does yr9 matter? Or is one just screwed when you get to gcse if you’ve messed about all year
Edited to remove a naughty word - Baldrick
IIRC KS3 SATs no longer exist, but I assume that schools are still using performance to indicate some sort of KS4 “Set” system to target whether you’re working towards the higher grade GCSE exams or foundation grades? Or maybe that’s more fluid and that judgement occurs in Yr10?
Maybe someone with recent, first hand experience of how the Yr9 to GCSE transition is handled can give a better answer.
That’s ignoring how the lessons will likely lead on and build upon prior knowledge that should have been gained in Yr9, which if you’ve not handled well might put you at a disadvantage for GCSE-level lessons, assignments, and exams…
Admittedly, this is coming from someone that did nothing other than play paper-based games with friends at the back of their maths classes throughout Yr 11 and came out with an A, and my “A grade” Religious Studies exam was 100% waffle that if you didn’t know better could have been hallucinogen-induced…
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If you’re currently at the end of Y9 and asking whether you can recover from wasting that year: of course you can.
In an alternative timeline where you did your best in Y9 as well, yes you might have done better overall. However, if you knuckle down and do your best in Years 10 and 11 then you’ll do a whole lot better than you would if you spent those next two years dwelling over past mistakes.
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Broadly speaking, it’s a recoverable situation.
Year 9 is often use for “setting/streaming” for core subjects for Year 10/11. If you’re school does streaming/setting based on academic ability (and not all schools do this), then you may find your GCSE options/choices are more limited.
You may also find that you’re in a set where you have been limited to Foundation Papers for exams - which means the highest GCSE grade you could possibly achieve is a 5 - whereas “higher sets” would make the eligible for “higher tier” papers, meaning you’d be able to achieve 4-9 grades. The consequences of this could be that your post-16 options are more limited. For example - and this may just be a local thing - none of our sixth forms will permit you to take A level Maths, Physics or Chemistry if you sat a GCSE Maths Foundation paper. BUT, our local college WILL accept you with a Grade 5 to study A level Maths (irrespective of which paper you sit).
Identifying your aspirations can really help give you the motivation to change. Some schools are, sadly, really strict at this point and won’t chop/change classes. Others are more flexible and will delay exam entry until later in Year 10 - giving you plenty of time to prove to yourself - and to the school - that you’ve got what it takes.
You can come back from this. It’ll mean modifying your behaviours, it’ll mean graft, grit and determination. And, I’m quite sure, the resilience to prove to people you’ve got what it takes. But you can definitely do it.
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I did say messed about as I thought it would be easier to understand but in reality I’ve changed schools and my new one is far worse and I’ve basically been redoing year 8 since September
All the years of your education matter (so the way you say you have been treated is poor). But nothing is impossible to come back from if you want to and are prepared to work hard.
Unfortunately, any school move especially* in the state sector tends to mean repeated work. There’s a national problem with Y7/Y8 and has been since before I did my PGCE in 2001.
*not just the state sector. A local private girls’ school, which we considered for our daughter, had an inspection report which said that Y7 and Y8 were wasted years so we decided on a different option - the one she went to has a CCF which she has loved, albeit it’s Army only
To be honest, beyond a general background knowledge of how the world works plus basic maths, English and science, education doesn’t really matter that much with the exception that it matters for what you do immediately following it. Once you get out in the real world, as long as you have your GCSEs in maths and English, plus whatever qualification your job requires, no one gives hoot about the rest of it. You got a 9 in GCSE biology? That’s great, but we sell car insurance here so we don’t care.
As long as you do well enough to proceed to the “next level”, it doesn’t matter. I say this as someone who did well at school!
My Y7 in a state school was covering everything that we were supposed to know from Primary.
With 5s across the board in my KS2 SATS I was bored as heck. That meant that every school year after that didn’t feel like a level-appropriate progression because it was as if I was a year behind.
Something I can add though, some who had to (and did) put in work and effort to get themselves to an ok or good grade, can often (at least anecdotally) end up with better longer term outcomes than some who breezed a good or excellent grade. Eventually, not needing to try can catch up with people.
So in the context of an issue in Year 9, work out what your school’s approach is to KS4, and have discussions with your teachers throughout Yr 10 about where you’re at and what your options are if there’s headroom to get yourself bumped up.
Hi there
Does Year 9 matter…?
“If you don’t know where you’re going - it doesn’t matter which road you take” Lewis Carroll
Reading through the replies and your response to them, I think you probably already know the “correct answer”… yes… but all years of school matter…
The key thing about yr 9, is you have chosen your GCSE options and your department heads will be trying to work out which set they think is going to be best for you.
Ordinarily, I’d recommend placing trust in the faculty staff, because they’ll have known you throughout your school career - but, you mention that you’ve changed schools… your school record should have reached your new school, so your faculty staff should be aware of your previous academic attainment.
Being placed into sets is not a be all and and all.
First of all, the intention is that groups of students of similar ability are placed together… so that the method of learning is appropriate to their needs and learning styles…
In limited circumstances, it MAY affect whether you are invited to consider additional qualifications such as Further Maths, if you’re in top set maths…
While teachers are experienced and well versed in this process, they’re not infallible - and if a student feels they’re in the wrong group - or their teacher does, then the student could be moved, to better suit their educational needs.
The trickiest thing of all, is deciding which GCSEs to take - especially if like at least 75% of your fellow students / you don’t know what you want to go on to study or even what sort of job you want “when you grow up”
I’m 51 this year - and I’ve still yet to grow up!
When I was your age - I’d already worked out that I was too tall to be fast jet air crew - and figured I wanted to be an aeronautical engineer… because it sounded cool…
I also wanted to be an accountant or a policeman…
Either way, I chose French, Design Technology, History, Latin… none of which would necessarily help in any of those possible careers - apart from DT….
At the time - “internet” was a Yorkshireman being told where to put the fish he just caught… the “cloud” was a floating object in the sky… “WiFi” was either your socks smelling or an affectionate name for your wife… Windows were for looking out of, Apple was a fruit, Android was C3PO or Metal Mickey… (ask your parents!)
Despite the IT revolution that was to take over every aspect of our lives - we had no idea at school…
For now, apply yourself as close to 100% as you can, if something is difficult go and ask for help - your teachers will only be too glad to offer extra help.
Ultimately, what you get out at the end, is down to what you do in the next couple of years.
But - the bit that people rarely tell you, is what you will most likely be measured by most as you apply for jobs, is often not the grades of your studies - but, what sort of a person you are… are you attentive, do you strive for success, do you offer compassion, empathy and respect for others… are you coach-able, do you listen, do you problem solve, do you help train others, are you creative, are you easily distracted or disheartened, how well do you work and collaborate in teams.
You are still near the start of your “formal education” but you are ultimately responsible for how much you will take advantage of the resources available to you…,
But - look at all those other attributes I mentioned… and how many of those skills are really taught in school…?
Education will get you so far - and are often necessary stepping stones for certain professions such as Medicine, but many careers actually “need” relatively few formal qualifications…
Just focus on doing the best you can - try to avoid messing about, at least in class!
Be seen to be trying and you won’t go far wrong!
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