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.

We have an options evening next week and then the form has to be in by March 1st. At DS’s school by the time they take the compulsory subjects they have 2 ‘free’ choices. At the moment he is thinking of music and economics.

@MissyB1 does he do sport out of school? Ds2 did gcse pe and they needed to do out of school sport which had to be filmed amongst other things.

@QueenMabby yes I know but Ds won't take the art that seriously, I should think for those wanting high grades then Art is more serious.

I've found out this eve that out of the 4 choices ds will only study 2 of them. Plus history or geography. Ds has put his choices in already, though he can edit them. He's put computer science, business studies, Art and psychology.

I do think it'a good to have at least one more practical subject.

DS didn't do comp sci but did ICT instead as it was less intensive and had a big practical element.

Dd likely to do music as her more practical subject - if we can find a slot for it!

Ds's choices have already been submitted. He didn't take long to choose. Out of history and geography he chose geography. Then he's put in preference order, computer science, business studies, psychology and Art. He will get given 2 of those 4. He won't know until the end of March. He's fairly sure he will be doing computer science as the teacher suggested it to him. There has been a lot of complaining on our school parents Facebook page at the fact they only have the 2 choices, plus the humanity choice. One mum moaning because she thinks computer science is core subject that they all need to do and they've said her dd should do something else. Maybe ICT skills could be a lesson without an exam. But I think computer science is quite a difficult one. Another few parents saying they don't want their dc's taking a language. I quite enjoy reading people complaining about stuff.

We had our GCSE options evening yesterday. It was interesting although didn't really change DS's mind on anything.
He's choosing Geography over History. He wants to do Triple Science, and the school should be ok with that given his last test results. Only 2 other "free choices", and it's looking like it will be PE and Music. He's both sporty (plays club cricket, cycling and running with a club) and sciency, so PE GCSE is a good fit, plus he has grade 6 in piano so in with a good shot for Music. I kind of wish he'd take DT, but that's going to be his reserve.

It's interesting about the comp science...DS is in the top set in maths, but he is bottom of the class in comp science. He doesn't enjoy it apparently because it's "boring", although the other day he told me it's getting a bit better for him and he likes the coding they've been doing recently.
I always thought he'd go into a field of Maths/Computing, but he still can if he wishes to even if he doesn't take GCSE Comp Science.

Seems like the positive with music gcse is the very small class sizes, only 6 students in the current year 10 in DS's class!

DS's school I mean.

Looks like good choices @DataColour and @icanbewhatiwant.

We're still undecided. DD's school has a late options deadline - our options evening is not til early next month.

Dd has as definites:

Maths
English lang
English lit
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Spanish
Latin

Then two choices left from:

German
History
Music

Much to-ing and fro-ing and a definite decision won't be made until after the options evening.

I suspect she may drop music which would be the "head" decision but would be tough emotionally. She plays piano and cello and sings so it would be (baring disasters) an easy one for her to do BUT she knows she doesn't want to do it for A-level whereas the languages/classics are contenders for further study. We've had a lot of snotty crying and stress over it and so we're trying not to think of it now until after half term!

Hope everyone else's dcs are having an easier time. My ds was a breeze so this is a bit of a shock...

We’ve had the option blocks and form sent home, but the meeting about it is next week. He’s at a smaller school and they don’t actually have that many subjects to choose from, and it is a bit limited with what combinations are possible. It is looking likely his 4 choices will be French, Geography, triple science and history.

@Eccle80 that is a small limit isn't it. French and science is compulsory at ds's school. As is either history or geography, they can't do both either. Then they have 2 extra choices.

@icanbewhatiwant they have 5 compulsory (maths, 2 English and double science), then do 4 others picked from 4 blocks, where I thought the combinations were a bit odd really. Doing triple science takes up one of the choices, and history and geography are separate blocks so you can do both or neither, whereas I know they are often set against each other.

It's weird how the schools all do it differently. Do you not have a compulsory language? I thought all schools had to do that now. Citizenship gcse is also compulsory at ds's school too. He'd rather not do that.

Not compulsory although they are encouraged to take a language and the only alternative in the block with French is a vocational qualification rather than GCSE. I haven’t heard of citizenship as a GCSE before

I'd like to join please. Been looking for a Yr 9 thread for ages.

@Oblomov23 👋

@icanbewhatiwant
I can't believe you never tagged me, you bugger.

ican, as she said, she and I have dc the same age, and we are on a lovely now Uni dc thread with our older dc, which started pre GCSE's, and we've both been hoping /looking for a similarly lovely Year 9 thread.

@Oblomov23 sorry. I didn't know I could tag you if you weren't actually on the thread. This one has been fairly quiet until the past week or so, no doubt will pick up as the months go on. So I would have told you about it. I've been on the 2 uni threads for many years and they have been very supportive. It will be great to have one for my youngest too.

❤️

Forgiven

It’s funny how a few of us have similar aged children and pop up on the threads! Hope your DS is enjoying his uni course @Oblomov23 my eldest DD is 2nd year PwC apprentice now, which they’ve bizarrely ceased. Middle DD applying for uni and looking at apprenticeships. And youngest DD has just chosen her options. She’s choosing to do 9 rather than the usual 10.
Maths, English lit, English Lang, German, History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Food & Nutrition. They don’t have blocks at their school and they can choose as many arts, humanities etc as they like. They do encourage at least one language and one humanity. My middle one did triple science, 2 languages and both geography & history (plus maths & the two English) but all ten was quite a bit of work.

Can I join in please?!

I've got one in year 9 and another in first year Uni * waves at other uni parents

My year 9 has just started his GCSE's - History, Geography, RS and Business studies (yes he loves the humanities )

Hi sofa welcome
our GCSEs don’t start til next year but I think a lot of schools start them in yr9 - did they have to choose in yr8 then?

@NotDonna Good to see you. Hope dd is ticking along nicely. I did not know that they had ceased. What a huge shame. I wonder what prompted that?

@sofakingcool Good to see you too faking.

So, I got ds2's school report today, all fine. And an options booklet. We have a parents options meeting beginning of March. And parents evening end of feb. He's already decided and as per usual is very laid back.

i often get ppls names wrong but I thought so faking cool was sofa king cool 🙄