KS4 (GCSE and Vocational) Options 2025/2026

With students now approaching the end of Key Stage 3, they will shortly embark on their Key Stage 4 (GCSE and Vocational) journey with us at Workington Academy. We will support our families through this process to ensure that each student can both enjoy and achieve their full potential at the end of year 11 and beyond.

This year we have combined our progress evening with our options evening to streamline the process and to enable more individualised advice and guidance to be given. These evenings are on Wednesday 12^th and Wednesday 19^th of March. You will be invited to attend one of these via letter and email. During the evening, we would like to welcome you into the Academy to explore all the options available alongside your son/daughter to help them make this important decision. The evening will include opportunities to visit departments, discuss subjects with teaching staff via appointments and ask any questions you have of the staff available on the evening.

Students in year 9 will also be given lots of information on our Key Stage 4 curriculum during form time, assemblies and taster lessons. All students also have access to Unifrog which will enable them to explore their career options and subjects relating to specific careers or further educational routes. In addition to this information, they will be able to attend taster lessons for some of the subjects with which they are unfamiliar.

Students are able to arrange a meeting with a qualified careers advisor if they wish to seek further advice. This can be requested via Mrs McAllister or Mr Simpson, alternatively the local career advisory service, Inspira, will be available during certain times this half term to support students.

Please do spend time with your son/daughter discussing the subjects which they enjoy and feel that they would like to study further at Key Stage 4. Below is an outline of the KS4 Curriculum which is arranged into a pathway system to ensure students are selecting subjects appropriate to their academic prior attainment. Please note that you will be asked to choose a second-choice subject as a backup option, however unlike many other schools, we at Workington Academy build our curriculum and timetable around our students rather than give options blocks. As a result of this, last year 98% of our students were able to pursue their first choices*.

Within school, we are making every effort to support our students in their decision-making and the Progress Evening is an opportunity to gain as much information as possible about the subjects, course content and delivery styles available to your child.

There are up to four possible pathways for students through the options process. These are designed to ensure that appropriate choice of courses is made.

EBacc Pathway

Students will follow the English Baccalaureate pathway which requires them to study English Language, English Literature, Maths, Science, Geography or History and a Modern Foreign Language (French or German).  Students will then have one free choice from the list of subjects. Within this pathway a group of students will be selected to study triple science.

Academic Pathway

Students on this pathway will study a core of English Language, English Literature, Maths and Science.  They must also choose one from the following four subjects: Geography, History, French or German.  They will then have two further free option choices.

Vocational/Guided PAthway

Students on this pathway will study a core of English Language, English Literature, Maths and Science. They must also choose one from the following four subjects: Geography, History, French or German.  They will then have two further option choices from a list of vocational subjects. They may also be supported in completing a bespoke curriculum offer designed to ensure that they are a success in all their studies.

Each parent will receive a letter containing the pathway their son/daughter has been allocated to and a link to a video explaining the process. This year students will be able to select their options online using a platform called Applicaa+, students will receive an email after the options information evening. They will select 4 subjects and then be able to rank them. Following their submission parents are able to review these choices before they are submitted. The initial deadline for completing this process is Wednesday 2^nd  April

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss the options process or pathways further, please contact either Mr Simpson (Deputy Headteacher) or Miss Smith (Director of Learning) via email.

Students who are most happy and successful in Years 10 and 11 are those who have considered their choices with care.