Key Stage 4 Options 2025

Choosing subject options for Year 10 can be challenging. This is an important decision for students and is easy to feel overwhelmed by the choice. That’s why it’s important that students think carefully about what they enjoy, what they’re good at and what they might like to study after GCSEs.

Along with the compulsory core subjects, we encourage students to choose a broad, balanced mixture so that their future choices are as wide as possible.

The aim of this webpage is to provide an overview of what’s on offer in Year 10 and Year 11. Please take time to read all the information carefully and contact teaching staff if you have any questions. Students will be able to discuss option preferences and will receive further information on subjects during their normal lessons, assemblies and as part of their Discovery Curriculum.  To access a video recording of the presentation given to students and parents at the launch of our options process, delivered by Mr Jackson (Deputy Headteacher: Quality of Education) please follow this link:  Year 9 Options Launch February 2025 Parent Version voiceover version.mp4

As you will see from the options booklet, we offer a broad range of options in Key Stage 4 as both GCSE and Level 2 vocational subjects, in addition to the compulsory core subjects such as English, Maths and Science.  We advise students to play to their strengths and choose subjects they know that they will enjoy and are good at, whilst maintaining a broad and balanced curriculum.  We want to help them ensure that they develop the essential skills needed for future study at Grove Sixth Form, colleges, university, on an apprenticeship or in the world of work.  As such, students will be given information about the academic English Baccalaureate (EBacc) pathway (our EBacc route) or a more extended options pathway (our Extended route) for them to have informed discussions about their options choices and how this links to their next steps.  Their pathway will be advised based upon teachers’ knowledge of our students and considers their future destinations.  For some information from the Department for Education about the English Baccalaureate pathway and suite of subjects, please read this information leaflet by clicking here.

For your information, the option blocks that students will select their options from are shown below.  A reminder that all students will need to select either History or Geography (but can choose both from different option blocks if they wish) from one of the option blocks.  In addition, they will need to select German as an option to follow the EBacc route and Triple Science applications will be checked by the Science Faculty to ensure that students are on the correct pathway.  Students are also able to select a reserve option from any options block, and this can be selected on the options form that is sent to them.

We also need to remind students that some subjects are very popular and that not all options subject combinations will be possible to timetable which is why your insurance choices are an important part of making your choices about subjects to studies.  Where this is not possible, there will be discussions with students and their families so that the right decisions are made which is why we have a consultation period that runs throughout June, once all of the option choices have been submitted.  The deadline for students to select their options will be Friday 14^th February 2025 and the options will be completed through an email link sent to all students through their school email accounts.

Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Tutor or Head of Year, Mr Andrew Barber ([email protected]), if you have any questions during this process.  Some families may also wish to contact our Assistant Headteacher and SENDCO, Mrs Amy Roberts ([email protected]), for further advice.  We understand that it can sometimes be a daunting period for students and their families, and we want to make the options process as smooth as possible.

The timeline for the process this year is: