Dear Parents and Carers
Last night we launched our new options process for Year 8. Ofsted has recently opened a debate about the secondary school curriculum and whether keeping a range of subjects is more important than specialising early. We, along with all other schools, have given this some thought and we’ve decided to go for the best of all worlds.
Our current Year 8s will opt for 7 subjects rather than the usual 4. We’ve put the subjects into groups: languages, creative, humanities, technology, etc and students will choose at least one from each group, ensuring they all study a broad curriculum. The new schemes of learning for Year 9 will feature the most interesting and fun aspects of the subjects to ensure Year 9 stands alone as a challenging and exciting year. Students will then select 5 of their 7 subjects towards the end of Year 9 to take forward to GCSE level.
We believe that, as a result of these changes, students will enjoy Year 9 more, maintain a broad educational experience and also feel a greater level of responsibility and control over their learning. Thank you to all the parents who took time to speak to my colleagues and me yesterday to give their (overwhelmingly positive) feedback. Many had children in older years and felt that this new idea was far the better option.
With best wishes
Andy Perry – Head Teacher
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