Options: Can Devastating Decisions Be Reversed?

Students at Old Buckenham High School have been talking to teachers about what options they choose and how this has impacted on their career and future.

Research has shown that the amount of UK unemployed citizens rose by 28,000 to 2.67 Million during the three months to January, with the unemployment rate at 8.4%, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS); this is the highest rate since 1993. This could be because the students in education are not making the correct decisions for their future on options, or because university fees are too high as more than a third of English universities will charge £9,000 as their standard fee next year.

The students have done a survey on the teachers about their option choices, options that were or were not available to them and how this has affected their career.

Ms Planton, an English teacher at the High school said, “When I left school, I didn’t know what career I wanted to do. I chose a wide range of options to suite different jobs. I would’ve liked to do Media because I wanted to pursue Journalism. After my A Levels, I then decided to do an appropriate degree to become a teacher.”

Maths teacher, Mr Scotney said, “The options I chose didn’t affect my career choice, but, they affected the way I thought about my future. All the options I wanted were available for me to study, and when I left school I didn’t know what career I wanted to take.”

“For my options, I chose subjects that I would enjoy,” said English teacher Mr Hinton, “ I was happy with what I chose but I didn’t know what career I wanted to do. I first of all wanted to do broadcasting, but, after University I decided to become a teacher.”


Our research shows that it depends on the school you go to for what options you get. Even if you don’t have the option you want you can still get the job you want, or it may even steer you towards a new job which you will prefer, as is the case with many of these teachers.

Most of these teachers didn’t know what they wanted to do when they left school but they knew the options they wanted to take, as is the case with many of the Year 8 students. But this also shows that students in schools around the world need guidance as shown in the Year 11 results. Only 14 knew what they wanted to do when they left high school, but a worrying 8 students said the options they have chosen will not help them with their future career.


Students in a Year 8 Science class were also questioned, with 21 out of 32 students saying that they knew what they wanted to do when they left school. 14 out of 20 students in a Year 11 English class said yes to the same question.

The same Year 11 class were asked “Will the options you have chosen help you in the future?” to which 12 said yes and 8 said no.

So, what do you think? Is the options process going to change your life?
By Lily, Rebecca and Emily.