Year 9 Options

Year 9 Options Process

At Priestnall School, it is extremely important to us that all our students have the right information, advice and guidance to enable them to access the future of their choice. By the time they choose their options in Year 9, students will already have had careers education to help them make informed choices about what might be the right choice for them in terms of their options at Key Stage 4.

We encourage students to think about the choices they make carefully, to ensure that they leave as many options open to them as possible when they leave us at 16.

All students attend an Options assembly before choosing their options and are given taster ‘seminar-style’ sessions across the curriculum to help them understand what each subject would be like at Key Stage 4. In addition to this, before choosing their options, students and their parents and carers have the opportunity to talk to subject teachers at the Year 9 parents’ evening, where they can explore whether a particular subject might be the right choice for them.

Year 9 Options Booklet

Options Subjects

In order to support parents and carers further, we have produced this visual timeline:

A graphic poster explaining the Year 9 Options Timeline at Priestnall School in the style of a roadmap. It reads: 1. Year 9 Options Assembly 1 - 19th January - Students will read the Options Booklet and consider their interests. 2. Year 9 Options Assembly 2 - 23rd February - A form will be sent home where students can select a range of seminars to attend at our Options Event. 3. Year 9 Options Event - 11th March - Students will take part in four Options Seminars after school. 4. Year 9 Options Selection - 11th to 27th March - Students will indicate their 3 main choices (plus one reserve). 5. Year 9 Options Confirmation - From 1st June - After May half term, the Options Team at school will confirm student choices.

In Years 10 and 11, students will study three option subjects alongside their compulsory curriculum of English Language, English Literature, Maths, Science, Core PE* and Core Beliefs & Values*.

*No qualification but compulsory education stipulated by the DfE.

By the end of the options process, students need to have selected four option subjects they would like to study next year. These should be ranked in order of preference.

All students should pick ONE option from Pool A:

  • French
  • Geography
  • History
  • Media
  • Separate Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
  • Spanish
  • Sport (BTEC)

All students should pick a further THREE options from Pool B:

All options are GCSEs unless otherwise stated:

  • Art and Design
  • Art: Graphic Communication
  • Art: Textile Design
  • Business
  • Drama
  • Engineering Design (C.Nat)
  • Engineering Manufacture (C.Nat)
  • Food Preparation and Nutrition
  • French
  • Geography
  • Health and Social Care (BTEC)
  • History
  • Media
  • Music
  • Physical Education
  • Religious Studies
  • Separate Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
  • Spanish
  • Sport (BTEC)

The options window will open for Year 9 students this year on Wednesday 11th March and close on Friday 27th March. All options are chosen on the MCAS App. Instructions on how to make your selections will be included in a letter before the Options Form opens.

If you are having trouble accessing the MCAS App to choose options, please get in touch by contacting the email at the bottom of this page.

Year 9 Options Booklet

Each year we update our options booklet for Year 9. The booklet for students choosing their options this academic year can be accessed via the button at the top of the page.

The booklet details the subjects that all students study at Key Stage 4, alongside the different options available and which combinations are not possible. Both GCSEs and BTEC qualifications are offered at Key Stage 4.

If you have any questions about the options process, please contact us on [email protected]