Montsaye Academy Year 9 Options Booklet 2024 by FSE Design

YEAR 9 OPTIONS BOOKLET 2024

Principal’s Introduction

Welcome to the next step on your academic journey. This is the first time in your school career that you have had the opportunity to choose the subjects that you study so it is important to make the most of this booklet and make informed choices. The decisions that you take now will significantly shape your future. We want to ensure that you leave school with excellent exam results and character to succeed in life. This booklet will guide you through the subjects and courses available to study at Key Stage 4.

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 student must study; further details regarding these subjects and their content can be found within this booklet. We have you at the forefront of our minds, as we create a broad and balanced curriculum that gives everyone the opportunity to be successful in a range of different pathways.

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

This is a very exciting time for all of you and I wish you the best of luck in the next steps you take. Please make sure you ask as many questions as you need to and listen carefully to the advice you are given.

Gopal Baria Acting Principal

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. Students will be selected to take the three separate sciences based on their ability and potential for success on this more demanding science route. Students taking Combined Science (Trilogy) who meet the entry requirements can still continue to A levels in their future education.

‘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

• Librarian

Assessment

• Journalism

• Marketing

English Language

Exam - 2 papers (Fictional and nonfictional writing)

• Writer

• Media opportunities

100%

English Literature

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

100%