Dear Year 9 Families

We are excited to announce that it will soon be time for your child to pick the courses they wish to study in Years 10 and 11 at Gloucester Academy.  This is an extremely important decision and one that should be taken after careful thought and consideration.  Not only does this decision decide which subjects they will study at Gloucester Academy for the next two years, but it also has implications for their Post-16 study options, and future education and university and profession.

As such, we would like to warmly welcome you to our Year 9 Choices webinar for further information which will take place on Monday 8th March at 5.00.pm.  At this launch event, we will explain the ‘Year 9 Choices’ process in more depth.  Following the event, a ‘Curriculum Guide’ will be circulated which will provide an overview of each subject and what it entails, whilst also including a short 3-minute video to help students make informed decisions.  

Please click here to sign up for the webinar.

The link is also available on the school calendar on our website.

How will my child actually select their choices?

Using the SIMS app

The whole process of selecting subject choices will be completed online through the SIMS app.  Therefore, it is vitally important that you check that you have access to the app as soon as possible.  For those who are yet to log into the SIMS app, you will receive a letter shortly explaining how to access it.  If you are still having problems accessing the app, please email Mrs Lloyd ylloyd@gloucesteracademy.co.uk or phone her at the school 01452 428800,  who will be happy to help.  The process of selecting subject choices online will go live on Friday 12th March 2021 so it is important you have access by this date.

Subjects that are compulsory

There are, of course, some subjects (GCSE Maths, GCSE English Literature and Language, GCSE Science) that every child must study.  Students will also continue to have weekly ‘core’ PE lessons, though this will not be counted as an additional qualification.  

Priority choice

As a priority, all students will need to choose at least one of the following subjects: History, Geography, Spanish, or French.  This ensures they have a broad and balanced curriculum throughout their school career.  It must be stressed, however, that students cannot choose both languages.

Open choice

In addition to their ‘priority choice’ above, all students will then choose an additional three courses, along with two reserve choices.  The subjects in the ‘open choice’ will be a range of GCSEs and/or Vocational courses to supplement their current curriculum offer which can be seen below:

GCSEs: History, Geography, Spanish, French, Religious Studies, Citizenship, Business, Art, and Drama.

Vocational courses: BTEC Music, Food & Nutrition, BTEC Sport, Health & Social Care

Will my child definitely get their chosen subjects?

We cannot guarantee that students will get all of the subjects they wish to study due to the staffing and timetable structure, as well as minimum numbers to run courses.  However, we will try to ensure that student satisfaction is maximised wherever possible. 

As stated previously, more information about the process will be explained on Monday 8th March at 5.00.pm but we hope the information above helps you to understand the main parts of the process. All information can be found here

Key dates for the diary

• Monday 8th March 2021 5.00.pm - Launch Event
• Friday 12th March 2021 - GCSE choices go live on the SIMS app
• Friday 19th March 2021 - GCSE choices deadline
• Thursday 1st April 2021  - Date for allocation of subject choices

I hope this information helps start the thought process regarding Year 9 choices.  If you have any questions, please submit them here before the meeting.

Yours sincerely

Mr Edward Watson
Assistant Headteacher
ewatson@gloucesteracademy.co.uk