GCSE options - do other schools do this?

[hollandparkmum]

DC is in year 8 and is currently choosing an option for year 9 when the school starts KS4. Compulsory subjects are English, maths, science, RE and PE. They get to choose ONE option from all the other subjects which is preferred to be a language option (either Spanish/French/Latin) to sit in year 9 along with RE. In year 10 and 11 two more GCSE options are taken each year as a one year course. DC is in the highest stream but the same principle applies to all GCSE and BTEC students.

The point is DC will have to choose a language and drop music, art, DT, Geography, History, second language i.e. all the subjects they enjoy with the option of picking them up again (or a new subject like drama, media studies etc) for a GCSE further up the school. DC is very distressed and I was quite shocked to be honest. Does this situation apply in other schools or is this unusual? If your child has been through this, did they cope OK? DC is more the arty/humanities type and is iffy at science and rubbish at languages.

[BackforGood]

Sounds unusual to me (I have dcs at 2 secondaries, and nieces, nephews, Godchildren and children of friends in diff schools around the country). That sounds odd.

[ILoveOnionRings]

My son is now in Year 11 and he did similar to the above but took 2 GCSE's in Year 9 and ICT double award, in Year 10 another 2 GCSE's and In Year 11 another 2 GCSE's. He has been doing GCSE Science modules since Year 9 and the usual Maths, English and PE. He took French in Year 9 but really it was pointless as he will be unable to take it at A Level as he has now forgotten it. I have found this way of studying very difficult (I am not even doing the exams) there are exams every November, January, March and May/June and the pressure for the students is intense. You do not want them to fail as they will have thrown away a year in a subject and I do I feel that I have been on my sons back for the last 2 1/2 years. On the other hand he has got 8 GCSE's already at B Grade or above

[roisin]

The school I work at does this - or something similar. (They don't have to do a language, but the top sets are strongly encouraged to do so, and to do it in yr9.)

At the school my boys go to they do a traditional 3 yr KS3, then (freely) choose options at the end of yr9. Much preferable IMO.

[noblegiraffe]

Sounds terrible. Early entry doesn't do the kids any favours and statistically they do worse. Picking up a GCSE to do it in a year after not having done it for a year sounds dreadful.

However, unlike in onionrings' situation, your DC will not be sitting exams in November, March and June because they have scrapped module exams for all GCSE courses. There will now only one big exam to sit at the end of each course.

[ILoveOnionRings]

Noble - The scrapping of module exams, does this start from September?

I am quite cross also as the double award ICT is now only worth 1 GCSE as is the Btec Sport (he got distinctions in both) When he choose the courses he was advised that they were worth more GCSEs than they are now - however I do realise that GCSE's are what really counts and luckliy he has chosen a wide enough range of subjects and will get the EBAC, but again not heard much about that lately on the news.

[noblegiraffe]

Oh that's a point. The new linear GCSE courses start in September 2012, but this is for first examining in 2014, because GCSE is meant to be a two year course. If the GCSE is to be taken in one year and they complete it in June 2013, then they could just cram the first set of GCSEs taken in Y9 into the old modular course. Any taken in OP's DS's Y10 and Y11 would have to be linear.

However, cramming a two year course into one year modular fashion would probably be less attractive if the only option to resit the modular course is in Nov 2013.

[cricketballs]

Ilove - the equality to 1 GCSE thing is about the headline figures. For 2014 tables, then a vocational course will only count as 1 GCSE in terms of the 5 A-C that can be reported. The qualifications will still exist in terms of the weighting of them (i.e. extended certificate, diploma etc) but its the school* who can not use them in the tables.

[Theas18]

I'm glad things aren't as complicated for my kids. THey do short course GCSE and ICT in year 9 and traditional GCSEs in 2yrs starting yr 10.

Good luck!

[Dingle]

Oh goodness, I have a lot of reading to do. DS, now in Y8, starts his KS4 subjects in September. We have an Options Evening this month and a booklet coming home beforehand to help us find out about what is available.

It all seems a bit of a blur to me at the moment.

[cricketballs]

do take note - that it is all changing from this September! Early entry GCSEs will no longer show on the league tables (from 2014 tables) and therefore schools have no advantage into pushing students to do GCSEs early. There is also the change in courses, that all exams have to be taken at the end of year 11, so no unit exams at the en of year 10, module exams etc. I would ask your school how they are going to manage this change

[MigratingCoconuts]

On the language thing:

Its because the Government have always said a language is compulsory in year 9 but optional after that. So this is their way of meeting that requirement.

However, Its also worth pointing out that the English Bacc thing requires a language and a humanities option alongside those subjects such as maths, english and science. Whilst the bacc is optional at present, there is a strong impression that, very soon, having a bacc spread of GCSE's will be a requirement for the better universities. So you should make sure these are in the choices you make, if Uni is likely.

[Hollandparkmum]

If DC doesn't do choose the language option in year 9 they will not be taught any languages at all that year and it will be difficult to pick up again in year 10 or 11. It is only taught as a one year course. Given DCs difficulties with language (dyslexia) I had hoped they would be able to sit it after another 3 years teaching when they are in year 11. The school has a very large proportion of second language kids and a lot tend to sit Arabic etc outside of school, so I am not sure if it is about the Ebac. They also drop history and geography at the end of year 8 and those are also optional and taught as a one year GCSE course in either year 9/10/11. The school stated they are not going to force anyone to sit an "optional" subject.
UCL etc are going to stipulate a language at GCSE level as a requirement but seem to be fairly flexible at the moment at least and even suggest the student can sit a module as part of their degree. Not sure if this will be the case in 5 years time when DC is applying though.
I have already hired a tutor to prepare DC :(
I think the school's curriculum is crazy to be honest - other child goes to a school where they sit the lot in year 11.

[MigratingCoconuts]

Not sure if this will be the case in 5 years time when DC is applying though this is the problem....things are changing quite fast now and its hard to know what will happen.

[chipmunksex]

Yikes, we've just been trying to steer ds a path through this, it seems wrong to be pushing him to take a gcse in French next year when he isn't doing particularly well in it and doesn't enjoy it. BUT if he doesn't he won't have a chance of getting the ebacc thing.

DH and I both went to university and haven't got a modern foreign language gcse between us.