Options Booklet

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WHAT IS KS4? Key Stage 4 begins at the start of Year 10 and is two years of study leading to GCSE or equivalent qualifications. Many students go on from Key Stage 4 to study A-Levels in King James’s School Sixth Form and others may go to college or begin employment coupled with training. Whatever our students decide to do, the choices they make now are very important. WHY DO STUDENTS HAVE TO CHOOSE? There is not enough time in the curriculum to enable students to continue studying all of their Year 9 subjects to GCSE level therefore, they must opt and reduce the number of subjects studied. WHY DO STUDENTS ONLY HAVE 4 CHOICES OUT OF 9 SUBJECTS? Some subjects are classed as core which means it is a statutory requirement to study them up to the end of Year 11; this includes GCSE English, GCSE Maths, GCSE Science, PE (not examined) and PSHCEE (not examined). Schools are also encouraged by the government to ensure students take at least two other subjects from the English Baccalaureate to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum. WHAT IF STUDENTS DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY WANT TO DO WHEN THEY LEAVE SCHOOL? They do not need to worry about this! Our options process ensures a solid foundation for further study so we recommend that students focus on choosing the subjects they enjoy and do well at as that should ultimately lead to success. WHAT IS THE ENGLISH BACCALAUREATE? This is a performance measure for schools that reports on how many students have achieved a good pass in 5 specific subject areas. It is not compulsory for students. Those subjects are as follows: • English • Maths • 2 Sciences (including Computer Science) • History or Geography • A foreign language DOES THIS MEAN EXTENDED OPTION SUBJECTS AND THOSE NOT INCLUDED IN THE ENGLISH BACCALAUREATE ARE LESS IMPORTANT? Absolutely not. We value all subjects as highly as each other and are particularly proud of our high achieving practical subjects. Students are strongly recommended to use their extended options to pursue their passions and the subjects they are most interested in. The core and core options ensure students have a solid foundation for further study so they should not be afraid to choose a combination of Art, Drama and DT (for example) if that is where their interests lie. As part of our commitment to strong IAG (Information and Guidance) at KJS we will ensure that the year Learning Manager, SENCO, Pupil Premium Lead and Senior Leadership Team work with students to guide them towards the right choices. WHY ARE GCSES GRADED 9-1 NOW INSTEAD OF A*-G? The government has reformed all GCSE and A-Level qualifications over a 3-year period. Reformed qualifications at GCSE are now graded from 9-1 as well as being more challenging and having most of their assessment at the end of the 2-year course (see individual subject pages for more information). The new grade 9 is highly aspirational and will only be achieved by a small percentage of students across the country. More information on 9-1 will be provided at option evening. WHAT ABOUT STUDENTS WHO STRUGGLE WITH GCSEs OR EQUIVALENTS? Any student that has followed a bespoke curriculum at King James’s will continue to do so during Key Stage 4. We tailor our curriculum to the needs of our students and will speak directly with the students and families that this affects. WHAT IF STUDENTS CHANGE THEIR MIND? We would hope this doesn’t happen! Students will all have received high quality guidance and input as part of IAG with the aim of reducing anxiety or questioning choices. If students change their mind before the end of Year 9, they should see Mr Atkinson (Learning Manager). Once the course has started, students will have to have a very strong reason for changing and no requests will be considered after the end of September. Again, queries should be directed to the Learning Manager. In either case, course swaps are sometimes impossible due to timetable blocking and/or student numbers.