loopyloulaura

Somehow my eldest little baby is the glorious age of 13 and choosing his Year 9 Options. It is quite a big deal and could, quite literally, affect the rest of his life!

So what are Year 9 options? Simply the GCSE choices that will be studied in Years 10 and 11, and form the basis for future A Level and university courses.

Why are they important? Careers may still feel a long way off but they aren’t! Picking subjects now could direct you career parth in a particular way so need careful consideration.

English, Science and Maths are all compulsory. Some schools make other subjects compulsory GSCE options too, for example Matthew’s school have chosen to make all Year 11s sit the RE GCSE. Statutory PE will still be taught but not examined unless taken as a GCSE option.

How can you support your child with this choice? Important things to consider are what subjects your child is interested in, what skill set they already have and what do they want to develop, have they chosen a wide breadth of subjects and will this work towards their career plans?

You also have to prepare yourself and your child for what might happen if they can’t do the subjects they want. Staff will do their best with timetables but some combinations just won’t be possible. I know this from personal experience with both my GCSEs and A Levels.

Matthew’s school ask for 4 options and 2 reserve options. He has chosen 3 definites and 3 that he has an interest in. My concern is if he isn’t able to do his first choices and I would have to consider moving him to another school. This has serious ramifications for the whole family as we would need to consider travel and how whether we would need to move our other children when they move to secondary school.

All of this sounds rather heavy. But Year 9 options allow your child to follow their passions and drop subjects they don’t enjoy or have relevance for their future lives. I am absolutely thrilled that Matthew loves history (possibly even more than me) and his knowledge of computers and programming leaves my brain reeling in confusion.

Parents want the best for their kids and it is so important to support them as they start to make major decisions. However, we have to learn to let them make their own choices and this can be a significant change for us too!

Good luck to all the Year 9s (and their parents) as you choose your GSCEs!