Preferences

Year 9 Preferences Process 2025

As you may be aware students in year 9 are able to express preferences regarding a small number of GCSEs they wish to study in Years 10 and 11. The purpose of this guidance is to explain the process and also manage expectations.

ALL students will study Maths (1 GCSE), English Language (1 GCSE), Science (2 GCSE’s) subjects in year 10 and 11. Students may choose to study Chemistry, Physics and Biology separately through the preferences process gaining three GCSE’s in Science subjects.

ALL students will also have lessons in Physical Education (practical) and Religious Studies, Self and Society.(RS,S&S). These two subjects are not GCSEs. They are subjects in which all students (nationally) must continue participating in.

“Options” is something that secondary schools have organised for many years. However, with the reduction in the number and variety of subjects available now, due to government restrictions there is less “choice”. Alongside this schools cannot offer every possible combination of subjects. This would result in a huge number of classes with very small class sizes which is simply unaffordable.

In order to ensure as many students as possible are studying the subjects they prefer and will be most successful in we have added some additional steps into the process, which is summarised below:

1. Students will attend an assembly on Friday 14th February where we will explain the process of “preferences” We have deliberately not called these options as we have a role to play in ensuring students choose the correct subjects based upon the type of assessment, they are best at, their future career, their interests and abilities. Within this assembly we will explain the content of subjects they have not studied before. As you see below, there is a very wide range of potential subjects.
2. Students will then be taken in groups to complete an online form (on Edval) asking them to preference rank all subjects we can offer.
3. We will analyse the results and remove those less favourable subjects that do not have enough interest to be offered within the preferences blocks.
4. We will hold a Preferences evening on Thursday 27th February 2025 for students and parents / caregivers. We will also be inviting post-16 providers to attend this event.
5. We will produce a preferences booklet for students which contains details of these subjects and give these to year 9 students at our preferences evening on 27th February.
6. On Friday 7th March, students will attend a further assembly which will indicate that the window for preference submissions will open. Meaning students will then complete another online preferences form (again on Edval) expressing their preference of FOUR subjects.
7. In the middle of this preferences window there is also a year 9 parents / carers evening on Thursday 13th March where you can discuss preferences with subject teachers.
8. The preference window will close on Friday 21st March.
9. Students will then be informed if they have the preferences they expressed or not and what alternatives are available. This will be in the summer term (June).

As mentioned above, all students will not be able to study their top four preferences, but we will do all we can to support as many students as possible in this. Subjects within the preferences process make up only 20% of ALL lessons and whatever subject areas students are following we expect them to make maximum effort and excellent progress.

Subject	Number of GCSEs	No of lessons per two week timetable	% of time studying each subject
English Language and English Literature	2	8	16%
Maths	1	8	16%
Science	2	10	20%
Physical Education (practical)		2	4%
Religion, Self and Society		2	4%
Preference subject	1	5	10%
Preference subject	1	5	10%
Preference subject	1	5	10%
Preference subject	1	5	10%
	9	50	100%

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