Welcome to the year 9 dedicated options area

Selecting your options is an important and exciting time, as you look towards your level two courses and the future.

We continuously review our curriculum to keep up-to-date with current government, university and workplace requirements, as well as providing for the wide range of interests and abilities of our students to ensure they are well placed to succeed in the future. We have an exciting range of qualifications on offer, in addition to those that are compulsory. Find out more about our courses and the option blocks available below.

What can I study?

Compulsory subjects for GCSE study are:

It is an expectation, where appropriate, that students choose a modern foreign language of either French or Spanish.

Students will choose three options from the blocks below.

Quick links

Course pages and videos
> Visit our course pages
> View our course videos

Options brochure
GCSE options 2024

How do I know which subjects to choose?

Visit our course pages to find out more about each subject, including which topics you will study and how each course is assessed. There is also a selection of course videos where you can access even more information. In addition, you can also email the lead teacher assigned to the course – you will find this on the course pages.

GCSE option blocks

Block ABlock BBlock C
ArtConstructionConstruction
Business studiesHair and BeautyHair and Beauty
Engineering designChild developmentBusiness studies
FrenchComputer scienceGeography
GeographyDramaHospitality and catering
HistorySpanishHealth and social care
Health and social careHistoryMedia studies
Sport studiesSport studiesMusic
PhotographyRE

Top tips

  • Read the brochure and focus on courses you enjoy and excel in.
  • Speak to your teachers about specific subjects.
  • Talk to your parents, carers, family and friends about what you would like to do.
  • If you have a particular job or career path in mind, find out what subjects might support you with that career choice. To help, you can speak to our independent careers adviser mpugh@retfordoaks-ac.org.uk and you can visit our careers and guidance page where you will find out more about career opportunities and links to various useful online resources.
  • Don’t choose subjects just because your friends are doing them or you like the teacher – you may end up stuck studying a subject that you don’t enjoy

Thinking about the future?

The three main routes available to you, after GCSEs, are further education (sixth form or college), apprenticeships or employment with training.

While some students have a clear idea of the path that they would like to follow, others do not. The following websites include information about different careers and some include quizzes to help you identify areas of work you may not have previously thought about. They may prove useful when choosing options or to support discussions about options at home.

www.nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk
www.icould.com
www.apprenticeships.org.uk
www.university.which.co.uk
www.plotr.co.uk