Dear Parents and Carers,
It has been a pleasure to welcome our Year 9 students back to the College site and to return to face-to-face learning.
We would suggest that now is the time to begin a conversation at home, about the final two years of schooling. These years are most important as they signal the time when students must consider their longer-term career plans. Every student in Year 9 must think about their future life beyond school.
We aim to provide you and your child with the information necessary to consider the pathways available through Years 10 and 11 to achieve a suite of GCSEs alongside possible vocational qualifications.
The ways we will provide information and support for the options process are as follows:
- In lessons students will hear from members of our teaching departments about the value of studying each subject, how the subject is structured and where each subject could take them in the future.
- Our website will have presentations from subject staff to support you to discuss options with your child. This area on our website will provide you with the materials that students will be interacting with in the coming weeks. Please review these materials with your child.
- The ‘Upper School Options Booklet’ will detail the three progression pathways available to students. Each student needs to be on a pathway to achieve their personal best, to grow in character and to be ready to develop beyond school. The pathways for each student will be based on students’ academic performance over the past three years. This will be published on 26 March.
- A video recording about the process will be shared on 26 March.
- Mr Bland (Head of Upper School), Mrs Allan (Head of Lower School) and Mrs Ramsden (Vice Principal – Behaviour and Attitudes) will give you information about how to take a strong step into GCSEs.
- Mr Greenshields (Vice Principal – Quality of Education) and Mrs Moore (Head of Maths) will explain how each student must be on the right pathway to achieve their personal best.
5. A Pathways Assembly will also provide us with an opportunity to explain the options to students and the choice they can make. We will encourage them to think carefully and to speak with you and other family members to seek advice and guidance.
On 30 March we will send out an online form to submit your child’s proposed options which must be completed by Monday 19 April.
Students will sit Year 9 Annual Examinations between Monday 26 April and Friday 30 April. This will help ensure students are on the best possible path to success.
Our desire is to provide a broad, balanced curriculum so that students grow in their love of learning, explore their interests and talents and develop to be people of good character ready to transform our world.
We are determined to support every student so that they are on the right pathway to be successful in the future.
Yours faithfully,
Mr M Hall
Principal