S3 Course Choice Options

We are now approaching a very important period in your child’s education. Over the month of March 2020, pupils in Second Year will be asked to choose the subjects which they will study as they make the transition from the broad general education phase to the senior phase.

What exactly will my son/daughter study in Third Year?The teaching week consists of 32 teaching periods: As a result of the importance of developing pupils’ literacy and numeracy, all pupils will study Mathematics for 5 periods and English for 4 periods per week. All pupils will also have 3 periods per week of Physical Education and one period per week of both Religious and Moral Education and Personal and Social Education. After this, pupils will normally study another 6 subjects for 3 periods per week. They will be able to choose the subjects they study from a Course Planning Form.

What is Shawlands Academy doing to help my daughter/son make an informed choice?In their Personal and Social Education classes, all S2 pupils have discussed possible future careers and looked at issues of equal opportunities. Over the next few weeks all pupils will have the opportunity to discuss their choice with their Pastoral Care Teacher. After this interview, your daughter/son will bring home a sheet showing the outcome of this discussion.

What is the purpose of this booklet?This booklet is designed to give you information on all the subjects available in Shawlands Academy to enable you to help your child make informed choices when planning their curriculum for S3 and S4. A course planning form is included in the booklet detailing which subjects are available in each column.