Welcome to the Options Booklet for our current Year 9 pupils at Lord Derby Academy. These pupils will be embarking on their Key Stage 4 (KS4) studies from September 2022. This is a crucial time for our pupils and we are here to guide them and to advise them as they make important choices which will have a direct impact on their future life chances.
At Lord Derby Academy we aim to provide a traditional curriculum which matches the abilities and aspirations of our pupils, fulfils the ambitions of parents/carers for their children and meets the requirements and expectations of further education providers and employers. The world of 14-19 education and beyond is in a period of significant change and we must respond to this change appropriately whilst always keeping the best interests of our pupils at the heart of our decisions.
The well designed KS4 curriculum at Lord Derby Academy offers a broad and balanced range of courses, with the essential subjects of English, Mathematics and Science at the core of our provision. We are also placing a real emphasis on the English Baccalaureate (EBACC) which comprises GCSE qualifications across a suite of academic subjects (English Language and English Literature, Mathematics, Science including Computer Science, Geography/ History, French/ Spanish).
We have analysed the performance data of each of our Year 9 pupils and we have then placed individuals on what we believe to be the appropriate KS4 pathway to enable them to attain, achieve and maximise their potential.
Some of our pupils have been placed on the ‘Compulsory MFL Pathway’ and others have been placed on the ‘Optional MFL’ pathway. I have written to parents/carers individually to explain which pathway their son/daughter will be following.
All pupils at Lord Derby Academy will be studying the following subjects as part of their compulsory education at KS4:
In addition to the above subjects, we are offering a wide range of Level 2 option choices, comprised primarily of GCSE qualifications. We are confident that these courses will broaden and deepen the experience of our pupils and will ensure all pupils have access to a minimum of nine qualifications.
The coming weeks are clearly a very important period in the educational life of our Year 9 pupils. We ask families to take full advantage of the guidance and resources available and to discuss the possibilities and choices thoroughly. The staff at Lord Derby Academy are here to support pupils in making the right choices in order to ensure each individual is able to follow an appropriate pathway to success.
Miss V. Gowan
Headteacher