Key Stage Four Choices 2025 

Over the next few weeks you will be making some important choices which  will have an impact on   the next two years of your education and perhaps beyond. It is important that you get these choices right and you are supported to make informed decisions.  

Our goals for every student who attends St Dunstan’s School are simple; every child should be educated and supported to become academically successful, make a positive contribution to the community and leave ready to make their mark on the world. The Key Stage Four choices, pathways and courses on offer are designed to support every student to achieve this. 

St Dunstan’s School’s Key Stage Four offer is intended to provide every student with a broad and balanced curriculum, as well as an opportunity to specialise in specific areas. Our aim is to offer students a degree of choice, whilst ensuring that they study courses appropriate and matched to their aptitudes and abilities. 

Our curriculum is a proven successful provision, delivered by experienced teachers who are experts in their courses. This was demonstrated by our GCSE outcomes in 2024 which were above the National and Somerset averages on several measures. Our curriculum is further strengthened by our collaboration with  Trust Partners. We are constantly working together to improve and develop our teaching and curriculum so that our students receive the very best opportunities and support to be successful. 

Good luck making your choices and please do not hesitate to come and ask for help and advice at any point in the process.

Yours sincerely 

Mr P Balkwill

Year 9 is an exciting time for students as this is the point in their academic career where they are given the opportunity to reflect on their learning to date, to consider their aspirations for life after school and to decide on the subjects they will take through to GCSE. Year 9 is the first time when students genuinely have choices about which subjects they study. It is also possibly the first time that students start to consider their choices post 16. Whether they choose sixth form, college or an apprenticeship leading to further or higher education, the choices made in Year 9 are significant and should be given serious consideration. Year 9 is a crucial point in your child's education and we see collaboration between students, school, and parents/carers as crucial to the process.

Students follow a range of subjects; all study the core subjects of English, Maths, Science as GCSE qualifications as well as a Humanity (History or Geography) alongside their own choices. Most of our students will also study French, meaning that they meet the criteria for the government’s English Baccalaureate. PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) and PB (Philosophy and Belief) continue to form the backbone of the curriculum provision in Key Stage Four, and whilst there are no exams in these subjects, they are vital in allowing students to develop their understanding of themselves and others. In addition to these, students are able to choose which other subjects they would like to continue with on to GCSE. This webpage serves to explain the process that students will go through when making their choices and offer support to students to ensure that they make choices that are right for them.

Yours sincerely

Mr T Armstrong 

We are pleased to share with you our information booklet for 2025. This will act as a guide for parents and students on the choices they will make. To view a PDF version of the booklet, please click link.

The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is the gold standard suite of GCSE subjects and ensures students are following a balanced curriculum. To achieve the Ebacc, students need to be studying a modern foreign language alongside at least one humanities subject. 

We recommend this pathway for our students for a number of reasons. This pathway ensures that students follow a broad and balanced curriculum, studying a range of academic subjects alongside creative, technical or more vocational choices. Top universities (Russell Group Universities) look favourably upon students who have studied a language and humanities subject. The pathway also provides students with a greater degree of flexibility and choice of courses. 

The majority of our students will be on the Ebacc pathway and there are some subjects that are only open to students on this pathway, this includes Computer Science and Separate Science. These courses are incredibly challenging and require students to be working at Mastering level in Mathematics and Science at  Key Stage 3. 

You will feel that you have made good progress in most of your subjects, but may feel less confident in Modern Foreign Languages.  Students on this pathway will study at least one humanities course alongside a blend of GCSE and alternative qualifications. This pathway ensures that students are able to receive a broad and balanced curriculum combining academic subjects and alternative qualifications, whilst ensuring that it is suited to their abilities and interests.

 This is an invitation only route for students who the school feels would benefit from alternative courses and qualifications. Students invited to this pathway will participate in a Foundation Learning programme led by the SENDCo alongside other subjects. We will work with you to make sure that you choose the right blend of subjects and types of courses.

• Subject Teachers can give you an idea about your ability in the subject, and more detailed information on their GCSE subject.

• Your parents/carers, who know you best of all, may help you to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses.

• Beth Church, our Careers Advisor,can provide you with information about entrance requirements to different areas of work. Her email address is: careersadvisor@stdunstansschool.com 

• Your Tutor or Mrs Easterbrook (Head of Key Stage 3) can support you with your choices.

• Mr Armstrong (Assistant Headteacher) can talk to you about the options process.

• Visit https://icould.com/stories/choosing-your-gcse-options/ for further advice and guidance about your choices and future career options.