Year 9 Options
Welcome to our Year 9 Options Hub 2022
At Harper Green School, our process for selecting Year 9 options is designed to ensure that all students receive the necessary help and guidance to make suitable subject choices.
We understand that choosing your options is a challenging yet rewarding process; therefore, our procedure is designed with our students at its heart.
To find out more about the courses available, please visit the subject areas below or download a copy of the 2022 Year 9 Options booklet. We've also included some of our top tips below, as well as a step by step guide to help you choose the options most suitable to you.
We hope that you find the booklet and subject pages helpful and informative but, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at head@harpergreen.net.
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Making your choices
In most cases, the choices you make now will not generally affect your future options. However, if you already have a clear idea of what you would like to do after secondary school, it would be helpful to check if there are any specific requirements at GCSE level. For instance, some colleges will advise that you complete specific courses to be able to study some of their A-levels or vocational courses. Nevertheless, what is most important to the sixth form, college, universities, and employers, is how well you do in each of your subjects. For this reason, it is vital that you consider the following when making your choices:
Do choose:
- Subjects you like
- Subjects in which you have always done well and gained good marks
- Subjects you feel would help you to be successful in whatever you choose to do after secondary school
Don’t choose:
- Subjects that your friends are choosing (they may not be in your class)
- Subjects that your favourite teacher teaches (you may not be in their class)
- Subjects that you think other people would like you to take
Submitting your options
The deadline for submitting your options form is Monday, 21st March 2022, but before then, students will engage with a whole range of activities to inform their choices, such as:
- One to one meetings with Form Tutors: Monday, 21st February - 1st March 2022
- Parents Evening: Thursday, 3rd March 2022
- Options Evening: Thursday, 17th March 2022
Further information will be available over the coming weeks on how you and your child can make the final subject choices online. Please read the information below to support you in making your choices.
Year 9 Options Booklet 2022
To help you make the right choice for you, we've put together an options guide with the courses and qualifications available to Year 10 and 11 students at Harper Green School.
hgs year 9 options booklet.pdf
(If you are viewing on mobile - please click here to download the Year 9 options booklet)
Year 9 Options Videos
Art
Digital IT
BTEC Enterprise
Computer Science
Music
Religious Studies
Science
Geography
What are my choices?
As you start to think about choosing your options, it is time to reflect on the subjects that have captured your interest this year and those you would like to take on to a higher level of study. It is also time to consider a range of new subjects that may appeal to you. Whilst you may not yet have clear ideas about which direction your future career might take, our advice is to keep your option choices as broad as possible. You should be thinking about the kinds of working environments you would feel happy in and those that are not for you. This will help you decide on the range of skills you will need in the future and which subject combinations will be most valuable to you next year.
We offer a wide variety of courses and qualifications to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum while still giving individual students a degree of choice. You can select four options and one reserve option to study each for three lessons a week.
Some subjects that you study in Years 10 and 11 are compulsory. You will have to continue to study core subjects that are crucial in developing key skills you can use in any career and contribute to your personal development.
These subjects are:
- GCSE English Language
- GCSE English Literature
- GCSE Mathematics
- GCSE Science
- Core Physical Education (PE)
- Core Religious Education (RE)
We also feel that it is important that all students should study a language (French or Spanish) or a humanity (History or Geography). There will be many students who choose to learn both a language and a humanity, and these choices can have an impact on possible routes forward after the end of Year 11.
How many choices can I make?
You may select four choices and one reserve to study each for five lessons per fortnight.
How do I indicate my option choices?
This year, the options process will take place online. You will receive further information on how you and your child will make final subject choices in the near future. The focus at this stage should be for you to carefully read the information contained in this booklet to support you in making your choices.
Will I automatically secure a place on my first choice courses?
Not necessarily, for three reasons:
- The range of subjects offered now, at the planning stage, may have to be modified because of staffing or other constraints
- It may be necessary to limit numbers for safety reasons and access to equipment
- Students’ levels of attainment and progression in Year 9 will be considered before confirmation of final choices
You will be asked to give a reserve choice on your options form. It is important that you do this as some subjects may be under or over-subscribed, and therefore we will need to find an alternative option for you. If you do not give us a reserve choice, it will not make it more likely that you will get your first choice.
Please note: Once your preferences are made, it will not be possible to change them as your timetable will be fixed, and many groups will be full.
The EBacc
The English Baccalaureate, or EBacc, is a combination of academic subjects and provides an excellent base for further study and many careers. The subjects that make up the EBacc are: English language and literature, mathematics, history or geography, the sciences and a modern foreign language. It is not a qualification, and you will not receive a certificate saying that you have completed the EBacc. However, it does highlight your academic ability, which will provide you with a greater range of opportunities following school. Many further education providers and employers (especially the most prestigious and academic institutions such as Oxbridge/Russell Group universities and many large businesses) require students to complete the EBacc before applying.
It is important to study the subjects that are the right ones for individuals. If EBacc is recommended as a pathway, students should seriously consider choosing this, as it will lead to a greater range of options in the future. These subjects show sixth forms, colleges, universities and employers that students are capable of studying to a higher level – but remember, it takes a lot of commitment and effort to achieve high grades in all chosen subjects.
All students at Harper Green School have the opportunity to complete the EBacc if they wish.