The Appleton School

Year 9 into 10 Options

Welcome to the Year 9 Options page of the school website. This area has been designated to help you with the curriculum choices that you are about to make. Please see below some key information, dates and resources we would highly recommend you review when making your option choices:

Key Dates:

Friday 23rd January - Your child’s option booklet will be emailed to you and all our Year 9 option resources will go live on the school website
Monday 26th January onwards - Subject information talks during lesson time will take place. This is where teachers will spend 10-15 minutes during a lesson talking about their subject at GCSE level and students will have the opportunity here to ask any questions that they might have
Thursday 29th January - Year 9 Options Presentation Evening
Monday 2nd February to Thursday 12th February - There will be GCSE taster lessons offered across 2 weeks after school for students to sign up to if they wish. This will be an opportunity for students to experience what it would be like to study particular subjects at GCSE
Friday 6th February - The option form will go live and students can start to submit their choices
Thursday 5th March - Year 9 Hybrid Consultative
Monday 16th March - Deadline for all option choices to be submitted

Options PowerPoints:

Each option subject has created a PowerPoint slide with audio to help support students further with their option choices. Staff talk through the key aspects of each course and give advice and further guidance, helping students to gain a better understanding of the courses on offer and which they would enjoy studying. You can view the audio PowerPoints by clicking here You can view the audio PowerPoints by clicking here. You will need to sign in to Google Drive with your school account. If you cannot see the videos you may be logged in with a personal account and will need to switch.

Options Booklet:

Options Pathway booklets will be available, which include detailed information about the options process, as well as qualification overviews and career advice. These booklets provides all the information needed to support students during this period, helping them to make informed decisions, leading to students choosing subjects that they will enjoy and excel in.

Parent Communication:

Please see below letters shared with parents in regards to Options.
Year_9_Options_Letter_2026.pdf

Further Resources:

Unifrog – This is a careers website that The Appleton School subscribe to which provides a wealth of information and support. All students have been issued with log in details via email for this.
The National Careers Website- This provides information for both students and parents www.nationalcareersservice.gov.uk and there is a helpline where you can speak to a qualified careers advisor 0800 100 900.
Talking Futures – When it comes to education and careers, parents and carers are quite often the biggest influence in young people’s lives. The Talking Futures resources is designed to support parents and carers to have meaningful conversations with their child about the range of training and education pathways open to them.
Where Next? – Not all young people know what they want to do when they are older – even if they do, they may not know how to get started or what training and qualifications they will need to get there. The Where Next? Resources provide further information about the training and education available to young people in Essex.
Essex Opportunities – This is a one stop shop for information on careers, skills, jobs and apprenticeships in Essex.
Careers advisor- Students can email Mrs Palmer, our careers advisor, for further support and guidance careers@theappletonschool.org.
Family and Friends Network – Please encourage your child to speak to their friends and family about their chosen subjects and to find out their personal experiences of courses they are or have studied.
Higher Educational Institutions – Access local College or University websites if you have a career path in mind, what expectations do these providers require from GCSEs? Are there any subjects that are compulsory or desired for specific courses?
Teachers – Students and parents can speak directly with subject teachers, form tutors and area advisors who will all be more than happy to answer any questions they might have.