Year 10
Encourage your child:

- to choose subjects which she needs. If the right choice is not made now, it may be difficult to put things right later on. For instance you have to study at least double award GCSE science to do any science subject at A Level;

- to choose subjects which she likes and is good at. Most people perform better when they are doing something they enjoy and are good at;

- to keep the range of subjects broad and balanced, as this will give her more options at a later date;

- not to choose a subject in the hope of staying with friends or a particular teacher as this may not happen.

Also, during Year 10, Key Stage 3 exams are taken. Teachers are required to make a formal assessment of the student's work in English, Irish (only within Irish speaking schools), maths and science. These are set and marked by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA)

Year 11

When your daughter reaches Year 11, she will start the 2 year GCSE course.  The work becomes harder and more demanding.  All subjects have an element of coursework with some subjects having as much as 60% of the overall mark.Your daughter will probably start her coursework this year but the majority will be done in Year 12. 

Year 12

Staying on at school
At 16 years old your daughter can legally leave school. If her 16th birthday falls on or between 1st September and 1st July she is eligible to leave school on the 30th June of that academic year.  However, if her birthday falls on or between 2nd July and 31st August she cannot leave until 30th June of the following year.If she decides to stay on at school, in late January/February she will be expected to consider what AS & A2 ('A'levels ) or Advanced Vocational Certificates in Education (AVCEs) she wishes to do.

Further Education
If your daughter wishes to leave school but wants to gain some more qualifications, she could go to a Further and Higher Education College.These colleges offer a range of academic and vocational courses e.g 'A' Levels, Catering etc. She may attend full- or part-time, depending on the course chosen.

For information on Further and Higher Education courses click here.

Training 

If your daughter decides to leave full-time education she may decide to enter a training programme. For details of training for 16-18 year olds in Northern Ireland click here 

Employment

Your daughter can go straight from school into a full-time job and may have the opportunity to take NVQs to improve her qualifications. For further information on job vacancies and job search click here.