Year 9 Transition to Key Stage 4

20th January 2022

Dear Parent/Carer,

Please find enclosed the GCSE subject preferences guide which provides you with curriculum information about the subjects that your daughter will be studying next year and a choice of subjects that she can choose to study next year.

As your daughter moves onto the next stage in her educational career she will be required to make some important decisions about the GCSE subjects she would like to study. Your daughter’s GCSE curriculum will be assessed under the new numerical grading system 9-1, with grade 9 being the highest grade and grade 1 being the lowest.

Please read the guide carefully to support the decision-making process.

Section 1 provides you with information about all six of the compulsory subjects your daughter will be studying over the next two years. The subject information informs you of the content that will be covered in the subject and how the subject will be assessed.

Sections 2 and 3 provide you with information about the fifteen different subjects that are on offer to your daughter and she will be required to select four of these subjects to study over the next two years.

The optional subjects have been categorised into three groups: the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) subjects, additional GCSE subjects and additional vocational Btec subjects that lead to GCSE qualifications.

The Ebacc subjects are core academic subjects that are most regularly asked for by university courses, so it would be important to keep this in mind when making your GCSE selection. In order to ensure your daughter has the Ebacc selection of GCSEs she will need to select the following alongside her core compulsory subjects: either History or Geography, and Spanish. She may wish to also select Computer Science and/or Separate (triple) Science if she wishes to pursue these subjects at A Level and university.

The additional optional subjects are a range of other GCSE subjects that can be studied based on your daughter’s interests which will provide breadth to her GCSE curriculum.

The additional vocational Btec subjects are optional subjects that lead to GCSE qualifications. Vocational qualifications offer a mix of practical and theoretical learning that is directly related to an area of employment.

At tonight’s Year 9 options evening there will be a presentation about the options process. You will be able to meet members of the senior leadership team and will have the opportunity to ask them any questions you might have.

Please remember that subject preferences will need to be made by completing and submitting the preference form by Wednesday 9th February 2022.

GCSE 2022 subject preferences form CLICK HERE

Yours faithfully,

Ms K Vishnuram
Deputy Headteacher

Year 9 Preference Guide Booklet

Year 9 Preference Presentation 2022