Over the course of January, February and March 2026, Year 9 students will be undertaking the process of selecting their subject option choices for study throughout Key Stage 4. Due to the changing needs of our students, and government directives, we review our curriculum offer yearly so please do not assume that courses that were available to elder siblings will be the same for our current Year 9 students.
Support
- All year 9 students will be scheduled a 1-1 meeting with our Careers Team. This meeting will help students to explore how their choice of options subjects could support their future progression / career choice. In addition, Year 8 saw them exploring possible choices and understanding future courses better.
- Students will have a series of assemblies where the options selection process and the possible destinations after The Farnley Academy are outlined. This assembly will support students in understanding how options can help them to get to where they want to be.
- Curriculum Leaders will present to all students. These presentations provided detail about the courses on offer including what they will study and how they will be assessed.
- A one-to-one ‘Options meeting” can be requested with an experienced member of staff ahead of the options deadline. This meeting will support anyone who is struggling with either the process itself or is unsure of the choices that they want to make.
Selection
Our pathway is designed to allow our students to compete with the very best in the country. Students will study the English Baccalaureate set of subjects, this is the gold standard in education.
| Subject | Number of GCSEs (or equivalent) | Number of lessons in Year 10 | Number of lessons in Year 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mathematics
|
1
|
4 | 4 |
|
English
(Language and Literature) |
2
|
4 | 4 |
|
Science
(Some will complete Triple) |
2 or 3
|
4 | 4 |
|
History or Geography
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
|
MFL
(French, Spanish or Mandarin) |
1
|
3
|
3
|
|
Option 1
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
|
Option 2
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
|
Core PE
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
Total
|
9 or 10
|
25 | 25 |
Option Subjects
Details of the content that will be studied and who the course will be assessed will be shared in the Option booklet on Options Evening however content can also be found in the following location. This details programmes of study from Year 7 to Year 11
| Option Subjects | Type of Qualification |
|---|---|
| Art | GCSE |
| Business | Vocational |
| Child Development | Vocational |
| Citizenship | GCSE |
| Computer Science | GCSE |
| Drama | GCSE |
| Digital Information Technology | Vocational |
| EPR | GCSE |
| Geography | GCSE |
| History | GCSE |
| Health and Social Care | Vocational |
| Hospitality | Vocational |
| Product Design | GCSE |
| Photography | GCSE |
| Music | Vocational |
| Sport | Vocational |
| Statistics | GCSE |
