Help Picking Subjects

There are lots of people who can help you with the decisions you need to make.

Your aim at the end of this process is to have chosen subjects that give a broad and balanced curriculum. Your choices should include subjects that you enjoy and have the potential to do well in. If you have strong career aspirations you will need to research which subjects facilitate your career choice.

If you would like some support with selecting the subjects you want to study you could go to:

• Parents/Carers

• Older brothers/sisters or other family members

• Tutor

• The year office

• A teacher of the subject you are interested in.

Questions you could ask about each subject:

• What skills will the subject help me to develop?

• Do I need more information on the course content?

• How much home learning will be involved in the subject?

• What career opportunities could this lead to?

Careers information

There are two really good websites for researching career information;

At the moment, few of you will have definite sense of what your future will look like so your choices of subjects should be broad and balanced; keeping you options for the future open.

However, when you are thinking about careers in the future you may find it helpful to know that:

• employers place considerable emphasis on English and Maths

• employers look for people who are flexible in their approach to work. There is less job security these days, so it helps if you are interested in a wide range of activities rather than one particular job

• many employers emphasise the importance of the right personal qualities – enthusiasm, perseverance, punctuality, the ability to work with others, the ability to work on your own initiative, etc.

Most employers say that these personal qualities are decisive factors when they are appointing staff.

It is therefore important that all students:

• do your very best to reach as high a standard as you can in your school subjects over the next two years, especially in English and Mathematics.

• develop those personal and social qualities referred to above.

• approach the next two years at school with interest, confidence and enthusiasm

• take advantage of the advice and practice that is given during Years 10 and 11 to prepare yourself for life after school, for example the writing of letters of application, learning about the world of work, visiting local colleges, firms, youth training schemes, etc.

It is also important to take part in activities outside of school ie: Cadets, Scouts, Guides, voluntary work, new hobbies. Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and sports of all kinds.