Secondary schools

All of these features are always borne in mind by the school and allowances made to help the children to adapt. The staff at the schools will have procedures in place to help all new pupils. There may be a ‘buddy’ system where the new pupils are paired with older pupils so that they can be escorted around the site of the school, have the timetable explained, the routines outlined and the organisation of lunchtimes and ‘free time’ outlined.

After the first few weeks the ‘First Years’ or Year 7 children will be integrated into the school routines and ethos. They will be enjoying more freedom, new subjects, more responsibility and the companion of new people. It does not take long for children to es tab lish a rapport and to become accustomed to a new way of life.

In Years 7, 8 and 9 the pupils at secondary school will be working towards Key stage 3. They will be assessed at the end of Year 9 at age 14 before embarking on a two year GCSE course.

In Year 9 decisions will have to be made to choose subjects to be studied for GCSE. At the beginning of the spring term in January, pupils in Year 9 (and their parents) choose those subjects that, in addition to the compulsory subjects, will form part of their Key Stage 4 course. These may include vocational courses. Pupils in Year 11 take the Key Stage 4 GCSE examinations.

Optional end-of-year tests are taken in many schools in Years 7, 8 and 10. Having completed GCSEs in Year 11, pupils have a choice whether to continue with further education in school (i.e. the sixth form) or college, or to start employment.

School sixth forms provide education to young people beyond compulsory school age. Pupils and their families have a choice after completing Year 11.

Sixth forms vary in size according to the school or college therefore the range of subjects and courses will vary according to this and there may be reciprocal agreements with local schools so that a wider range of subjects may be offered to pupils.

AS levels are studied in Year 12 and these are equivalent to half an A level. AS (advanced subsidiary) levels can be turned into A levels by taking A2 in Year 13.

The advantage of AS level is that it provides pupils with the option to study more subjects before deciding on which ones to specialise in. Students may prefer to start new AS courses in Year 13 or possibly undertake vocational forms of education and learning. There used to be a 14-16 phase, followed by a 16-19 phase. In reality it means that many young people are working towards Level 2 qualifications (five good GCSEs or equivalent) after age 16 .

There are many opportunities for young people these days and the opportunity to experience many different aspects of life. Many students have gap years and travel, many serve apprenticeships and study at the same time. Many enjoy attending further education colleges to study both academic and vocational subjects. These colleges give more freedom than the school environment.

Sometimes these wider choices make it more difficult to decide which course to follow but there is also the opportunity to combine various different forms of learning. 11 to 18 year olds should take every opportunity offered to them to ensure that they fulfil their potential and gain the type of skilled employment that suits them and their personalities and strengths.