Year 9

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Young people today are being faced with increased curriculum choices at Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11). Therefore, Year 9 is a very important time for them to be thinking about the subjects and qualifications they want to study in the future. This could influence the decisions they will need to make about further education, training and employment.

It is an important time, too, for them to have support for making those decisions. However, because their option choices are different from those made by young people in the past, parents are often not sure what support to give, or where to start.

Questions to ask

If your son or daughter has no idea what they want to do in the future, a good starting point is for them to ask themselves:

What sort of person am I?
What do I enjoy doing?
What skills do I have already, and how would I like to use them in the future?
How do I learn best?

and then:

Do I know what all my options are?
If not, where can I get more information?

Your son or daughter’s school will provide a careers education programme to help them develop the knowledge and skills they need to make the right choices. Many schools will organise a special event for parents of year 9 pupils and their children to help with option choices, or will use the Year 9 parents evening for that purpose.

Your son or daughter’s Personal Adviser can also help with the choices and decisions they have to make. They can be contacted through your son or daughter’s school or your nearest centre.