Year 9

Year 9 is the final year for girls in the Middle School and they are offered greater opportunities for leadership, such as organising events for charity week or taking a Middle School assembly.

Leadership Opportunities

To develop excellent leadership skills, Year 9 can apply to take part in the Your Turn Course offered by the Common Purpose Organisation. This is a three-day course that brings together students from a number of schools. The successful students go off timetable for the three days. Each day has a different theme and includes opportunities to meet external speakers in a variety of fields. They explore the levers of power, examine how decisions are made and consider how they can make change happen.  After the course, the students are encouraged to create and lead a school-based project to enhance their skills.

Curriculum

During Year 9 girls choose their GCSE options (usually in February).  A bespoke timetable will then be created for them to follow in Year 10.  All girls study the core curriculum: English, English Literature, a modern foreign language (either French or Spanish), Mathematics and Science. In addition to this, they choose three more GCSEs from the following: Art, Business Communications, Classical Civilisation, Classical Greek (short course), Drama, Geography, German, History, Latin, Music and Spanish. 

Science is taught as three separate subjects and in PSHE they cover citizenship, sex and relationships education, drug awareness, personal safety and finance. To assist the students in making the right choice of GCSE subjects, they are given a vocational guidance test that will help them in their choice of careers. They are also invited to attend lunchtime lectures on careers given by visiting speakers.

Channing offers a large variety of extra-curricular activities both at lunchtimes and after school. Year 9 pupils have access to this vast range from Illustration club to Netball club. 

Year 9 also have the opportunity of participating in the Bronze Award for Duke of Edinburgh. 
This involves a practice expedition, an assessed expedition and completion of community service. The majority of Year 9 students complete their Bronze Award successfully and thoroughly enjoy the experience.

Another popular choice of extra-curricular activity in Year 9 is the Junior Extended Project Qualification.  This is a freestanding qualification. It involves pupils carrying out independent research into a topic of their own choice.  After researching a topic, they produce a written report and deliver a short presentation.

Trips

One of the highlights of Year 9 is the trip to the First World War Battlefields sites of France and Belgium.

Another highlight is the three-day residential trip to the New Forest in Hampshire at the Avon Tyrrell Outdoor Activity Centre. This normally takes place in the last term of the academic year. Year 9 students have an excellent opportunity to try out new outdoor sports as well as enhancing valuable skills such as teamwork. They will also practise their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award expedition.