Choices at 13 or 14 - information for parents and carers

Making good subject choices at 13 or 14 is more important than ever because of:

·         The broadening range of learning options in school

·         An ever widening range of opportunities after school

·         Continuing changes in the job market

·         Competition for jobs, training places and courses.

It can be a worrying time for you as well as for your son or daughter. Of course you want to do what you can to help, but it’s not always easy.

Even when they want your help, and most do, some teens find it hard to ask for advice. They want to make up their own minds.

However, the good news is that research shows that parents and carers remain the most important influence on their children’s career and learning choices. And everyone finds it easier to make major decisions if they can talk them over with someone they trust.

In the sections below you’ll find some information to keep you up to speed with subject choice at 13 or 14. And there’s also a brief update on Scottish qualifications.

1.    How you can help

2.    Where you can get help

3.    Background information on Scottish school qualifications

4.    Useful contacts

1.    How you can help

Naturally, you want your children to choose subjects they will enjoy, do well in and which will give them plenty of scope in their choice of career.

Here are some practical ways to help and support them.

• Find out as much as you can about the subjects and options that the school offers. The school will usually send you a booklet or leaflet about S3 options, and information about parents’ evenings you can attend.
  
• Talk to your son or daughter about what they are doing in school, how they feel about the subjects they are taking at the moment and what they like or dislike about them. 
  
• Encourage them to think about their strengths and interests.
  
• Make sure that they understand the options open to them and have thought them through carefully.
  
• Listen to any ideas they have about what they might do in the future.
  
• Encourage them to start finding out about different careers, and which subjects and qualifications people need to get into them. 
  
• Challenge any ideas or attitudes that might limit their future career options or ambitions - for example, that only men or women do certain types of jobs.
  
• Encourage them to ask for help if they are finding it difficult to choose.
  
• Check that their subject choice is balanced and will leave their future career options as open as possible.
  
• If you have any concerns at all speak to someone at school about them. 

2.    Where you can get help

If you do have any concerns or need more information, you’ll find plenty of help if you contact the school and talk to:

·         Your son or daughter’s subject teachers: for information on the subjects available in the school, and what the subjects involve.

·         Your son or daughter’s guidance, pupil support or pastoral care teacher: for advice and information on the subjects that might suit them best.

You could also speak to the school’s career adviser in school or visit your local Careers Scotland Centre. Staff there can give you advice and information on career choice and entry requirements.

If you want to look at information on careers and courses yourself, you could have a closer look at PlanIT Plus, especially Career Zone. 

The careers library in the school and in your local Careers Scotland Centre will have a range of materials too, as well as career-related computer programs for your son or daughter to use.

3.    Background information on Scottish school qualifications

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)

The SQA is Scotland’s national body for awarding qualifications. All Scottish qualifications are also placed at a level within the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework which is designed to help you understand and compare qualifications.

In school, the types of courses your son or daughter will be choosing at this stage include:

·         Standard Grades: awarded at Foundation, General and Credit level (SCQF levels 3, 4 and 5). Courses at Access 1, 2 and 3, for students who need some extra support, are assessed by the school, there are no outside exams

·         Intermediate 1 and 2 (SCQF levels 4 and 5): sometimes offered as an alternative to Standard Grades or as a stepping stone to Highers.

and, possibly, in some schools, for a selected range of subjects:

·         Skills for Work: courses designed to equip young people with the skills they need for the world of work, delivered through a partnerships involving schools, further education colleges, employers and training providers. They are awarded at Access, Intermediate and Higher level (SCQF levels 3 to 6).

National courses and units

There are still national units and courses in all the traditional subjects which have always been studied in school. However, for students who have a good idea of what they would like to do when they leave school, there’s a choice of units and courses in subjects related to their future career too.

Core skills

Students develop their core skills in the course of all national qualifications and are assessed in them. Core skills are the essential skills that help people in all aspects of their learning, training, work and life:

·         Communication (oral and written)

·         Numeracy (using number and using graphical information)

·         Problem Solving (critical thinking, planning and organising, and reviewing and evaluating)

·         Information and Communication Technology (accessing information and providing or creating information)

·         Working with Others (working cooperatively working others and reviewing cooperative contribution).

Progression

National qualifications give students the chance to build up a recognised qualification while allowing them room to try out something different. So your son or daughter could move on at a pace that suits them: from Standard Grades at Credit Level to Highers and Advanced Highers or maybe move from Intermediate 2 to Highers, for example.

And if your son or daughter wants to leave school at 16, they can continue subjects they like, or take up new ones, at a college of further education. They could also follow subjects through on a part time basis as part of their work related training if they enter employment or training.

4.    Useful contacts

Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) - for detailed information on all the national qualifications and to download a leaflet ‘Skills for Work: Information for Parents’.

Customer Contact Centre Tel: 0845 279 1000

Email: customer@sqa.org.uk

Web: www.sqa.org.uk

Careers Scotland – for information and advice about career and course choice

Tel: 0845 8 502 502

Web: www.careers-scotland.org.uk

Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (the Framework) – for detailed information on all mainstream qualifications in Scotland and how they relate to each other.

Tel: 0845 270 7371

Web: www.scqf.org.uk