Overview
The Guided Choice process begins in January of Year 9 and marks an important milestone for all students at The Joseph Whitaker School.
During this time, students make decisions about their Key Stage 4 subjects, which can have a real impact on their future career and education pathways.
We aim to ensure every student selects a mix of qualifications that supports both academic achievement and the development of essential life and employability skills.
Our Approach
We encourage all students to choose subjects that are:
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Challenging
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Achievable
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Enjoyable
This combination helps maintain a broad and balanced curriculum and supports personal growth, confidence, and resilience.
We want our students to leave school with not only the right qualifications but also the soft skills—such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving—that employers and universities value highly.
Pathways
Each year, we refine our guided choice process to reflect the needs of the year group, national qualification changes, and the wider employment landscape.
Students are placed on one of three academic pathways designed to offer appropriate challenge and opportunity for all learners:
Academic Enhanced
A pathway offering additional support in English and Maths to strengthen core skills and ensure success across the curriculum.
Academic Blended
A diverse mix of qualifications suitable for most students, allowing flexibility and a balanced curriculum that reflects a range of interests.
Academic Plus
A pathway designed to ensure all students study a foreign language and develop the valuable skills that accompany language learning—cultural awareness, critical thinking, and adaptability.
Core Curriculum
All students follow a core curriculum made up of:
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English Language
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English Literature
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Mathematics
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Science
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Physical Education (PE)
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History and/or Geography
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Life Skills and Moral Issues (PSHCE, Careers, and RE)
In addition to these core subjects, students can select additional option subjects to study through Years 10 and 11.
Support for Students and Parents
We do everything we can to support students and parents in making informed, appropriate choices.
While we always aim to provide each student with their first-choice subjects, timetabling or group size constraints sometimes mean this is not possible.
Information about each subject option is available in the Guided Choices Booklets linked on this page.
For further guidance, please contact your child’s Form Tutor or email:
📧 guidedchoices@josephwhitaker.org
Why Study Languages?
At The Joseph Whitaker School, we highly value the study of modern foreign languages and strongly encourage students to continue with French and/or Spanish at Key Stage 4 and 5.
We understand that some students may not see the immediate advantages of learning a language, so part of our Guided Choice process focuses on showing how languages can enhance:
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Future career opportunities
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University applications
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Cognitive development and brain function
Languages and Future Opportunities
To preserve a strong academic curriculum and in recognition of the high status of languages among universities and employers, we advise all students capable of achieving well to take at least one language to GCSE level.
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Choosing one language still allows for two additional subject choices.
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Choosing both French and Spanish allows for one additional choice.
Students on the Academic Plus Pathway will study one or both languages at GCSE level, as we believe this opens doors to exciting opportunities in higher education and future employment.
The Benefits of Learning Languages
Languages have played a vital role in the success of many professionals and businesses.
Research shows:
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77% of British exporters believe they lose business because they can’t speak other languages.
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The UK misses out on an estimated £21 billion in contracts each year due to a lack of language skills.
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60% of UK employers are dissatisfied with the language skills of school leavers.
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Over 30% of UK businesses specifically seek employees with foreign language skills.
Learn More
Discover more about the cognitive and career benefits of studying languages: