Yr 9 Options 2024-2025

Year 9 option selection is an important milestone in every year 9 student’s educational journey. This is the first time your child will make choices on the subjects they would like to continue to learn, which will influence their future educational and career opportunities.

The Academy is committed to ensuring every student can make informed choices and can access the most appropriate Key Stage 4 courses, which will:

• Provide the best opportunity for academic success and a well-rounded and enjoyable educational experience
• Provide the best foundation for further and higher education, which often includes continuing into our outstanding Sixth Form
• Support the pursuit of ambitious career destinations

This webpage provides details on how both parents/carers and staff at the Academy will work to support your child in making their final choices in the coming weeks, as well as details about the upcoming Parents’ Evening on Tuesday 11^th March 2024. 

Live Event – Options Information Event

Mrs Tucker and Ms Thompson will be hosting a live Teams event on Thursday 23^rd January from 5.30 – 6.30pm. This event will communicate the specifics of all the points mentioned below and ensure everyone is clear on next steps. It will also be an opportunity for parents and students to ask questions about the options process. Families have been emailed with the link to join.

Selecting options

Students and parents will have the opportunity to complete an online form and select the subjects they wish to study at Key Stage 4. This information will then be used to conduct face-to-face interviews with families at the Options Evening on Wednesday 26^th March where students will make their final decisions. Further information, including timings for the evening and a link to the online form will be shared with families nearer the time.

In preparation for selecting options, it is important to read information about the different courses that are on offer and discuss, as a family, what the preferred options are. The options booklet can be found in the link below. 

Yr 9 Options Booklet

The booklet contains the steps in the options process, the constraints of different options, details about every course and some frequently asked questions. Going through the options booklet together will make the next step of parents evening more efficient.

Students will be having their options formalised in the week commencing Monday 2^nd June 2025.

Parents’ evening

We will have a parents evening on Tuesday 11^th March from 3.45 – 6.45pm.

Appointments will be limited to five minutes and conducted in person. This will be a great opportunity to discuss not only your child’s academic progress but to ask teachers questions regarding the courses at Key Stage 4 and your child’s suitability. As the individual meetings will only be five minutes in duration, we recommend that the conversation is open, frank, and direct. It should focus on three key questions:

1. What can my child do to better exemplify our academy’s ‘Work Hard’ culture for the rest of the academic year?
2. What will my child enjoy and find challenging during the Key Stage 4 course / is the Key Stage 4 course the right choice to pursue?
3. What is needed for my child to excel at the Key Stage 4 course?

Should you have any pastoral or support questions, please send an email in the first instance to the Year 9 Achievement Leader Mrs Tucker via r.tucker@harrisockendon.org.uk or the pastoral manager Mr Warren via m.warren@harrisockendon.org.uk.

Careers profile

Throughout Key Stage 3, students will have gained an idea of which subjects they enjoy, achieve best in and would like to continue with. Whilst this is an important factor in selecting option subjects at Key Stage 4, it is also important they make informed choices about the courses they pursue, which will enable them to access courses or apprenticeships once they reach the age of 16. 

We have arranged for students to complete an online career or ‘Unifrog’ questionnaire in school. This will generate an independent profile report, which highlights different areas of interest to them, such as caring for others, working in a scientific or mathematical environment, and jobs which require physical activity. This shows the extent to which these different environments appeal to the students based on the answers they provide and in turn, suggests subjects which will be greatly suited to supporting them to access this career pathway. 

If your child would like to take the ‘Unifrog’ questionnaire early or see the results once they’ve completed it in school, there is a step-by-step guide available by clicking HERE.

Students access the platform by clicking a link in their welcome email, where they create a password and can begin using the platform. They login to Unifrog using their email address and password and they can do so from any computer, tablet, or smartphone. Once they have logged in students click on ‘Personality Profile’ which is a pink box in the middle of the screen. After the quiz is completed, students will be directed to careers that may interest them.

For more information, go to www.unifrog.org or email Miss Thompson alicia.thompson@harrisockendon.org.uk.

Taster lessons

We will be offering the opportunity for students to attend voluntary taster lessons in subjects which they will not previously have studied. These include Sociology, Citizenship, Statistics, Business Studies, GCSE PE, BTEC Sport and Religious Education (RE is taught currently as part of our Citizenship and Religious Education (CRE) curriculum rather than a discreet subject on its own). If a student’s Careers profile has suggested one of these subjects, they may wish to sit a taster lesson. These will take place between Monday 10^th to Friday 28^th February, 3.40 – 4.40pm.

Students have already signed up to these sessions. If your child would like to change sessions or sign up to additional sessions, then please ask them to speak to Mrs Tucker immediately to determine if this is possible. The specific date of each taster session will be communicated to the students at least a week in advance.

Careers Advisor

We have an in-house careers advisor, Mr Milne, who is on hand to provide additional support and guidance on careers. We are currently in the process of arranging small group sessions for students who we feel will most benefit from this supplementary advice. If you have any specific career-based questions, then please do not hesitate to contact Mr Milne via email John.Milne1@harrisfederation.org.uk.  Mr Milne will also be on hand during our Year 9 Options interview evening on Wednesday 26^th March, to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for your continued support in guiding our students through what can feel like quite a big decision and milestone in their young lives. If you have any general questions regarding the process, please email Mrs Tucker, via  r.tucker@harrisockendon.org.uk.