Year 9 Options

At NIA we aim to offer a broad and balanced curriculum which prepares learners for whatever career path they choose to take after they leave NIA. Our curriculum offer is made up of a selection of different GCSE and Vocational qualifications which allows learners to select from a great variety of subjects which they may have studied before or is a completely new course to them. For Key Stage 4 at NIA, they will study a selection of core, humanities and option subjects and these booklets are a guide to what they will be studying in each of these subjects.

Core Subjects

The core subjects are the subjects every pupil at Key Stage 4 you must study, and these subjects will appear on everyone’s timetable next year, which is the same as for previous years. Physical Education and PSHE are non-examined subjects but are mandatory as part of the national curriculum.

Humanities Subjects

Every pupil at NIA studies a humanities subject, either Geography or History.

Free Option Subjects

At NIA we aim to offer the biggest variety of subjects possible. This allows learners to choose option subjects which interest them or support them in following the career path they wish to take. Within the free option subject choices, learners need to select 3 choices and 2 reserve choices. When selecting the subjects learners should make sure they think about the amount of coursework and additional time they will need to give to a subject. Some subjects will not be available for all learners to select, which will be determined based on the pathway learners are placed on.

Pathways

The Senior Leadership team and pastoral teams at NIA have a duty to guide students along the correct pathway to ensure that every learner selects the most appropriate subjects for their progress and to set them up for their post 16 next steps. Using academic data, learners are guided onto three pathways: purple, yellow and white.