January 2011
Dear Parent/Guardian
Your son/daughter in Year 10 is in the process of giving consideration to which
optional subjects will be studied in Year 11. I would like to inform you of key events
in the subject choice process including the Parents’ Meeting on Thursday 10
February and the Careers Interviews on Wednesday 23 February.
Please read carefully the accompanying guidelines before completing the provisional
subject choice pro-forma.
Please also ask your son/daughter to complete the Careers Department pro-forma on
page 6.
The subject choice and Careers Department documentation will be collected following
the careers interviews on Wednesday 23 February.
It should be pointed out at this stage that depending on the number of pupils choosing
certain subjects some alterations may have to be made to what is on offer, but we will
keep you informed should this arise.
Yours sincerely
J A Napier (Dr)
Vice-Principal
1
Choice of subjects for Year 11 2011 / 2012
Guidelines
1. If a pupil has a clear idea of the career/career area he/she would like to pursue,
then the choice of subjects should be guided by the requirements of that intended
career.
2. If a pupil finds it difficult to decide on a particular career or subject, then the
following points should be considered:
(a) consider carefully those subjects that are enjoyed and in which there is
proven academic ability or potential.
(b)
try to maintain a balance of subjects. In this way a wider range of options is
kept open.
Making Your Choice
A In Wallace High School the following GCSE subjects are compulsory in Year 11
and are taken by all pupils.
English
English Literature
Mathematics
The above subjects are not included in the option groups that require pupils to
make choices.
B In addition, pupils must select ONE subject from each option group on the
accompanying choice sheet.
Note:
1. The arrangement of subjects within the option groups ensures that all pupils
take at least one science and a modern foreign language*.
2. To study Additional Mathematics, pupils should demonstrate that they have
the necessary ability in Mathematics to follow this course. The Mathematics
Department will be in a position to inform your son or daughter if he or she
would be wise to attempt Additional Mathematics at GCSE Level. A pupil
wishing to study Physics or Mathematics at Advanced Level or thinking of a
career area such as engineering would be advised to choose Additional
Mathematics at GCSE Level.
2
3. From September 2006 it was no longer a statutory requirement that science is
studied for GCSE in Northern Ireland schools. However, it is policy in
Wallace High School that all pupils will continue to take science. In recent
years all GCSE pupils studied Double Award Science. From September 2011
we will no longer be offering Double Award Science but pupils will have the
opportunity to take one, two or three of the separate sciences (i.e. GCSE
Biology, GCSE Chemistry and GCSE Physics). It is essential that potential
career pathways are investigated before deciding on how many, and which,
sciences should be chosen; a significant number of university courses have
very specific science requirements. Pupils considering taking Biology as an
‘A’ level are strongly advised to take GCSE Chemistry. Additionally, pupils
intending to take engineering type courses at university must take Physics, and
possibly Chemistry, depending on the engineering discipline. The current
QUB prospectus states that students intending to enter a course in Medicine or
Dentistry must have studied all three science subjects to at least GCSE (with
Biology and Chemistry to ‘A’ level). It is expected that most pupils will take
two GCSE sciences with smaller numbers taking all three or only one.
4.
Pupils can select either (or both) of the languages they currently study.
5.
All pupils will follow a course of Physical Education as part of their
curriculum. The Physical Education in Option 3 does not refer to
‘recreational’ PE but refers to PE as a full GCSE subject. However, due to
timetabling constraints the number of pupils taking PE may have to be limited.
All pupils opting for this course must play at least one sport for the school.
6.
* Some pupils who have struggled with languages throughout Key Stage 3
will be timetabled for a GCSE in Learning for Life and Work (LLW) as
opposed to continuing with a language for GCSE. The Modern Languages
Department will identify the pupils concerned later in this academic year.
Parents of pupils involved will be kept fully informed and information
concerning the course will be provided to the relevant pupils in due course.
7.
Pupils who do not opt to take GCSE Religious Studies will be prepared for
the GCSE short course Religious Studies exam (equivalent to half a normal
GCSE) in their weekly statutory RE period. Only pupils who have made
satisfactory progress through the two year course will be entered for the GCSE
short course exam. This decision will be made by the Head of the RE
Department and parents will be kept fully informed.
8.
In addition, it is probable that GCSE ‘twilight’ courses will available at
SERC and that WHS pupils will have an opportunity to take one of these
courses. These courses run for two hours after school one afternoon per week
in the SERC Castle Street campus. Currently a number of WHS Yr 11 pupils
are taking GCSE Engineering or GCSE Photography as part of a collaborative
arrangement with SERC and other Lisburn schools. Further details concerning
the availability of these courses for September 2011 will be available in due
course.
3
Information on available courses is included in the accompanying
GCSE booklet.
Most pupils will follow a curriculum that includes 9 1/2 GCSE subjects, as
summarised below.
English
English Literature
Mathematics
Option 1, Option 2, Option 3, Option 4, Option 5, Option 6
Short course RS
4
Year 11 Provisional Subject Choice 2011 – 12
Name: ………………………………………………
OPTION 1
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
OPTION 2
Art
Bus Studies
Home Econ
Geography
History
Journalism
Technology
OPTION 3
Biology
History
Home Econ
ICT
Music
PE
Physics
Class Set: ……
OPTION 4
Additional Maths
Biology
Bus Studies
Chemistry
Geography
ICT
Religious Studies
Technology
OPTION 5
Art
Chemistry
French
Geography
History
MIA
Physics
OPTION 6
French
German
Spanish
Choose ONE subject from each option box and enter it in the appropriate column
below.
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Option 4
Option 5
Career area of interest: (if known) ………………………………………
Parent / Guardian Signature: ……………………………………………
5
Option 6
Wallace High School Year 10 GCSE Subject Choice - Careers Advice
Name of pupil and class set
List the skills you think you have.
List the qualities you think you have.
State your learning style/intelligence
type. Think back to your Y9 and 10
LLW lessons.
What are your academic strengths?
What career plans do you have?
List your optional GCSE choices
Why did I choose this subject?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Please return this form with all other GCSE documentation at the Year 10 careers
interview on the 23th February 2011.
Pupil Signature…………… Interviewer Signature ………………
6
Date …………