Welcome to Year 9
Welcome back
Welcome back to KWS and to Year 9! This is an exciting year where you have chosen your GCSE options and you will start to learn the skills and techniques required to help you to excel in the course. For some of you, this year will help with career options in the future and will give you a strong indication about what you enjoy and the skills you possess. As well as focussing on your academics, make sure to involve yourself in as many extra-curricular activities as you can and make the most of the wide range of opportunities KWS gives you.
Additionally, this year there is the option for you to complete your Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award which will help you gain life skills, give you an opportunity to learn something new and to give back to the local community. The tutor team and I are looking forward to supporting you through an exciting year!
~ Mrs Norton
KWS Expectations
Please take the time to re-read Mr Martin’s outline of our high standards and expectations as KWS students return at the start this academic year.
All students should be Ready, Respectful and Responsible. These 3Rs guide our students on how to conduct themselves in their learning and how to interact with students and staff.
Our school values of Knowledge, Wellbeing and Success are key to the character development of our students and how they can achieve personally and academically.
Tutor Team
Year Group Team
Head of Key Stage 4
Mr Ellershaw
Curriculum in Year 9
The curriculum year 9 students follow is outlined in the diagram to the right. Additional time is allocated to English, maths and science in Year 9, and the year is seen as a bridging one in terms of GCSE options with the focus on skills for GCSE rather than GCSE content.
In addition students have a Carousel lesson once a week. The carousel enables students to maintain a breadth of study despite having specialised in their options. Units covered over the year include ‘Being a Global Citizen’, Engineering, Art inspiration and ‘Music business success’. Students complete a research based project and presentation at the end of the year to achieve the KWS Arts, Culture and Society Award.
Details of the curriculum studied in each subject in Year 9 can be found on the Curriculum Pages of the website here. As a reminder, the details on programmes of study and exam specifications for options can be found here.
If you would like more detail, please do ask your child to show you the student site and/or google classroom for each of their subjects – this provides access to each lesson and associated resources along with knowledge organisers (KOs) for topics studied.
Options changes in Year 9
Across the first two terms of Year 9 there are three opportunities should students wish to change their option subjects. Students must take the lead in requesting a change, and discuss and have this signed off by all the relevant subject teachers, their tutor and a parents/guardian. These opportunities fall in mid October, early February and mid March.
Note: many subjects commence their GCSE specifications after Easter and changes in the last term of Year 9 therefore require significantly more catch up of work and are not recommended.
Careers Education in Year 9
Students will have one form time per week dedicated to ‘The World of Work’, as well as undertaking a PSHCE unit, enhancing their knowledge of Unifrog. There will also be a Careers drop-down day where students will access a variety of careers based activities. Students will also have opportunities to meet with visitors from industry and participate in careers trips, should they wish to. All students in Year 9 will have at least one encounter with an employer / training provider that offers apprenticeships / technical qualifications. Students in all year groups will also take part in careers based lessons in all subjects during KWS Careers month in March.
Home Learning in Year 9
Home learning expectations are outlined here and additional enrichment tasks can be found on each of the subjects curriculum pages – do encourage your child to dive into some of these.
Super Curriculum in Year 9
Students have the opportunity to select Period 7 and clubs twice this year, in September and January. Choices will be sent home for review and discussion the Friday prior to choices being made the following week in form time, guided by their tutor. They will complete four blocks of period 7 across the year, in the categories of Mind, Body and Soul.
Students will be provided with a large range of other opportunities across the year, such as those outlined here and on our Performing Arts Webpages here.
Students are invited to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award in Year 9, details outlined here.
Dates to note for Year 9
All our key events are on the school calendar which can be viewed here and should be reviewed in detail.
Some to note for Year 9:
- Reports will be issued in November, March and July.
- Parents Evening is scheduled for Thursday 24th April.
- DofE Training weekend is 26/27 April and Bronze Expedition weekend is 16/17 May. Students must attend the training weekend to be able to participate in the expedition.
- Exams Week is 9-13 June.
- Activities week will run (inc. some trips and sports day) from 23-27 June.
Your first port of call in school is your child’s form tutor, please do get in touch with them via ClassCharts if you have any questions or concerns. Please be aware of agreed protocols for such communications here.