Year 9 Options

Making curriculum choices in Year 9 is a very important decision as it will shape your time at school for the next two years and beyond. It is also an exciting opportunity to think very carefully about your future aspirations and how you can build upon your strengths to achieve them.

There will be core subjects that everyone will study but you will also have a choice of optional subjects. It is important to choose subjects that you enjoy and are interested in so that you will be motivated to work hard.

Take advice from your current subject teacher and think about the way the course and exams are structured. This process of researching, reflection and discussion is very important as we offer a range of subjects, including some that were not studied in Key Stage 3. It is therefore essential to take time to understand what each course offers, what combinations are possible, and what is most suitable for each student as an individual.

As well as thinking about choosing the subjects that feel right for you, think about how these choices could help to prepare you for your next steps:

• What grades will you need if you wish to study the subject further at a school sixth form or college?
• What subjects would be useful for a university course or career aspiration?

Year 9 Options Evening (online)

Choosing your courses in Year 9 is the first step in an exciting journey. At Uplands Academy, we provide you with information and advice to help you to make those informed decisions. The first important step is our Year 9 online Options event, when the options process is explained in detail.

The event in Term 2 allows our students and their families to explore their options online. Pre-recorded videos from each of our subject departments providing detailed information about what will be on the course and how it is structured are now available to watch below. 

Our Year 9 Options Booklet can be viewed and downloaded below:

Year 9 Options Booklet 2024-25

Supporting you to make the right choices

Our staff are available via email to provide support, guidance and advice throughout the options process. You can find contact information for each subject listed in the Options Booklet.

Good reasons for choosing an option:

• You are good at the subject and you enjoy it
• Your research shows that it will interest you and motivate you to learn
• It helps to give you plenty of choice post-16
• You may want to continue studying the subject post-16
• It fits your career ideas and plans

Bad reasons for choosing an option:

• Your friends have chosen it
• You think it will be easy
• You think it is a good option for a boy/girl
• Someone else thinks it is a good idea
• You like the teacher you have now for this subject

Key Dates

• Wednesday 18 December 2024: Year 9 Options Event (online)
• Wednesday 15 January 2025: Year 9 Parent Evenings (face-to-face)
• Friday 31 January 2025: Year 9 Options deadline

Useful links:

BBC Bitesize GCSE Options: Everything you need to know about choosing your GCSE subjects

Year 9 Options videos