School removed GCSE for yr 11 student?

My daughter’s private school allows them to do 1, 2 or 3 sciences - they’re no dual award offered and the number they do is their choice. I’ve also never known this in the schools I’ve taught in (but then I’m not a science teacher) but I confess I’m delighted - she’ll only be taking one and doing more Arts based subjects instead.

I'm a year 12 form tutor this year. The jump from GCSE to A Level is larger for people who've done dual award.

I was at school in the 80s and definitely not unheard of to drop an O level in any subject. Few people did three sciences anyway and the dual award rare. The schools my DC went to seemed to encourage some students to drop a subject if they thought they wouldn't get a good mark too. Probably to keep their results looking good.

If they have to do extra work for A level compared with those who did triple science, it is evidence that it is not as easy for them to do A level sciences following the dual award. That might not be "proof" but surely it is common sense that it is harder they are likely to do less well. Why else do many grammar school only offer triple science?

You can't drop one of the sciences. It's a core subjects. You have to do all three in some form.
It was unheard at my school in the 90s to drop one. And it's not been common in either of the grammars I've worked in.
Occasionally, Greek/Latin has been dropped and very rarely (for pastoral rather than academic reasons) the modern foreign language has been dropped.
In grammars it's more common to do additional ones 'for fun'. In our school Astronomy and Spanish are done this way.

It wasn't rare at DCs grammar school. Admittedly, I do only know students who dropped a language though . I was assuming they could drop other subjects too as happened when I was at school but if that has changed, maybe not. Therefore they all do three sciences.

That's what I thought you said. Students don't get to drop one of the sciences in a state school.
Dropping a GCSE is very very rare in my school and is usually a language if so.

I meant that they do not offer the dual award. Therefore if one or two people want to drop a GCSE they would have to do two single sciences. Do students never drop a subject at your school during year 10 or 11?

This sounds like either poor communication or poor teaching (or both!) from the grammar school.
By which I mean that the grammar school is probably not covering from an appropriate starting point in the A level classes the content that is only included in the triple sciences. Which might be reasonable to do if they let students moving to the school know that is what they were going to do and the topics they needed to do some prep work for.

It doesn't seem like irrefutable proof that triple science students do better than double science students.

If you didn't mean they only do two sciences then I'm not sure what you mean.
We offer dual award every year, but it only runs if they have one full class that want to do it (and have 3 'free' options). It doesn't happen every year.

They almost certainly haven’t finished covering the content at this stage in Year 11, especially not for triple science. Most schools struggle to cover everything by Easter, let alone Christmas.

I strongly suspect that they’ve realised that there’s no way they are going to be able to finish the course and are making the only decision they feel will result in good grades for the kids. It’s reflective of the terrible state that many schools are in - there aren’t enough teachers and there are even fewer who can teach sciences, especially chemistry and physics at triple science level.

Yes, it would be separate to the dual award as the majority of grammar schools in my area don't offer it. I didn't mean that a lot of students drop a science and only do two. It was assuming that one or two students did as it happens with other subjects too.

Grammarnut you really don't understand dyslexia do you ?

It is worth reading JCQ’s access arrangement guidance. Has DD tried a computer reader? Computer readers can be used even in the section of GCSE English Language where a reader isn’t allowed.

Some candidates are allowed to have spell check enabled in exams other than MFL exams. It explains this in JCQ guidance. They forgo the SPaG marks so the benefits need to be weighed up against that, but for some it is still better to use spell check.

Good point about whether they may be too behind with the syllabus. Last year, for dc they were still covering new content when they broke up for Easter!

How much of the syllabus is still to teach?
They may have taught all the double content but realised they are too behind on the 'extra' content to get it all done?

Is there an alternate entrance to the T level whereby she does a related level 2 for a year and can progress provided she gets a Merit?

Don't underestimate the writing required for a level 3 vocational course. As she's dyslexic a year at level 2 first may actually be beneficial.

Your right to be angry, this change should have been for the next academic year. At dc’s school, only the top 30 of the year do triple. It doesn’t use up an option- they cover the content in the same number of lessons as double science. If dd has actually used an option for triple, they shouldn’t be removing it at this stage. From the schools perspective (and most of the students) two 6’s is better than three 5’s so that’s how they are looking at it. But I appreciate that’s not the case for your dd. I’d push back on this one and speak to school.

Because you have to disable the spell check for English Language. 32/160 marks go effectively on spelling, punctuation and grammar.

I have never known this to happen in a state grammar school as all sciences have to be covered in NC.
If they drop from 3 to 2 that would be separate to dual award.

You could tell school to still enter her for the triple award and get a tutor for your DD one evening a week.

It’s very unreasonable for them to do this at this stage. That said, it is very unusual to offer single sciences to pupils who are aiming for 5s - they seem to just be a bit late to the game in realising this! It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if they are struggling with having specialist teachers and they are right that it will maximise the students’ chances of getting higher grades; it is poor to have done this at this stage though. I would look for a plan B - speak to the school and ask if they would enter her for separate sciences if she self-studies the remainder of the courses (it’s an extra third in each science) then pay for a tutor yourself. Speak to the college and explain the circumstances- they might offer flexibility if she could get a 6 in one subject, even if she then got a 4 in another. Third option would be to get a tutor in one of her other subjects to pull it up to a 5. Not sure there’s much else you can do tbh

I was not being hostile, I was wondering, since dyslexia is a complex of symptoms. It is a bit hostile to tell me to 'educate myself' (always a hostile instruction afaik) - I asked for information.
I now have it, I sympathise and I understand better. (Though I am always curious that dyslexia appears more frequently and with more complex problems in English speakers than anywhere else, but that's another problem, of course.) Thank you.

It is crystal clear you have no experience of learning differences.
Your view of dyslexia, and the different ways it affects different people is woefully lacking. Dyslexia affects so, so much more than "just reading a text". Some people with dyslexia don't read phonetically.
Please accept what several people have told you on this thread that the OPs daughter is going to be badly affected by this switch. We would be in a similar situation if it happened to my child - a child looking to do 4 A levels, but will be "lucky to get a 4 in English".

@LolaLouise good luck to your daughter. School have behaved appallingly. I hope you can sift through the unhelpful replies, and collect the useful ones into a compelling argument to support your daughter to achieve her next goals.

That reasoning sounds like gaming results. Presumably they did badly as a cohort in the mocks. Really poor from the school but absolutely standard these days - league tables and ofsted combined with tight staffing and budgets. Education and the students are the losers.

@CarefulN0w they aren't allowed to have devices with spell checkers for the exams. Even for students with additional needs. But typing and being able to rearrange text can be really helpful.

Op I'm dyslexic and was very strong in maths and science yet struggled in English. I would speak to school but also contact college, I think you will that they will be flexible given the schools decision.