Montsaye Academy Year 9 Options Booklet 2023

YEAR 9 OPTIONS BOOKLET 2023

Principal’s Introduction

We are very proud of all of our students at Montsaye Academy and as options approach we are keen that our children are supported to make good decisions about their future option choices and future careers. The values of Excellence, Resilience and Aspiration run through our provision and these are reflected in our curriculum offer and our approach to teaching and learning. We feel that making the correct decisions and choices is of vital importance. This booklet will guide you through the subjects and courses available to study in Key Stage 4. We hope that every pupil in Year 9 will make an informed choice of the subjects they would like to study. All students will be fully mentored by their form tutor and, along with your support, we are confident that they will all make informed choices regarding the subjects they wish to study.

Every student will have the opportunity to study a range of accredited subjects appropriate to their needs and potential. This includes the core curriculum of subjects which every child must study; further details regarding these subjects and their content can be found within this booklet. We have your child at the forefront of our mind, as we create a broad and balanced curriculum that gives every student the opportunity to be successful in a range of different pathways, including GCSEs.

This booklet has been put together to help you and your child gain more information on the courses that we offer. We hope that you will have a chance to read the booklet with your child and discuss the choices available. Your child should also be seeking help from their tutor and subject teachers, who will offer advice and guidance on the most appropriate courses. We look forward to supporting your child through their options process and beyond.

Meena Gabbi

Subject Information

Core Subjects

There are three ‘core subjects’ that all students have to study at Key Stage 4 which are taken as GCSEs, these subjects are:

• English

• Maths

• Science

All schools are required to provide religious and sex and relationships education at Key Stage 4 but students don’t have to take GCSEs in these subjects.

How to choose your Optional Subjects

Many year 9 students won’t know what career they will eventually go into, and if this is the case, it makes sense to choose a broad range of subjects as possible. If there is a career that you have in mind, or there is a certain subject that you want to study at GCSE, try looking at the entry requirements for University or other training in that area.

“What am I good at?”

Look back at your assessment results – which subjects did you do particularly well in? This is a good starting point for your choices. You should also look at how each course is assessed; is it mainly exam based or does it contain a large amount of coursework?

“What do I want to learn?”

Each subject guide contains an overview of the subject content and the skills that you will develop. Choose subjects that you want to study and are interested in. If you’re still not sure what the course involves, ask the teacher for more information.

“I know exactly what job I want to do!”

If you already have an idea of the career path you want to follow, it’s still important to remember that you might change your mind. Pick subjects that will give you a range of career options in the future.

Common Mistakes

Picking subjects solely because your friend has chosen them, or because you like a particular teacher is not wise. It is important to pick subjects that you enjoy and are good at as you want to secure the best possible grades.

English Baccalaureate subjects at GCSE

We are committed to offering a curriculum which provides a broad, balanced, relevant and personalised learning experience for all our students.

The government, employers and universities have recognised that while it is important to offer students a curriculum which meets their needs and interests, it also crucial that doors are not closed off to them in terms of future progression; for example, for students hoping to go to university.

The Russell Group of top universities has identified ‘facilitating subjects’ at A Level i.e. subjects which are most likely to be required or preferred for entry to degree courses and ones that will keep the most options open. The subjects the Group identifies are those which the government has also included in a group of subjects at GCSE which it has termed the ‘English Baccalaureate’ (EBacc) subjects. These are:

• English Language

• Mathematics

• Sciences (Combined Science; Triple Science - Biology, Chemistry and Physics)

• Geography and history

• Languages (classical and modern)

In order to ensure that our students are prepared as fully as possible for their adult life, Montsaye Academy took the decision that all students are required to opt for Geography or History (as well as the core curriculum of English Language, English Literature, Mathematics and combined or triple Science) as one of their GCSE options.

Students will be able to choose freely for their remaining three options. You may be preselected to take triple science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) as you have shown potential to be successful in these subjects at key stage 3.

‘Achieving the EBacc’

While the EBacc collection of subjects is not a qualification in itself it is increasingly recognised as a measure of student achievement both by employers and universities. These are the subjects most likely to be required or preferred for entry to degree courses and ones that will keep the most options open.

The EBacc will be achieved by students who achieve Grade 4 or above in English Language, Mathematics, two Sciences, a modern foreign language (French) and a humanity subject (Geography or History).

We would therefore strongly encourage students that have shown a potential to achieve well in French to take it at GCSE to secure the EBacc.

English Language and Literature

I am good at /enjoy…

• Reading (fiction and non-fiction) for enjoyment

• Learning about different time periods and literary movements

• Being creative; using my imagination to express my ideas through different forms of writing

• Relishing opportunities to challenge my thinking through debating big ideas and looking at ideas from a different perspective

I want to learn…

• How to articulate my ideas; verbally through using oracy and clearly in writing

• How to analyse insightfully; developing my skills in inference

• How to think critically

• How to craft my writing for different audience and purposes

• To broaden reading experience by studying a range of fiction and non-fiction

Careers & options in the future...

• Teacher

• Journalism

• Writer

• Librarian

• Marketing

• Media opportunities Assessment

English Language

Exam - 2 papers (Fictional and nonfictional writing)

English Literature

Exam - 2 papers (P1 - Shakespeare and 19th Century Novel, P2Modern texts and Poetry)

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