Introducing the options process to Year 9 students and their families
.png)
Dear parents and carers, I write to you as we approach one of the most exciting and important milestones in your child’s school career to date. In September, your child will be starting their GCSE courses and moving from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4.
On Wednesday 11th December we will be introducing this process to students in assembly and providing them with time to look around the options website.
We will be asking you to tell us your choices at a special event on Thursday 6th February 2025. Before then, we are asking you and your child to spend time reading the information we share with you and choosing your options.
All students at the academy follow the National Curriculum in Key Stage 3 and, as they move into Year 10, have some choice in the subjects that they would like to study further at Key Stage 4.
- All students will continue with core subjects (English, Maths and Science) as well as core PE.
- Students will be able to choose FOUR option subjects in total.
- One of the four must be chosen from this list: Computer Science, History, Geography, French or Spanish.
- Students still have three choices from an open range of over 15 subjects.
The decisions that you and your child make regarding these options may affect their future career pathway, therefore it is vital that both you and your child are fully informed about the learning pathways on offer at the academy.
Once students begin their studies in Year 10 we cannot change options for any students as all courses run over a full two years. As such, you and your child must be confident in the options chosen before the start of Year 10.
About the options process
The options website
We have created a special online page at https://sites.google.com/view/manc-options which is now live. It includes:
- an overview of the process
- a page for each option we offer - there are currently over 15 options available.
- copies of the resources we share with students, such as assemblies.
Drop in sessions
If you have trouble accessing the website at home, we will be offering drop-in sessions to allow you to look through the options information in the academy.
Ebacc Route
While we give students free choice in most of their options, we would like to strongly recommend that families consider the Ebacc route when choosing the courses students will study at Key Stage 4.
Ebacc (or English Baccalaureate) is a combination of GCSEs that may help your child get onto certain courses at both colleges and universities. Law and Medicine, for example, prefer applications from students who have taken the Ebacc.
The Ebacc consists of :
- Maths
- Science
- English Language and Literature
- Geography or History
- A Modern Foreign Language (e.g. French or Spanish).
Students following this would still have 2-3 other choices to make from our wide selection of subjects.
Save the date: Options Evening, Thursday 6th February 2024, 4.00pm – 6.00pm.
We will be hosting an Options Evening on Thursday 6th February where you can speak with different subject specialists across the academy before you and your child make their choices.
Attendance at this event by Parents/Carers and their Year 9 child is essential to help you make informed choices from the options available, and to fully understand the options process and check things like:
- exam requirements
- possible further education / career destinations available after choosing this option.
- Furthermore, you will have access to personalised advice on which subjects your child is most likely to succeed in.
Please note that we view this as a joint decision between students and their parents/carers - we will require students to log in using the academy account and to enter a PIN given to parents/carers - so it will only be possible to complete the process together. If students arrive without their parents / guardians, they will not be able to make their choice on the evening.
To summarise, your next steps:
- Go onto our Options website (https://sites.google.com/view/manc-options)
- Discuss the different subject areas and choices with your child, get them to think about their strengths, likes and dislikes.
- Decide which subjects you would like to get more information from; the more, the better!
- Encourage your child to speak to staff between now and the 6th February to get more information.
- On the morning of the 6th February, you will receive the PIN to complete the form.
- On the evening, once you and your child are happy with the decision, go to the online submissions form on the Options website and select the 4 choices and 3 reserves.
If you have any further enquiries about this process, please do get in touch using the details below.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs L Antrobus
Assistant Vice Principal
lisa.antrobus@coopacademies.co.uk
Academy reception: 0161 795 3005