Year 9 Options Bulletin

Dear Families

I am writing to inform you of the Year 9 Options process which is being launched in the coming weeks.

It may not seem long ago that your children were starting out as Year 7 students on their secondary school journey at RTS, and indeed the next phase of their education, Key Stage 4 (KS4), will also fly by.

At RTS, we are committed to ensuring a broad, balanced and appropriate curriculum for all our students and we now encourage them to make choices that will leave doors open for further study and for career opportunities in the future.

The Options programme will provide details of all the GCSE subjects we have to offer at RTS and guidance to help your child make informed choices about the subjects they will be studying for GCSE.

We look forward to welcoming all Year 9 families to our Options evening on Wednesday 05 February (full details below) and are excited to see our Year 9 students embark on the next stage of their secondary school journey at RTS.

Kind regards

Ms P Wright

Deputy Head Teacher ~ Curriculum

On Wednesday 05 February we will be holding our Year 9 Options evening. This event will be held on the school site and you are invited to attend with your child.

To facilitate the smooth running of the evening we would appreciate an indication of whether you are able to attend or not via this form.

We will also share with you a Year 9 Choices Booklet. Please read this carefully as many of your queries will be answered in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the booklet.

Next steps

Please complete the form linked above to indicate your attendance at the evening event.

Once you have read all the literature, attended the Options Evening and had discussions at home with your child, they will then have an individual Destinations Meeting with a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Students will submit their options form during this meeting.

Parents will be emailed confirmation of the subjects their child has selected and definitive confirmation of GCSE options will be communicated to parents and students in the summer term.

This takes place on the school site on Wednesday 26 February and will give you and your child the opportunity to speak to your child's subject teachers to help inform decisions around their option choices before submitting the Options form. As per the usual process, you will be emailed nearer the time with instructions on how to book appointments.

• Tuesday 28 January 2025, 18:00-19:00 - SEND department Y9 SEN-K/EHCP students Options support session (Parents & Students)

• Wednesday 29 January, 08:35-08:55 - Options Assembly - explanation of the Options Process to Y9 students (Students only during school)

• Wednesday 05 February, 18:00-20:00 - Options Evening: GCSE Pathways The Option Process Explained (Parents & Students)

• Monday 03-Friday 14 February - GCSE taster sessions in lessons (Students only during school)

• Tuesday 25 February - Tuesday 04 March - Student Destinations meetings with SLT: Discussions with individual students to help them make appropriate choices (Students only during school)

• Wednesday 26 February, 15:30-19:30 - Year 9 Parents Evening: in person on school site

• Wednesday 05 March - Options process closes

• Monday 10-Friday 28 March - Timetabling & staffing of blocks

• Monday 12-Friday 23 May- Year 9 End of KS3 Formal Assessment (AP6)

• Friday 04 July - AP6 End of KS3 Report to parents

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