Does your school do a Year 9 options evening?

[CharismaticMegafauna]

DS is in Year 9 and will be choosing his options by late February.

I assumed there would be an options evening where we could chat to the teachers about the different subjects and choices, but there is nothing. We have online parents' evening next week (5 minutes per teacher). I think there will be some assemblies in school and there is an information booklet about the subjects online.

Would be interested to hear if other schools offer an in-person options evening - I remember going to one at my school back in the day and thought that most schools did them.

Dc1 no, just assembly, parents evening and then a booklet sent home.
Dc2/3 assembly, individual careers interview, power point sent home, parents evening week before a in person options evening and a booklet.
Honestly for mine it didn't make much difference they'd decided before options evening.

Yes, our school has an in person options evening scheduled.

Yes

Yes. Only for options subjects - there's a parents evening around the same time for all subjects

Yes, sort of, it was last term & was called a “future pathways” evening.

DD’s school

• Careers day near the start of the school year.
• Options booklet emailed out to parents, available on the school website and a printed copy given to pupils in January.
• Form time allocated to explaining the process with time for pupils to discuss with form tutor throughout January-February
• Teachers in every subject setting aside class time to discuss the subject at GCSE with time for one-one questions and answers in January.
• Assembly for the whole year group mid January.
• Meeting for parents to go through the same info given to the pupils earlier that day in their assembly. (PowerPoint of said meetings then emailed out to parents afterwards)
• One to one careers interviews between pupils and a member of the school careers team end of January.
• Full reports sent out mid January.
• Parent-teacher consultations early February.
• Choices forms submitted late February.

School I used to work in.

• Options booklet available on the school website and a printed copy given to pupils in January.
• Teachers in every subject meant to set aside class time to discuss the subject at GCSE in January. (Some are better at this than others)
• Options fair for pupils to attend with their parents in early February.
• Full reports out just before half term.
• Parent-teacher consultations the week after half term.
• Choices forms submitted 2 days after parent-teacher consultations.

Options fair is a whole song and dance but it doesn’t give pupils or parents the chance to really speak one to one, and without individual careers interviews the only time to have those personalised conversations is trying to catch a teacher at break or lunch.

I definitely prefer my DD’s school’s way of
doing things - less style, more substance

Some schools combine it with a parents evening.

Ie options talk by the head at 6,6:30,7,730 etc and you attend in between/as well as appointments.

Most schools do a lot by paper/email these days.

My most recent school had individual 1:1 meetings with deputy heads of year as well had pathways and not all students were allowed to do all subjects.

The Parents Evening in March is called Parents Evening/Options event. I've no idea what it will be like

They do try to have taster lessons of any new subjects as well. (Plus one of the most popular, Animal Care, is on the rotation in Yr9)

Thanks all, it appears there is quite a lot of variation I how schools arrange things.

Yes, for the school my DC attend.

For DC1, they did their option choices in year 8. There was an option afternoon for students only to speak to various teachers and we also had an in person option evening for students and parents which began with a presentation in the sports hall before having the opportunity to discuss options with both the head of subjects and subject teachers plus students taking the subjects. There was also a booklet with all the info as well. Option choices were submitted by online form and there was about a 2/3 week window to complete it.

The school has now moved back to doing option choices in year 9 but the process is the same and it all takes place after March. I believe that in year 9 taster sessions for some of the options that aren’t on the timetable (e.g. economics, psychology, etc.) are available as well.

Nope, no special event, only parents' evening (a couple weeks after Easter/Spring term reports) and a week of "taster lessons". Also they do options picking quite late, in May.

Yes ours did. Was really useful. Presentation to parents about how gcse choices worked (plus other non gcse options) and then a set of tables all around the hall with teachers from each subject, info about subjects, past papers, textbooks, curriculum etc. Plus a corner of visiting sixth form colleges etc. Kids looked around the tables while we were in the presentation (which they’d had in assembly) then we joined them for options browsing. Was good as it let them consider choices independently of us, but also gave us a chance for input and listening. Also had booklets etc and a fair bit of time before needing to put final choices in.

Ds3 has an in person options evening for parents, a booklet you can download on the school website and there is quite a lot going on at school just for the pupils as well.

Yes ours was a parents presentation and then each subject had displays and teachers on hand to discuss each option. Quite a big event. But they do offer over 50 options and some schools don't. Part of several weeks of things they put on for pupils. Big state school.

Ours have an options evening in late April followed by parents evening in early May and the options deadline in mid May.

They have been having some assemblies and talks and trial lessons in a couple of subjects that are new to them.

State boys grammar school.

Yes, ours is in a couple of weeks, not sure what it entails yet.

DD’s has held several assemblies and careers sessions during last term. She thinks there are a few more planned as well.

Then it’s parents evening first week of March (online) and Options Workshops the second week of March. No idea what the latter entails yet but it’s an evening event so I assume for parents and kids. Options have to be submitted by end of March. Teaching in some subjects starts in the summer term ( or has already in maths and science I think).

Yes, along with assemblies and presentations for parents.

And big booklets with a description of the content etc of each subject, where it can lead to, what type of student should look at it, what they go well with etc.

Yes, my son's school Options evening is in March. We will go as a family (me, husband, son). His school also provide a lot of information online as well. I think we have Parents Evening in March too, so it coincides with the Options evening.

Yes they do (alongside other stuff like careers fair, option assembly just for kids in school time, parents evening, booklet etc).