Making your choices - PLANNING AND HELP

How do I fill in the course choice form?  It looks quite complicated!

Our course choice form is unique. Unlike the “column” structure forms parents and carers will have experienced in their own schooling our students have a free choice of subjects to ensure maximum satisfaction.  Long gone are the days when two desired subjects appeared in one column and no desired subject was available in another.

We will carefully go through the process of filling in the course choice form at S4/5 and S3 course choice Options Events, and work with young people in PSE classes to ensure they understand the possibilities.

The big difference with our course choice form is that good conversation is required to try and work out what the future holds beyond next year.  Students and their families are required to physically map out intended progress through the Senior Phase.  A section of the Course Choice form can be seen later.

What if I make the wrong choices?

We work very hard with students and families to plan out a tailored Senior Phase programme that best meet the needs of an individual student. However, from time to time, students will need to change their courses.

If students wish to make course choice changes between Easter and summer, after the initial hand-in date, they can. However, some courses may be full by that point.

Students sometimes change courses because of examination results.  Occasionally, students can change courses for reasons other than examination results after the summer holiday. After August, however, there is a very narrow window for making changes in choices because once courses are underway there will quickly be too much work for students to catch up on. 

Further Information 

• Contact your school: Guidance staff and your careers advisor can give you advice.

• Talk to your family, friends and neighbours: They may be able to help you find people to talk to who work in fields that interest you.

• Visit www.MyWorldofWork.co.uk: this Skills Development Scotland website has several useful online told. There is information on CV building, funding for training, apprenticeships, interview techniques, job listings, apprenticeship details and much more. My World of Work also has a section for parents: https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/parents-carers

• Online tools to help with choices:https://www.planitplus.net/CareerAreas

• The Scottish Qualifications Authority: The SQA MySector website area www.sqa.org.uk/mysector sets out learning pathways through different work sectors.

• The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF): the SCQF is Scotland’s national qualifications framework; an interactive version is available on www.scqf.org.uk along with clear explanations of SCQF levels and credit points. There is also a useful search engine for accredited courses.

• Educational Scotland: Parentzone www.educationscotland.gov.uk/parentzone now includes a section on ‘Beyond School Years’. Visit https://education.gov.scot/parentzone/my-child/beyond-school/ for useful fact sheets on jobs and work sectors plus information on working for yourself.

• Scotland’s colleges: Find links to Scotland’s 25 publicly-funded college websites at https://www.sfc.ac.uk/funding/colleges-we-fund.aspx

• Employability Skills: there are many training providers across Scotland who can help develop your skills for work through experience and training, including voluntary organisations and charities. Visit https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/what-we-do/employability-skills/

• Apprenticeships: www.myworldofwork.co.uk/modernapprenticeships, www.mappit.org.uk and www.apprenticeshipsinscotland.com

• Working for yourself: Business Gateway www.bgateway.com and The Prince’s Trust www.princes-trust.org.uk provide practical advice and help with setting up your own business.

• UCAS: Search for courses on the university website www.ucas.com

• Funding: www.myworldofwork.co.uk/learn-and-train/funding

• The Open University: The OU www.open.ac.uk runs many flexible short courses, as well as module-based, certificated, diploma and degree courses, including a range of modules suitable for S6 learners (Young Applicants in Schools Scheme or YASS www.open.ac.uk/scotland/study/young-applicants-schools).

• Work experience information: www.workit.info