On Thursday 22nd April we are holding an Options Evening in the secondary school hall from 4p.m. to 5:30p.m. for all students and parents of Years 9 and 11.  Teachers will be available to give information about all the subjects offered at Rainbow at both IGCSE and A level.

For Year 9 students, this will help them to complete the option form that they will be given later this half-term and which you will be asked to sign before it is returned to us.  Year 9 students will soon also face the challenge of external assessment in the form of their Cambridge Checkpoint Tests in English, Mathematics and Science which they will take on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the 3rd, 4th and 5th of May.

For Year 11 students, the Options Evening will help them decide which courses they will pursue next year, either at Rainbow or elsewhere.  We hope of course that many of you will choose to keep your children at Rainbow to join our A level programme.  For entry to Year 12, students will need to have 5 grades Cs or more at IGCSE, including Maths and English.

We hope you will attend the Options Evening and make full use of this opportunity to help you make the right decision for your child’s future.

Yours faithfully,
Mr. J. Toscano
Head of Secondary School

Careers

Getting ready for Year 10

Choosing your options

What you need to know

What you choose to do now for the next two years at school could possibly shape the rest of your life.

Understanding how important the next two years are can help you make the right choices.

If you need an interview to discuss your subject options and future career plans please do so with Mr. Biteetsigirwe (Room 4).

What you can do
Find out what options are available for you.

Think about the subjects you are doing now.  Which ones are you good at?  Which ones do you enjoy doing?  There will be new subjects, like Accounting, Business Studies, Economics and Sociology.  Ask the teachers and find out if they can be useful in your future career.

If you have a career in mind, find out if there are any specific subjects you need to take.  For example, if you are thinking of medicine, you should consider choosing both Chemistry and Biology.  If you want to do engineering, you will need Physics and Mathematics.

Try to keep your options open by choosing a wide range of subjects that give you a variety of future career options.

We suggest you read our useful guide for Year 9 students at www.connexions-direct.com/whichwaynow.  The site is UK-based but still highly relevant to our students. Also, visit www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u.  This will show you jobs that are related to the subjects you are studying in school.

A full programme of IGCSEs in 9 subjects
Students who are still learning English, or who have difficulties in some aspects of their learning, may be encouraged to study a reduced programme of study.
At the Key Stage 4 Options Evening, there will be opportunities to speak to your subject teachers and Form tutors about the subjects that interest you.

You can also discuss your subject choices and ideas for careers with Mr. Biteetsigirwe on that day or book a careers interview before making your option choices.

What next?

The compulsory subjects

These are the subjects all students have to take because they are part of the National Curriculum.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
English
Mathematics
At least one of the Science subjects, Biology, Chemistry and Physics

Optional subjects
These are the subjects you can choose.
Accounting
Art and Design
Biology
Business Studies
Chemistry
Drama
Economics
Geography
History
Modern Foreign Languages (French or German)
Music
Physics Education
Physics
Sociology

Remember to choose wisely.  You are likely not to have another opportunity to take a subject you drop now.

Choose the subjects that work for you.  Don’t just choose what your friends are doing or because a certain subject is taught by your favourite teacher.