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Year 9 Options Choices

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13th February 2026

Dear Parent/Carer

 

Year 9 Options Choices

 

After half term, Year 9 students will be making choices to decide the subjects they will study during the next two academic years.

This is an extremely important decision in their school lives and can influence future career choices, day-to-day wellbeing and examination success.

 

How to Choose your GCSE subjects

 

There are 3 key things to consider when choosing which subjects your child will study for their GCSEs. These are:

  • What subjects do they enjoy?
  • What subjects are they achieving their best in?
  • What careers are they thinking about following in the future and what subjects do they need to study in order to pursue this career?

 

What subjects will my child study at GCSE?

 

Your child will study English, Maths (and Numeracy), Science, Welsh and Equality and Diversity. In addition to these compulsory subjects, your child will be able to study for three additional subjects from the list below.

 

 

  • D & T Product design
  • Level 1 & 2 Engineering
  • D & T Product Design
  • Art
  • Photography
  • Drama
  • Music
  • Vocational Retail Business studies
  • French
  • GCSE PE
 
  • BTEC Level 2 Sport
  • Food & Nutrition
  • Health & Social care
  • Digital Technology
  • Level 1 & 2 Vocational IT
  • Religious Studies
  • History
  • Geography
  • Tourism

 

To support students with selecting their options, all students will be allocated a mentor. They will select their options during their interview with their mentor. These will take place across a 2-week period from Monday 23rd February.

 

Students will need to select any 3 subjects from the above list, along with 1 reserve choice.

 

We will do our best to give all students their preferred options, however, due to timetabling constraints this is not always possible. Therefore, the options your child selects at this time are provisional until confirmed via letter after Easter. It is also therefore important to ensure that your child’s reserve choice is also a subject that they are happy to study.

 

Course Information

 

To ensure that your child makes a well-informed decision about which subjects to choose, all students have received course information in pathways evening. It can also be found on our school website and in the PDF attached with this letter.

 

Please use half term to ensure that you discuss these options with your child and they know which choices to select when they meet their mentor.

 

Summary of Next steps

 

  1. Talk to your child at home and use both the school website and Unifrog together to decide on which courses they would like to study. They will need to know this by Monday 23rd February.
  2. Your child will select their option choices with their mentor to ensure that they have considered all the aspects outlined in this letter and are making the right decision for them. Please note these will be provisional choices.
  3. You will have a letter confirming your child’s final option choices after Easter.

 

This is an exciting and vital step of your child’s education and I look forward to supporting you and your child throughout the process. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child Head of Year (RMG@newporthigh.co.uk) or myself.

 

 

Yours faithfully

 

R. Woodley

Assistant Headteacher Newport High School

 

View the PDF version of this letter here

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