Please explain to me obligatory GCSEs in Yr 10

[Verbena37]

Hi,
DD just joined yr 9 from a middle school systemr today. Got an email from English HoY asking for spare magazines for GCSE Media course that our children will be studying.

Me......confused.
So I email her back asking if it's optional. She replies, all children will take a GCSE in Media in yr 10 then begin the GCSE Lit/Lang course in Yr 10 to take exam in yr 11.

Now, this school (changing to academy)m have also chosen to make the children take IT GCSE in year 9/10 and also I think, Ethics and Philosophy in yr 10. The HT says its to give them all extra GCSEs and choose more subjects for their yr 11 GCSEs.

My query though is if they're preparing for Yr 10 GCSE exams, surely that would take time off them swatting up for their final yr 11 exams?
How do they fit it all in? If she chooses 8 GCSEs for yr 11? Have I missed something?

[gymboywalton]

no idea
sounds bonkers and like the school are doing it to make their league table position better

gcse english shouldn't be done in one year!

[Pneumometer]

all children will take a GCSE in Media in yr 10 then begin the GCSE Lit/Lang course in Yr 10 to take exam in yr 11.

That's absolutely insane, unless everyone gets an A*.

The HT says its to give them all extra GCSEs

Which are worthless.

[howabout]

I would be arguing quality not quantity. Is there an option for her to "sleep" through some classes. Mine do an extra subject which they drop at the end of year 10 and compulsory RE which they don't have to do the exam in. DD has permission from me not to focus on these areas. She has had offers from various teachers to do extra subject exams as she already has the core skills but I don't see the point. Sounds like the Media and Lit / lang syllabus have a crossover which the school is taking advantage of though which may not be that unreasonable?

[TalkinPeace]

Madness.
Point the HT at this document
www.russellgroup.org/InformedChoices-latest.pdf

[Verbena37]

Thanks everyone......here is the exact response.....think I may have misunderstood timings for lit/Lang course though. Looks like they wil get a full two years.

The GCSE Media course will be what we study all year this year and part of next year. Students will take their final exam at the end of Year 10. In Year 10 we will also begin our GCSE English Literature and English Language studies, both of which will be completed at the end of Year 11. Ultimately, this will mean that our students will receive 3 separate qualifications over the course of 3 years; GCSE Media, GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature.

[AndNowItsSeven]

So English over two year which is normal.

[cricketballs]

Talkin - the facilitating subjects that RG suggest are for A Level; not GCSE.

Op - if its the GCSE IT then 60% of the final grade is coursework done during lesson time, the theory for the exam isn't difficult. From what I can gather the Ethics GCSE is again, not difficult in terms of lots of theory to remember, but more of arguing points using the information they would learn in a compulsory RE lesson anyway. The one I would query is taking time away from English in yr 10

[TalkinPeace]

cricket
Yes, but why make Media compulsory?
Why not do fewer subjects with higher grades? as I am constantly told on threads

[overthemill]

I think it means that your child will get 3 GCSEs 'early' and have the opportunity to take the traditional number of subjects at end of yr 11. U I verities often want students to have got a certain number of subjects all in one sitting as it demonstrates that they can cope with the work load. But taking a traditional subject eg maths a year early at end of yr 10 and getting a C or a B may not help at all, if an A or more could be gained at end of Yr 11. Schools are trying to ask themselves more 'marketable' and achieve targets- these are methods they use. I don't approve completely but if it helps, say , talented students get Maths, Additional Maths etc before A levels that's a good idea.

[cricketballs]

sorry Talkin I can't answer that question!

In years gone by it would have been for the league tables, but this is no longer the case as only the GCSEs taken the end of year 11 count (there are some qualifications that can be taken earlier, for example ECDL in IT that still count for the tables)

[Verbena37]

His reasoning for taking IT early is so that you can use a whole more in your other subjects (I kind of get that and the kids are probably better using tech than the teachers) but why give them media as a GCSE. I'd rather they just focus on 8 GCSEs to a really high standard....and this is a school that's only just coming out of almost being in special measures! It seems all show and no go.

[Verbena37]

Or what about a business studies or statistics GCSE or something that adds onto maths.

[Pneumometer]

Or what about a business studies

GCSE business studies is pretty much the definition of a pointless GCSE: if you've got a load of A*s in mainstream subjects you don't need it, and if you haven't, it's time and energy diverted from getting better results in mainstream subjects.

or statistics GCSE or something that adds onto maths.

There are massive changes to the GCSE syllabus for maths, which I believe are for first teaching starting this month. Any school which goes "meh, piece of piss, we'll enter it early and then do something else" is likely to get something of a shock in two years' time.

[Pneumometer]

His reasoning for taking IT early is so that you can use a whole more in your other subjects

GCSE IT will teach nothing to a child who's seen a computer in the last ten years. GCSE Computing, aka Computer Science, would be worthwhile.

Maths. Two Englishes. Three Sciences. Two Humanities (usually geography and history). One or at most two MFLs. All taken at the end of year 11. That's what's happening in private schools.

Myth one: more GCSEs at lower grades are the same as fewer GCSEs at higher grades. They aren't: universities are looking at the best eight.

Myth two: Getting a B at the end of Y10 is like getting an A at the end of Y11. No it isn't: you just dropped a grade, that's all.

[cricketballs]

as a business teacher I would agree with adding on compulsory Business Studies .

on the other hand, I also teach IT and the GCSE is more than using facebook, it isn't easy to get very high grades as there is a lot of reasoning/evaluating within the coursework to get the higher grades, just by creating the products will only get you on the lower grade criteria

[cricketballs]

Pneumometer

GCSE business studies is pretty much the definition of a pointless GCSE: if you've got a load of A*s in mainstream subjects you don't need it, and if you haven't, it's time and energy diverted from getting better results in mainstream subjects.

what about those who want to study it? Those who think they may have an interest in some aspects of the course? No qualification is pointless

GCSE IT will teach nothing to a child who's seen a computer in the last ten years. GCSE Computing, aka Computer Science, would be worthwhile.

When was the last time you looked at the IT spec? As I said previously, IT isn't about FB, Word and PowerPoint.
GCSE Computing is only worthwhile if you are interested and capable; it is one of those subjects that unless you are brilliant, you will struggle to even get a low grade

Maths. Two Englishes. Three Sciences. Two Humanities (usually geography and history). One or at most two MFLs. All taken at the end of year 11. That's what's happening in private schools.

Not all private schools...

universities are looking at the best eight

education is not just about university

[Verbena37]

The thing is, what can I do about it?
They seem to have not told parents anything about the curriculum, other than what's on their website and out of date. If that English teacher hadn't have made a request about sending in magazines, I wouldn't have know about media until it's too late.

[mummytime]

Mine do 1 lesson RE a week, and get a GCSE out of it. They also did a 1/2 GCSE in IT in year 9, but that was done in the compulsory IT lessons.
The media is probably an easy "extra" although hopefully not at the expense of not enough concentration on the Eng Lit/Lang for those who need more time. They may have found that doing the Media course helps some with some aspects of the Lang exam (I think there is a bit about writing for different purposes?).

[Verbena37]

From what I remember, there was always writing for different purposes in the original language exam, no?

[cricketballs]

another positive aspect is that your DD will be experienced in undertaking GCSEs prior to end of year 11. Despite school's doing internal exams/mocks etc, nothing can prepare for the real ones so she will be in a favourable position when it comes to the core exams

[Verbena37]

Yes Cricketballs, that's true.

[Verbena37]

For a school whose maths and English grades have been very low over the past few years, I'd want to targeting why and trying to improve those surely?

[noblegiraffe]

The HT is an idiot. The new GCSEs for English and Maths have significantly increased difficulty and content over previous years. Any extra time in Y9/10 should be spent concentrating on this, not fannying around with GCSE Media, which is not a particularly prestigious subject.

If their English and Maths grades have been low previously, they're going to be worse in future. Other schools are increasing the teaching time for Maths and English to account for the new GCSE.

[noblegiraffe]

Also the DfE strongly warns against early entry at GCSE which statistics show mean students end up with poorer results.

So your HT is sending your DD off to get a load of GCSEs with worse grades for no good reason.

DfE research on early entry here:
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/184109/DFE-RR208.pdf

[Verbena37]

Bummer, that sounds crap then.
A friend just told me that last year's year 9 did GCSE ICT. She said the GCSE Media contains some IT as well.
So do you think it's because they've got academy status that they can now do all of these early exams or can all schools put them in early?