Year 9 Options 2025

The Year 9 Options Process is an exciting time. In the first three years at Larkmead School, students have studied a wide range of subjects, developing knowledge, skills, confidence and other attributes. They will take all of this into the next phase of their education as they continue with core subjects and apply to specialise in a smaller range of courses in greater depth. These courses and GCSE qualifications will be an important stepping stone to their future, and it is important that we all work together to make carefully considered decisions.

When it comes to choosing courses for Key Stage 4, students should look for:

The subjects they are good at or think they will be good at
The subjects that they will enjoy
The subjects that may help them to follow a particular career path or ambition

The timeline for the options process is given below.

Wednesday 15^th January: Options process begins

To begin the options process this options booklet and an introductory assembly will be shared with all Year 9 students. In addition, options subjects that currently teach Year 9 will devote some lesson time to giving an explanation and/or demonstration of their subject at GCSE level.

Thursday 23^rd JANUARY: Year 9 Options Evening (6:00pm – 7:30pm)

This very popular event will include the opportunity to attend an informative talk about the options process. In addition, staff will be available on subject stands for every options subject, to offer advice and answer questions and enable your child to start producing a shortlist of the subjects they may wish to study in KS4.

Week beginning 10^th February: New Subject Carousel

Some option subjects are not currently taught in Year 9. To allow all students the chance to experience these subjects and make an informed choice for their options preferences, we will run a carousel of experience lessons on one day during this week.

Thursday 13^th March: Year 9 PTCE

Year 9’s Parent Teacher Consultation Evening represents a further chance to discuss option preferences with your child’s current subject teacher. A letter will be sent out nearer the time with full details and appointments will be booked in the normal way.

Friday 14^th March: Options preferences form can be returned

Options forms will not be accepted until after all information events. There will then be a seven-day window in which options preference forms can be returned to the school office. Please feel free to contact your child’s tutor, individual subject teachers or Mrs Murphy if you have any further questions during this time.

Friday 21^st March: Deadline for completed forms to be returned

The choices system is not done on a first come first served basis. All preferences submitted before this deadline will be considered equally. Options preferences submitted after this deadline may not be possible as the allocations process will have already been started.

Options Booklet

The Options Booklet is a full explanation of the options process, listing all choices available and containing information on every subject that can be studied in the KS4 Curriculum. A copy will be given to every Year 9 student at the start of the Options Process or a pdf version can be accessed via the link below.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR 2025 OPTIONS BOOKLET

10 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF ABOUT EACH SUBJECT

Options Preferences Form

The Options Preferences Form will be given to all students on the day of the Year 9 PTCE. This is to ensure that all students and parents have had the chance to experience all information events before preferences are made. Further copies will be available at the PTCE. If you download this form, please do not return it until all pre-options events have taken place (i.e. after Thursday 13th March).

2025 OPTIONS PREFERENCES FORM

Subject Videos

During the 2021 lockdown, our Options Process had to go online and every subject teacher made a short video giving more information about studying their subject at GCSE. These are included here in case they are still found useful but please be aware that some courses may not be running and some information may be out of date. In particular, the KS3 course was only two years at the time of making these videos whereas it has now been extended to three years and option preferences are now made in Year 9.

If you have any further questions about a particular subject, please read the relevant pages of the Options Booklet (above) and speak to the teacher indicated via the school office.

GCSE Option Subjects

Larkmead - Options 2021 - Art & Design: