The Options programme is offered to all pupils in KS4 & 5, providing them with the opportunity to try a taster of different vocational areas across school. This currently includes:

• Vocational Centre
• Horticulture
• Forest Schools
• Out and About
• Performing Arts
• Art
• DT Enterprise
• Food Enterprise
• Duke of Edinburgh
• Music – Young Voices concert
• Boxing

New options are added to meet the needs and interests of learners when appropriate. Wherever possible, we ensure that the options on offer are linked to developing pupils’ interests and allow them to explore and make links to future pathways. This is vital for helping pupils to recognise their own strengths and the skills linked to them.

For KS4 pupils, the Thursday afternoon option changes each half term to give them the opportunity to try a number of different areas within one school year, should they wish. All pupils will complete the same option on a Friday for a full year. This allows pupils to really develop their skills within a particular area and staff are able to plan more progressively.

The Options programme is designed in such a way that a number of important life skills are developed by pupils. Explicit links are made between the options pupils choose and the skills they will need later in life. There is an expectation that pupils will make the decision themselves, developing the importance of resilience, independence and stickability – especially if they do not receive their first choice or an option is not what they expected.

It also provides an important opportunity to develop our pupils’ well-being as they are often able to access an area they feel more comfortable and confident in, reducing the pressure they may feel from some of the core curriculum subjects.

The mix of KS4 & 5 pupils and staff gives our young people the opportunity to work with a wide range of unfamiliar peers and adults, building their confidence in communicating and interacting with others and developing important social skills. The increased number of staff and pupils gives us the opportunity to offer a wider range of options that are of greater quality. It also helps provide a stepping stone and some familiar faces for those moving on to our Post 16 provision.