With Choices In Year 9

with choices in Year 9

Contents

Introduction

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What does my teenager’s school offer? Page

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What happens after Year 11?

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What can my teenager study? Page

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What’s new?

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7 sources of support for your teenager

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You might also like to know about… Page

Different ways of learning

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Where can I find out more?

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Introduction In Year 9 your son or daughter will be making a choice about which subjects and courses to study in Years 10 and 11. They will need to choose which GCSE subjects they want to take and, depending on what their school offers, they may also be able to choose from a range of other courses as well - such as the new Diploma. This newsletter aims to help you support your son or daughter with the choices they will have in Year 9.

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with choices in Year 9

What can my teenager study? Not all schools will offer the same courses, so your son or daughter will need to check what is available from their school before they make a decision. There are some compulsory subjects that everyone will have to take, and other subjects which your son or daughter can choose from.

Everyone has to take English, maths and science. In addition there are some other subjects that they will need to study but may not have to take exams in. These include information communication technology (ICT), careers education, citizenship, physical education (PE), religious studies and work-related learning.

The main academic and vocational courses that may be on offer at your teenager’s school include: GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) Entry level qualifications NVQ (National Vocational Qualifications) VRQ (Vocationally Related Qualifications)

The Diploma

Pre-entry level qualifications

GCSEs are offered by all schools in a variety of subjects, including Applied GCSEs in vocational subjects and short GCSE courses. Entry level courses can help students to progress onto GCSEs, or other qualifications, and are available in a range of subjects. Some schools may offer NVQs, which are work-related qualifications, involving hands-on learning and work placements. VRQs include BTECs, City & Guilds and OCR National courses. They are based around broad areas of work such as art and design or business studies. VRQs also include a range of shorter vocational courses taken alongside GCSEs.

The Diploma is a new qualification for 14-19 year olds, which combines classroom learning with work-related and practical experience – see What’s new? on page 3 for more information about The Diploma. If your son or daughter is not yet ready to study one of the courses above due to learning difficulties or disabilities, they may be able to take pre-entry level qualifications at their school.

To find out more about compulsory and optional subjects, including new courses, visit www.connexions-direct.com/whichwaynow and click on Choose the right options.

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with choices in Year 9

Different ways of learning As well as choosing the subjects they want to take, your son or daughter will also need to think about the way they prefer to study and learn. • V  ocational courses, such as NVQs, BTECs, and OCR Nationals, offer a chance to learn workrelated skills through hands-on practical learning, projects and real workplace experience. • G  CSEs cover general education subjects such as English, maths, modern foreign languages, science and history. The balance of coursework and exams is changing - see the What’s new? (below) for details.

• S  ome courses, like The Diploma (see What’s new?), combine classroom and hands-on learning. • It may be possible to take a mixture of GCSEs alongside vocational qualifications such as an OCR National, or a BTEC.

What does my teenager’s school offer? There are two main ways your son or daughter can find out which courses their school offers:  The Local Area Prospectus www.youchoose14-19.co.uk is a website featuring a searchable database of all the 14-19 courses on offer in Birmingham and Solihull schools, colleges, and work-based learning providers. Select Birmingham or Solihull on the Where do you want to go? webpage and then click on 14-19 PROVIDERS. You will then be able to search for your teenager’s school to find out what’s on offer.

 chool options evenings S You should be invited to attend an options evening with your son or daughter at their school. This will give you a chance to talk with teachers or careers co-ordinators about what is available. The school may also provide an options booklet with details of all the courses and subjects offered.

What’s new? Over the next few years, the government is making some changes to the education system for 14-19 year olds. These changes are designed to give young people more choice and to help them learn in the way that suits them best. Changes to GCSEs The main change to GCSEs, that will affect your son or daughter, is the introduction of internal assessment in place of course work. From September 2009, initially in nine general subjects including English literature, geography and history, there will no longer be any coursework set and marked by teachers. Instead, there will be controlled assessments set by exam boards and supervised by teachers. The coursework element is being removed entirely from GCSE maths.

In more practical and applied subjects like art and design and music there will still be coursework assignments but with stronger controls and more supervision from teachers. Ask your son or daughter’s school about the balance of coursework and exams for individual subjects.

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with choices in Year 9

What’s new? - continued The Diploma This is a new qualification for 14-19 year olds, which combines classroom study with work placements and hands-on experience.

• Creative and Media • Engineering • Environmental and Land-based

In Years 10 and 11, the Diploma can be studied alongside GCSEs at two levels:

• Hair and Beauty

• F  oundation Diploma - a level 1 qualification comparable to 5 GCSEs at grades D-G

• Information Technology

• H  igher Diploma - a level 2 qualification comparable to 7 GCSEs at grades A*-C.

• Society, Health and Development

From September 2009 there will be Diplomas on offer in ten broad subject areas: • Business, Administration and Finance • Construction and the Built Environment

The September Guarantee The September Guarantee is a key part of the Government’s plan to reduce the number of NEET young people (not engaged in education, employment or training). It is the guarantee of an offer of a place in learning for every young person in Year 11. This means that your daughter or son should be offered a learning place by the end of September 2011 (to commence no later than the beginning of the January 2012 term).

• Hospitality • Manufacturing and Product Design

However, as the Diploma is a new qualification, it is not yet available everywhere. Check what’s on offer at your teenager’s school by using the online Local Area Prospectus www.youchoose14-19.co.uk or their school’s options booklet.

The guarantee has been extended to 17 year olds to give those who enrol on one year or short courses, or who leave the activity they chose when leaving school, further opportunities to engage in learning. A place in learning includes full-time education, an Apprenticeship and e2e (Entry to Employment).

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with choices in Year 9

7 sources of support for your teenager 1 Your local Connexions Service

4 Choices @ 14 webpages

Your local Connexions Service provides information, advice and guidance to all young people between the ages of 13 and 19, or up to 25 for those with a learning difficulty and/or disability.

The Choices @ 14 pages on our website www.connexions-bs.co.uk are full of information to help your teenager with their Year 9 options.

Your teenager will have access to a Connexions personal adviser (PA) while they are at school. Their Connexions PA can help with: • C  hoosing subjects and courses in Year 9 and beyond • Finding out about career ideas • Personal problems or worries. Once they have left school, they can still get help from a Connexions PA through their local Connexions Centre. You can find contact details for Connexions Centres at www.connexions-bs.co.uk (click on Contact us in the left-hand menu). 2 Support for teenagers with learning difficulties/disabilities (LDD) From Year 9, young people with LDD will get help to start making plans for the end of Year 11 - this is called Transition Planning. Our booklet Planning for Transition will help you to support your teenager during their move from school to adult life. You may be able to get a copy of Planning for Transition from your son or daughter’s school. You can also visit www.connexions-bs.co.uk and click on Parents and Carers then Young people with learning difficulties/disabilities to read the webpages or download a copy of the booklet.

The information on the webpages are available in a printable booklet format Choices @ 14 Guide. Click on Download our publications. There is also a larger print edition of the Choices @ 14 Guide. 5 Careers Software As a Birmingham or Solihull student your son or daughter can access careers software programs Kudos Online and E-CLIPS through our website www.connexions-bs.co.uk (click on Careers software). They will need codes from their school to log on to the programs and should ask their school for details. These programs can help your teenager to find out more about which careers might suit them and get factsheets about hundreds of different jobs. 6 The Local Area Prospectus www.youchoose14-19.co.uk is a website featuring a searchable database of all the 14-19 courses on offer in Birmingham and Solihull schools, colleges, and work-based learning providers. 7 Which way now? www.connexions-direct.com/whichwaynow features quizzes, tools and checklists to help with Year 9 options. Which way now? is also available as a free printed booklet.

3 Year 9 Choices Card This is a handy card for your teenager to keep, which tells them where to find important information about their Year 9 options. The card was delivered to schools in early November.

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with choices in Year 9

What happens after Year 11? Your teenager will study the options they’ve chosen in Year 9 throughout Years 10 and 11. After Year 11 they will have more choices to make. If your son or daughter has an idea of what they want to do after Year 11, it can help them make the right choices now! There are three sections of our website www.connexions-bs.co.uk where you can find out more about Year 11 choices: • Beyond 16 Includes information about career planning, education, employment, Apprenticeships and e2e. • W  hat next? Special choices post 16 These pages contain information about the choices at 16 for young people with learning difficulties/disabilities.

• Intouch with your teenager’s future… This is our newsletter for parents and carers of young people in Year 11, available as web pages or a printable download. Click on Parents and Carers and then Parents of Year 11 students – your teenager’s future.

You might also like to know about... Getting a Saturday, holiday or part-time job Your son or daughter may want to start a Saturday, holiday or part-time job while they’re at school. A part-time job can be a great way to gain work experience but there are some rules about how many hours they can work. To find out more visit www.connexions-bs.co.uk and click on Parents and Carers followed by Parents of Year 11 students – your teenager’s future and then select young people and employment. The World of Work The world of work is changing all the time. One way you can support your teenager to prepare for these changes is by helping them to find out more about job trends.

This new World of Work section has all you need to know about what’s happening in 15 main jobs sectors including; Business, Administration and Finance, Creative and Media, Engineering, Hospitality, IT, Retail Business, Society, Health and Development, and Science. You will be able to find out about the jobs on offer, skills and interests you need, local job trends, and how to get started in a career, in each of these sectors. Check them out by visiting: www.connexions-bs.co.uk and clicking on the World of Work. Remember, whatever kind of career your son or daughter is interested in, most employers are looking for people with good English, maths, ICT, team work and communication skills.

To help you, and your son or daughter, find out more about these trends there is a new World of Work section on our website www.connexions-bs.co.uk

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with choices in Year 9

Where can I find out more? Try some of these websites for more advice and resources aimed at parents and carers. www.connexions-direct.com/parentcarer The parents and carers webguide to all the options. Click on Choices in Year 9 for lots of information on Year 9 options. If you are looking ahead there are also pages for 16+ and 18+ choices, as well as a guide to supporting your teenager. Parents and Carers - Guide to options 14-19 is also available as a printed booklet. www.parentscentre.gov.uk Covers a range of topics for parents and carers, including making choices at key decision times.

www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u Case studies and articles on hundreds of different job titles on the jobs4U searchable job database. www.birmingham.gov.uk/parents.bcc Birmingham City Council webpages explaining their services for parents and families. www.solihull.gov.uk Solihull Council website.

www.direct.gov.uk/en/parents Information on everything from the new Diploma and the National Curriculum, to finance and money.

Special support for parents/carers of young people with disabilities or learning difficulties. www.connexions-bs.co.uk (click on Parents and Carers in the left-hand menu). From the parents and carers page click on Young people with learning difficulties/disabilities in the left-hand menu. This section of the site is for parents and carers of young people, aged 13 to 19, who have a Statement of Special Educational Needs.

www.direct.gov.uk/DisabledPeople Government site outlining the rights of people with disabilities, their education and available benefits. www.parentpartnership.org.uk Provides information, advice and support for parents of young people with special needs.

© 2008 Birmingham City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council The information contained in this publication was as accurate as possible at the time of being produced.

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