Year 9 Options
Welcome to our Year 9 Options Hub 2025
At Harper Green School, we’ve made our process for picking Year 9 options simple so that every student gets the support they need to choose the right subjects. We know deciding on your options can feel tough, but it’s also an exciting step—and we’re here to help you every step of the way.
We’ll share more details about the courses available for 2025–26 in the coming weeks. In the meantime, make sure you add the important dates below to your calendar to stay on track.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at head@harpergreen.net or speak to your Form Tutor.
Making your choices
The choices you make now can affect what you can do after Year 11. If you already have an idea of what you want to do after secondary school, it’s worth checking if any GCSEs are needed for that path. For example, some colleges might ask you to take certain subjects to get onto their A Level or vocational courses.
What really matters to sixth forms, colleges, universities, and employers is how well you do in your subjects and how much effort you put in. That’s why it’s important to keep the tips below in mind when picking your options.
Do choose:
Subjects you like
Subjects you have done well in and gained good marks
Subjects you feel would help you to be successful in whatever you choose to do after the end of Year 11
Don’t choose:
Subjects that your friends are choosing (they may not be in your class)
Subjects that your favourite teacher teaches (you may not be in their class)
Subjects that you think other people would like you to take
Too many subjects with PSAs to complete at the same time
Submitting your options
The deadline for submitting your options form is Friday, 7th March 2025, but before then, students will engage with a whole range of activities to inform their choices, such as:
1. Progress Evening: Thursday, 23rd January 2025
This is a chance to speak to your class teachers about your performance in the recent assessments that took place prior to Christmas. You will have a report with all your scores and Effort with Learning grades (EWL) on them. Speak to your teachers about your successes, as well as asking about any ways you can improve in that subject.
2. Mock Options: Monday, 20th January to Friday, 31st January 2025
You will be given a chance in an assembly to take the time and pick a ‘mock draft’ of your options choices. This will give you a chance to see if you can do the subjects you would like to do, based on how we separate some subjects into what we call ‘blocks’. It also allows us to start putting plans into place to support you being able to take those subjects you want to.
3. Information assemblies: Monday, 27th January to Friday, 28th February 2025
Throughout this half term and into the next, Heads of Department will be sending information to form tutors to give you some much needed information on their subject. This could be whether or not there is coursework, or what a PSA window would be, or even what the modules are for each part of the course. This will then allow you to make an informed choice and use Options Evening as a chance to have any follow-up questions, as it can be very busy.
4. Aspirations Expo: Thursday, 6th February 2025
This is something brand new this year and we are excited to be able to tell you that college providers will be coming in on Thursday, 6th February for you to speak to about what your aspirations are for life after Harper Green. This could be if you want to ask about university and what routes there are to get there. It could how T-Levels work or even what GCSE options would help with a career that interests you. For more information on this, speak to Mr Javed and Mr Richardson.
5. Options Evening: Thursday, 13th February 2025 from 4pm until 7pm
Our Options event is a great chance to speak to departments about anything that is on your mind about the course you are interested in. Staff from each department will be on hand, as well as members of the leadership team, to support you and help you make the right informed choice about your future. Whereas Progress Evening is all about your grades and how successful you have been, Options Evening is totally different, and you will be able to see what each subject will be like in year 10 and year 11.
6. Taster sessions: Monday, 24th February - Friday, 7th March 2025
Every year, all your subjects that can be chosen provides at least one lesson that shows you exactly what a KS4 lesson in that subject will be like. Take these lessons seriously; they could be a deciding factor on whether to take that subject.
7. Leadership meetings: Monday, 24th February - Friday, 7th March 2025
Once all of these things have happened, a member of the leadership team will come and speak to you during the day to ask you about how the Options process is going and how you feel about your five choices. This could be a five-minute chat because you are clear on what you want to do, or it could be longer if you still need that guidance, or you are unsure about a few things. The member of staff you speak to will have as much information they can to support you, so don’t be afraid to ask them anything you think is important.
8. Options Deadline: Friday, 7th March - Monday, 10th March 2025
After Options Evening, there is half term and that will give you time to reflect on the process and you will be able to think about what you want to do now that you have had all the information to help you. You will then be given an Options Form on Friday 7th March, fill it over the weekend and have it signed by a parent/carer, then bring it on for Monday10th March for Mr Richardson to collect and begin looking at the choices made
Further information will be available over the coming weeks on how you and your child can make the final subject choices online. Please read the information below to support you in making your choices.
Year 9 Options Booklet 2025
We’re working on a Year 9 Options Guide to help you choose the best subjects for you. The guide will include all the courses and qualifications available for Year 10 and 11 at Harper Green School. Every student will receive a copy at Options Evening.
Year 9 Options Booklet 2025 - AVAILABLE SOON
Frequently Asked Questions
What are my choices?
In addition to your core curriculum subjects, which are mandatory, you will choose three choices and two reserves. One choice needs to be History, Geography or Computer Science.
Find out more about the subjects on offer to you next year inside this booklet.
It is important that you enjoy learning, so it is vital that you select courses that you find interesting, play to your strengths and develop your skills. You should consider carefully how these choices will affect your future at Harper Green School and beyond. Many courses of study will link directly into sixth form courses.
How many choices can I make?
You can select three choices and two reserve options.
How do I indicate my option choices?
You will receive further information on how you and your child will make final subject choices in the near future. The focus at this stage should be for you to carefully read the information contained in this booklet to support you in making your choices.
What if I don’t know what I want to do in the future?
That is absolutely fine and there is no pressure to know right now. You will have a meeting a senior member of staff or your year team to have a conversation about what you might be thinking about or what interests you as a career. Even at that point, do not panic, they can show you college options and what colleges in the area have available as well, so use that meeting as a chance to get thinking about what you may want to do.
What will happen at the Options Evening event?
You will be able to meet with the Heads of Department from all your subjects to discuss what their subject will be like in KS4. This will be a chance to ask any questions you have about the content of the courses and what the bene fits will be when thinking about college. There will also be college and apprenticeship providers as well as other career pathways for you to talk to as well so you can get a well rounded view on what the best options are for you at KS4 and beyond.
Will I automatically secure a place on my first choice courses?
Not necessarily, for three reasons:
1. The range of subjects offered now, at the planning stage, may have to be modified because of staffing or other
constraints
2. It may be necessary to limit numbers for health and safety reasons and access to equipment
3. A students’ levels of attainment and progression in Year 9 will be considered before confirming final choices
You will be asked to give two reserve choices on your Options Form. It is important that you do this as some subjects may be under or over-subscribed, and therefore we will need to find an alternative option for you. If you do not give us a reserve choice, it will not make you more likely to receive your first choice. In fact, you may be placed into whichever subject has the lowest numbers! Remember that once your choices have been made, it will not be possible to change them as your timetable will be fixed, and many groups will be full. If you are still unsure on what to pick close to the deadline, go and speak to Mr Richardson about what you would choose. We want what is best for you and want to make sure that you get it right.
The EBacc
The English Baccalaureate, or EBacc, is a combination of academic subjects and provides an excellent base for further study and many careers.
The subjects that make up the EBacc are:
- English Language and Literature
- Mathematics
- You can choose to do either History or Geography or both
- The sciences: Biology, Chemistry and Physics, each providing students with an individual GCSE qualification. Or a Combined Science GCSE, which gives you one Science GCSE qualification.
- A Modern Foreign Language, for Harper Green students, this will be Spanish
It is not a qualification, and you will not receive a certificate saying that you have completed the EBacc. However, it does highlight your academic ability, which will provide you with a greater range of opportunities following school and looking ahead to college and university.
Many further education providers and employers, especially the most prestigious and academic institutions such as Oxbridge - Oxford and Cambridge universities, Russell Group universities - top research-based universities across the UK, including the University of Manchester if you want to stay local, and many large businesses, require students to complete the EBacc before applying.
It is important to study the subjects that are the right ones for individuals. If EBacc is recommended as a pathway, students should seriously consider choosing this, as it will lead to a greater range of options in the future. These subjects show sixth forms, colleges, universities and employers that students are capable of studying to a higher level – but remember, it takes a lot of commitment and effort to achieve high grades in all chosen subjects.
During the Options Evening, there will be colleges and employers in school to ask questions about the EBacc. This would be a great opportunity to see the value and importance of the qualification. There will also be an opportunity to discuss the EBacc with staff in one-to-one meetings, so if you have any questions about it, you will have the chance then as well.
All students at Harper Green School have the opportunity to complete the EBacc if they wish.