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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Year 9 - 2022/2023 Support Thread

339 replies

QueenMabby · 23/08/2022 17:25

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.

OP posts:
FeinCuroxiVooz · 21/02/2023 23:39

@minisnowballs thank you too - and really sorry for the difficult time you and your family are going through.

Original poster
QueenMabby · 22/02/2023 08:32

@FeinCuroxiVooz - welcome. Like other pps i think it's highly unlikely that 48 hours will make a difference to your dc's option choices. It'll all be fine.

@minisnowballs - I know I said it on the other thread but I am sorry for your loss. Hope DD's cello turns up and I'm glad she had a good time at her residential.

OP posts:
Oblomov23 · 22/02/2023 12:02

Mini, so very sorry to hear of your loss. How are you baring up atm?

minisnowballs · 25/02/2023 22:37

@Oblomov23 thanks - I’m so so tired but we’re getting through it- struggling to work which is hard going when you’re self employed. Dds seem mostly alright with occasional tears…they’ve not seen my dad yet but he’s coming tomorrow and then it may really hit home

NotDonna · 26/02/2023 09:15

Hope today goes ok for you and your family mini. Sending love and strength.

Original poster
QueenMabby · 02/03/2023 21:00

Hi @minisnowballs - hope you're doing ok. Have been thinking of you this week.

OP posts:
minisnowballs · 03/03/2023 06:49

Thank you @QueenMabby we are doing ok- dd1 has got mocks finished (phew) and has written her eulogy for her grandma for Thursday’s funeral.

Dd2 continues to vacillate over whether she will take a boarding specialist music place for September (what a time for her funding to come through)- she would need to re pick all her gcse options for example
but I think she is leaning towards going.

i am completely exhausted-
partly because I’m back to trying to work as well as doing all the sad admin that comes with loss, and things had built up. But it is good to have something else to think about.

Hope others are doing ok. At least evenings are lighter and spring is in the air!

Original poster
QueenMabby · 03/03/2023 11:10

Ah @minisnowballs it sounds like a tough time all round. Sending you very unmumsnetty hugs and Flowers.

What a dilemma (albeit a nice one!) for dd2. Does the specialist school offer the same GCSEs that she had already chosen at her current school?

Ours have to be in by Sunday and dd is 99% decided 🙄. Gutttingly it looks like she won't be taking music at GCSE. She just doesn't have a space and while she loves performing she doesn't love the analysis/technical element enough for it to oust German, Latin or History from their spots so I think they will be her choices (along with all three sciences, Spanish and the usual English and Maths).

We had success in the Intermediate Maths challenge with dd getting a Gold Certificate and a spot in the next round. She was the top scorer in her year pipping her arch-nemesis (and good friend!) by one mark!

She has a play next week and a music concert so hopefully those will be enjoyable rewards after the stress of options. Has everyone else's dcs made their choices by now?

OP posts:
IThinkIMadeItWorse · 03/03/2023 11:34

Well done to your DD @QueenMabby sounds like she did really well!

Options form all submitted here. She had to put not just a second choice but also a third preference which we weren't expecting but hopefully it shouldn't come to that! Not sure when we will hear confirmation, probably after Easter? DS (now year 12) was in year 9 in 2020 so I can't remember when we heard for him.

How is everybody doing with the strike days? DD was home for the first one but in school on Wednesday this week. She will be home again on the 15th and 16th but not sure how much work school will set, they have said we can take them on educational trips if we want but there is also a train strike on the 16th! Perhaps we might wander to a local museum.

minisnowballs · 03/03/2023 12:01

That's amazing @QueenMabby - i don't think a single person in dd's year got above silver (plenty of golds further up) but it's not a selective school. She must be thrilled.

Shame about music but she does plenty anyway...

DD2 would do fewer options (because so much music) so it would mean a cut in numbers of GCSEs, She doesn't currently do an MFL (she does speak spanish reasonably well for a non-native, but chose Latin instead) and I can't quite work out how that will work with options at a smaller school - it feels weird to have to discuss this with them without having accepted an offer yet.

We had a lovely strike day. DD1 was in doing mocks but DD2 and I went musical instrument shopping. They set no work for her, but she did her homework so at least that's something!

Original poster
QueenMabby · 04/03/2023 08:39

Glad you had a good day @minisnowballs Was it a new flute for dd2?

DDs options are in. She is taking:
Eng x2
Maths
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Spanish
German
Latin
History.

Music has been dropped. The head of music has offered to take her to gcse off timetable which worried me a bit as dd a joiner and has form for over committing herself but dd sensibly says that as she's already doing Greek off timetable she won't have enough time. Phew!

Glad we can forget about this for a while now.

OP posts:
minisnowballs · 06/03/2023 11:44

@QueenMabby so many languages! She'll be sought after when she's older! Hope everyone else is working through their options choices happily too.

The flute shopping is, er, expensive. However, because DD is at state school she can buy through school and get the VAT off, which will help. I'd no idea flutes were so complex, or that you could spend so much.

iamthankful · 10/03/2023 08:26

QueenMabby · 04/03/2023 08:39

Glad you had a good day @minisnowballs Was it a new flute for dd2?

DDs options are in. She is taking:
Eng x2
Maths
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Spanish
German
Latin
History.

Music has been dropped. The head of music has offered to take her to gcse off timetable which worried me a bit as dd a joiner and has form for over committing herself but dd sensibly says that as she's already doing Greek off timetable she won't have enough time. Phew!

Glad we can forget about this for a while now.

your DD's choices are a bit similar to my DS, he does 4 languages now but will drop German for GCSE

Eng x2
Maths
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Spanish
Greek
Latin
RS
History.

He'll take Latin GCSE in Year 10.

Oblomov23 · 10/03/2023 08:35

Year 9 Options Evening last night. We now have 2 weeks to fill in the form, to choose ds2's options. He's mostly sorted, but undecided about whether to take GCSE PE or Cambridge (BTec) PE.

Circleoffifths · 10/03/2023 08:43

DS sent his options in a couple of weeks ago:

Eng x 2
Maths
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Spanish
Geography
Music
Economics

And possibly further maths but the school decides that after the end of year exams I think.

I will be glad to see the back of Year 9. Have found years 7-9 tricky with both my DCs and also remember it being an uneasy time when I was at school. Once the options kick in and you’re not forced to take subjects you dislike any more it feels better. Plus I think lots of young people mature a bit by Year 10 and friendships sort of settle down.

icanbewhatiwant · 10/03/2023 11:14

I was quite surprised ds3 just got in with it. Filled out what he wanted to take without really consulting me. Today is the last day they can change their minds. Computer science is now his favourite subject. So I hope he gets his first choice. I don't think he's bothered about second choice so much. They are doing regular tests for science. Only the top set will do triple science. Ds1 really wanted to do triple science, so worked hard to make top set (leading onto his biology degree) Ds2 wasn't science minded at all, so just took combined. Ds3 seems to want to take all 3. But he's not that bothered.
I wonder when we will find out the subjects.

@Oblomov23 Ds's1 and 2 had to do either gcse pe or b-tech. Thankfully they've dropped that now. They can do gcse pe still. But not b tech. Ds3 won't want to do it for gcse.

Original poster
QueenMabby · 10/03/2023 12:35

@iamthankful - my dd will take Greek at the end of year 10!

She may pick up music then for year 11 off timetable but that will give her 13 GCSEs as she'll also do further maths. I think 13 is too many, but what do I know? I'm only a parent!

OP posts:
Oblomov23 · 13/03/2023 15:43

Options evening Thursday. 1/2 an hour meeting for all parents. Then off to the see subjects. Spent most of the time talking to PE and Business to help ds2 decided whether to take GCSE or BTec in both.

Finally submitted his Option Form yesterday. What a relief.

Also had to do an extra form for Business. Now have to wait and pray for him to get allocated GCSE in said PE and Business, rather than the BTec.

He chose (most are compulsory)

(They also have to do PE and PSHE, as do you all I assume)

Maths
English Lit
English Language
Triple Science
Spanish
RE
Geography
Business
PE

And a reserve of Food Prep and nutrition (incase he doesn't get PE or Business, which is unlikely) but would actually go nicely with PE, plus in future probable A'level Biology, (he had to have this for anything sporty or going to uni, which he isn't keen, but ds1 told him loads of his friends couldn't get into say Sporty Loughborough because they never had Biology) because he is sporty and wants to do something sporty, say being a physio. Basically what all the boys in his year want!, to work for one of the Top Premier teams. I keep explaining him to him that the chances of him ever working for Chelsea/Arsenal/Spurs is slim-to-none.

MissyB1 · 13/03/2023 16:13

@Oblomov23
thats pretty similar to my ds choices, except he's doing double science and no language but Drama instead. He's put History and RS as his resrves. All the boys in his year want to start their own business, that business class is going to be very full ha ha!

Quartz2208 · 17/03/2023 16:39

Hello joining. DD has picked beyond the compulsory ones Spanish History Geography and Textiles plus has a half R/S

Original poster
QueenMabby · 17/03/2023 21:38

Welcome @Quartz2208 What's a half r/s?

OP posts:
NotDonna · 25/03/2023 00:16

How is everyone doing?
Despite DD3 putting in her choices prior to Feb half term, school have agreed today to let her drop the MFL. She’s delighted and now doing Maths, English x2, science x3, History, PE and Food & Nutrition. So 9 GCSEs rather than the school’s usual 10, which will give her a free to do the very useful extra study.

Original poster
QueenMabby · 25/03/2023 08:18

That's good news @NotDonna. My ds loathed mfl but it's compulsory at our school and he had a miserable time of it. Much netter to do fewer subjects and enjoy them.

Dd on the other hand is doing two MFL and two "dead" languages but is thrilled to be dropping RS which I know some schools require.

Dd carrying on plodding on. This year feels a bit weird now gcse options are in - slightly like we're just waiting for the "real" school to start!

OP posts:
NotDonna · 25/03/2023 08:28

I was really surprised as also thought MFL compulsory but equally thought worth an ask as she seriously struggles. My eldest would have been much better off with no mfl - it’s quite a blip on her otherwise high grade profile. My middle one is decent at languages and did two. They’re all different and I’m pleased school has recognised this and allowing her to play to her strengths. She doesn’t find school easy so nine will be more achievable.

NotDonna · 25/03/2023 08:32

I think religious education is a government requirement isn’t it? Doesn’t have to be gcse though. It’s not a compulsory gcse at ours thankfully. At DD1’s old school they did gcse RS a year early, as an extra really, parents were told that it worked better than mocks in giving the students a real feel for what GCSEs were like. I’m now thinking it may have been a half gcse so didn’t really count as such. I’m a bit vague, but remember thinking it was a good idea at the time.