Page 3 - Options Booklet - March 2022

The GCSE Curriculum

The time has come for you to decide which subjects you want to study over the next two
years as you move into Year 10 and start your Key Stage Four studies. The decisions
around what you want to study for the next two years will not only shape the rest of your
time at The Dean Academy, but also help you to determine your possible future careers
and educational pathway. We hope that this booklet will provide you with all the
information you need to help make these decisions and it is important that your choices
give you a wide breadth of subjects as you progress into further education.

There are two sections of this booklet: the first provides details about the options process
and the second gives you an overview of the different courses available to study. We are
proud of the wide range of courses available to study at The Dean Academy and
encourage students to read carefully the information about both GCSE and vocational
courses. There is also a section on “Frequently Asked Questions” which should help if you
have any unanswered questions.

You also have a huge amount of other support available to you: your first port of call
should be your subject teachers and your tutor, as they will be able to talk to you about
ensuring you have a broad range of subjects in your choices. You should also discuss your
choices at home with your parents and carers. Members of SLT and the pastoral team are
also available to help answer any questions and they will see as many of you as possible
during this process to check how your choices are progressing. Your tutor or a member of
SLT can also book you an appointment with the Careers Advisory Service in school to help
you to see how your choices fit into a bigger, career-based picture.

The Key Stage Four Timetable

Your timetable, once you start your Year 10 studies, will consist of “core” and “option”
subjects. In Key Stage Four, all students have to study as set of compulsory subjects known
as “core” subjects and they will automatically be added to your timetable.

Core subjects that are examined are:

• English Language
• English Literature
• Science (Double Award)
• Maths

All students will also take part in some non-examined compulsory lessons:

• Physical Education
• Values and Society (PHSE, Sex and Relationships Education and British Values)