Year 9

Curriculum Choices

Spring 2023

Message from the Principal

Michael Gore

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Wilmington Academy Curriculum Choices website. Your child is about to embark on a process of forming choices about their future and aspirations. At Wilmington Academy, we are very proud to provide a range of opportunities and pathways to choose from. Our Key Stage 4 curriculum caters for a range of subjects within the following routes; creative, academic or vocational. I would encourage you to discuss the options available to you with your child so that they are choosing subjects that provide them with the stepping stones towards their intended careers.

A question I would ask your child is,

‘What suite of qualifications do you want to have achieved by the end of Year 11 that will enable you to move onto your next steps whether Wilmington Academy Post 16, other Post 16 provisions, college or apprenticeship?’

I appreciate that some students find this process difficult as they are unsure of what they want to do with their future. In this circumstance, reflect on the subjects and skill sets that your child is confident with and achieving well in to start this dialogue.

Finally, please take your time in reviewing the wealth of opportunities provided and I wish you and your child the very best in selecting the subjects that will support a very successful future career.

Mr M Gore

Year 9 Curriculum Choices

Dear Parent/Carer

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support throughout your child's time at Wilmington Academy. As we draw closer to the end of their MYP journey in Key Stage Three, students are required to consider their ‘Curriculum Choices’ for Key Stage Four.

Due to the excellent feedback from our ‘Curriculum Choices’ process from last year, we will continue to provide a ‘virtual’ process, enabling parents/carers and students to have constant access to subject information from anywhere in the world.

Our curriculum choices website will go live from Monday 13 March 2023 and will be accessible via the main Wilmington Academy website. Everything you and your child needs to know about the process will be available on the ‘Year 9 Curriculum Choices Website’. It will contain subject information, guidance on qualifications and careers support alongside other useful information and links.

The curriculum choice is formed of a core offer, comprising of; English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Combined Science, a Humanity (Geography or History) Modern Foreign Languages (French or Spanish). Our core offer is compulsory for all students, with the exception of those contacted directly by pastoral teams. Through this core offer, your child would study the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), which is highly recommended for students by the Department for Education, due to the breadth of the curriculum and desirable skills developed for future employment.

To support the EBacc and obtain a balanced portfolio of level two qualifications, students will also select two option subjects (one per block), ensuring that a different reserve (second choice) is also highlighted. Students cannot select the same choice in both blocks.

Choices must be made on the Curriculum Choices Google form which can be found on the Year 9 Curriculum Choices website from Monday 27 March 2023. This form will also be emailed directly to their academy email address. The form can only be completed once, so if you have any questions regarding this process, please contact the relevant college admin.

In addition to this, we will also be hosting a ‘Curriculum Choices Week’ (20th to 24th March). Through our tutor time programme, further subject and careers information will be given to our Year 9 students. Our Heads of Year will also be available if students wish to speak with them about their choices.

Our Year 9 Parents’ Evening on Wednesday 22 March will also coincide with our ‘Curriculum Choices Week’. This event will be held in person and appointments can be booked via the SchoolCloud system (further information will be sent regarding this) . This event will enable parents/carers and students to discuss their progress, about their studies moving forward and their suitability to option subjects, with further information to follow shortly.

Whilst we endeavour to provide as many first choices as we can, this is not always possible. So it is important that you take careful consideration when selecting your second choice. All parents/carers and students will receive their final curriculum choices at the start of module 6 via a letter and an email on MCAS.

We ask that all choices via the form are completed by Wednesday 19 April 2023.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Yours faithfully

Ian Priest

Assistant Principal

Curriculum Choices Lead