Important Options Information

Pathways Forms

As shared on the Options Evening, these will be released on Wednesday 12 February.   The deadline for completion of this online form is Monday 10 March.  We DO NOT operate a first come first served offer, so please do consider carefully your choices.  As stated on the evening, all requests will be considered, but we can not guarantee that we will be able to meet all requests.

Why learn a Language?

As we have seen over the last few decades, the world is shrinking and we are interacting more and more with people from different cultures.

Learning a language is something we place great emphasis on to help improve students life chances.  As you can see from the comments below, those students who take languages recognise the benefits of studying it.

“I think the benefits of learning a language is that it broadens your knowledge of culture so you have more of an understanding of what happens around the world. Another benefit is that it comes useful in the real world unlike some subjects.”

“Learning a language gives you an advantage for the future in almost every industry, because bilingual people are in demand for international trade and communication etc. I enjoy learning a language because of the other opportunities that come along with it, like trips abroad and culture activities.”

“I enjoy learning languages because it’s good for your brain, it’s good for your confidence, impresses others, creates new friendships from other countries and makes you become more open-minded.”

“In my experience my confidence has grown and so has my cultural knowledge. I would definitely recommend learning a language because I think it also broadens any possible job opportunities. In later life, I know that being close to fluent in a foreign language is well appreciated by others.”

We know that some students find learning a language challenging, but we must remember that by doing so it has more benefits that just improving their knowledge.  It goes further than just knowledge, learning a language, helps students develop other attributes, such as resilience, perseverance and the ability to problem solve.  These transferable skills are so valued, and can be applied, in education and the world of work.

There are some additional benefits of learning a language once we have left education.  There has been an significant increase in the numbers of adults who are looking learn a language.  In a recent survey of those who had not learned a language, carried out by the British Council, 25% said they wished they had the opportunity.  This is also linked to the explosion of e-learning with language learning being one of the fast growing segments.

• Language proficiency opens up a wide range of job prospects, with studies showing that bilingual employees earn, up to 20% more than their monolingual counterparts

• Language learning enhances critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and memory retention, positively impacting academic achievement and purportedly delaying the onset of dementia.

• 39% of employers in the United Kingdom consider language skills a high priority.

How do I choose my options?

There are some subjects that are so important that everyone has to take them, but you also have option choices in Year 8 that are the first steps in deciding your future.  To help, start by asking yourself what you enjoy doing and what you’re good at.

Think about (Dos):

• What you’re interested in: it could be other cultures and languages, writing projects, helping people, being outdoors or designing things?

• What types of activity you enjoy most - working things out and thinking them through, practical activities or artistic options like painting, acting, drawing or performing in music events?

• What you're like at home, as well as in school - what skills have you developed following outside interests?

• Research the new subjects we have on offer to see if these are suitable for you – Options Fayre and Website

Don’t think about:

• What your friends are choosing.  Even if you pick the same subjects you are unlikely to be placed in the same class as there are four different options blocks (so a 25% chance of being together!)

• Picking a subject because you like a particular teacher (or not picking one because you don’t)!  We have multiple teachers for each subject so there is no guarantee who you are going to get.

A WORD OF CAUTION:

When picking your option subjects, it is essential that you pay attention to the skills required to do well in that course.  This is particularly true for subjects like computer science, the performing arts, and physical education – they probably aren’t what you think!

1. Computer Science requires you to be able to think logically, solve problems and have a keen attention to detail.  Students wishing to study Computing should be targeted at least a GCSE Grade 4 in Mathematics. Computer Science bears very little resemblance to ICT!

2. Dance, Drama and Music all have a requirement to perform.  You must be committed to this aspect of the course; students who do not wish to perform cannot enrol on these courses.

In addition there are two subjects that require students to achieve a specific level to be able to take them.  This is due to the requirements of the course.  The courses are:

1. Economics - Due to the high mathematical content and writing skills required, we advise that students should choose Economics if they are expected to achieve at least a grade 5 in both Mathematics and English language.

2. Statistics & Further Maths - Students who are on track to receive a grade 6 or above in GCSE Maths are encouraged to consider this exciting opportunity to branch further into Mathematics and gain 2 extra Mathematics GCSEs.  

Finally we have one course that will be by invitation only.  This is:

1. Outdoor Leadership and Management - Student considered suitable for this course will be invited.  This will be completed in full consultation with parents, students and the school.  

If you are thinking of studying these subjects, you should make sure you are clear about the requirements of the course.  As with all subjects, it is a good idea to meet with the appropriate teachers at the Subject Options Evening before making your option choices.

Two additional preferences:

The vast majority of students will have an additional two guided choices. This will incorporate subjects from the core (Languages and History and Geography) as well as a wide variety of other subjects. Within the additional choices there are three subjects that have entry requirements, which are Statistics & Further Maths, and Economics. The entry requirement are clearly identified on the relevant page and it maybe that students are asked to reselect a choice if they do not reach this standard.