines. The rest of you will get 8s' .... which seemed a bit bonkers (at least he didn't tell them which ones!). He then made them sit in silence and complete five worksheets.

Re music. Fingers crossed. She does do a lot outside school though - got her membership confirmed for National Youth Orchestra Inspire yesterday (which is free - woohoo!), and has a new out-of-school choir as well as everything else. She'll be busy!

And city girl - this is great news! You must be so relieved.

@minisnowballs that teacher sounds a peach!

That’s amazing she gets to do Latin in year 9. They didn’t teach Latin at my school but it’s a language I wish I’d been taught because it would have been useful professionally, and to understand the roots of many words.

DS isn’t starting GCSEs this year, at least not officially. They are being taught the sciences separately now though for the first time, which is good,

He loves music and it’s taught by one of his favourite teachers, so I’m really glad he’s still got it. His school has dropped computer science though which is no loss for DS.

@MoMuntervary sorry to hear your DS has had such disruption at his school. It sounds familiar to one I know of. Are you in London? Feel free to answer by PM if you prefer.

Thanks Tigers not London, though it is an inner city comp. Seems to be a lot of changes in leadership/high staff turnover in schools in general at the moment. Unfortunately teaching is a hard profession to be in right now and our kids are suffering the side effects of staff drop out/burn out. I wonder if this might be a partial explanation for your concerns about your DS's new teacher. Maths is particularly tricky to recruit for....

Still the new head seems good so far and DS came back happy yesterday - onwards and upwards!

Do most schools say what order the sets are in and tell you which set your child is in?

DD's have set since Y7 for a lot of subjects (they sit banding tests as part of the application process) but it's so huge I have never managed to work out even how many sets there are, and school are very cagey about saying things like top, middle or bottom.

I kind of know who the very academic ones in DD's friendship circle are, and the ones who are more likely to need a bit of help, and I have managed to work out a rough idea of where her set is based on who else is in it!

DD is clever, but has significant SEN - a massive part is that she needs things explained over and over in a very structured way initially, plus poor working memory and dyslexia, so needs a class with plenty of kids who are focused and interested so she doesn't get overly distracted, but not one that goes at break-neck speed.

She aced the banding tests (all NVR) and ended up in top-set Maths in Y7 which was an 'interesting' experience for all. Luckily school seem to notice these things and moved her to a better class for her needs before her confidence got dented.

I'm just praying they've picked the right ones for her this year.

DS had his first day back today and am already trying not to be in a hormonal grump. School lunch payment system is not accepting payments and the school response is ‘just keep trying’. Year 9 have always been taught as separate sciences with the GCSE science curriculum starting in Year 9 (even though options don’t start until Year 10). But for some reason there are no separate sciences showing on the timetable, just ‘science’ with no communication about the change in approach. First world problems I know but I wish they would just let us know about the change and the rationale for it. Plus DS has spent 90% of his weekly allowance on his first day back which means I know he will spend the next 3 days nagging me for a top-up. Work is a pile of problems. Very grumpy today.

@Circleoffifths - that's frustrating. I'd be inclined to resist top ups as a valuable lesson in budgeting!

@OhCrumbsWhereNow - DD's school only sets for maths, and only from year 8. dd is in the top set. Otherwise everything else is in mixed ability classes. However her school is academically selective so there's not a massive range in ability.

@TigersAndToucs - I've read your thread about the maths teacher. Nothing constructive to add except to say definitely keep an eye. When I was at school (many moons ago!) I had a lovely lovely biology teacher. She was Greek. Her accent was so strong that I struggled to follow some of the lessons and it did impact my work.

DD has got a place on a girls in STEM trip next week which she's very excited by. I am too as it's free!!