School removed GCSE for yr 11 student?

Doesn't she need a 5 in English for college?

I’m not clear why she’s doing one subject less than her peers now, if the triple Science option has been removed for all students. Surely that must mean that all previously triple award students will do one fewer.

I think the focus should be on what she can now do to get on to the college course she wants and how to achieve that. As difficult and unfair as it is, I doubt the school will change again, although I imagine all the triple award students and their parents will be angry.

I think contacting the college to explain and see what they say is a good idea. Does the course she wants have a qualification with a lower threshold, so she could do that and then move to the course she initially planned for.

If she achieves the 5 or above in Maths, two Sciences and Geography, she has four and the college may accept that under the circumstances.

Talk to them and you then have a plan.

Yes, and it can be an advantage at degree level too.

Top medical schools don't require it simply because so many schools are switching to double, and the universities realise that it would be discrimination. It is not because they really don't like them having three sciences at GCSE. It is no comfort for you OP but my dd did triple science and said it was such an advantage at A level compared to those who had just done double.

We were told that the situation re physics teachers is so dire that even if every single physics graduate this year were to train to teach there STILL wouldn't be enough physics teachers. But it's all subjects now - my school even struggled to recruit for a PE post. In the past there would gave been 100+ applicants for PE!

Absolutely and I am not condoning it either. But remember that state schools are exam factories who are under pressure to get good results. Poor results = poor ofsted = kiss of death for school and many people's careers. It's an awful system in a lot of ways but it is reality.

What college course is she wanting to do?
For A level it's usually that you need a 5/6 in that subject at GCSEs. Talk to the college about options. She could still do 3 science A levels with top grades in double science and maths.
If it's not A levels then they might have options like an access course for a year, or consider her anyway without the 5+ in 5 subjects but with very strong maths & science results. So 4 at 6+ for example.
Also other colleges might have different requirements for a similar course

Get her lightup hub for English, my DD is extremely dyslexic, has an ehcp and a stint in a specialist school and it's been godsent. Triple science is so so content heavy so I think this is actually better tbh. What I'd suggest is bringing the art grade up. Have a look at the exam board she's doing, find exemplar sketchbooks for it, make sure annotation is great and help her with that if you need to. Tons of resources. That course ends first so she'll have more time to revise the others.

@LolaLouise my apologies I misread.

i would contact the other parents to see who else is upset
i'm very confused as presumably the booked her triple science exams already

You need to be aware that many colleges don't accept a triple award as 3 seperate GCSEs to qualify for STEM A Levels if the student isn't otherwise performing well (ie has 5 other GCSEs). So if the college you're after will accept her then it's worth paying privately to sit the triple award exam.

I understand how frustrated you might be, but I do slightly understand where school are coming from. If they are struggling for teachers, there is a logic to this if it it helps a majority of pupils to get higher grades. It's really unfortunate that it could affect your daughter.

Are you able to discuss with the college she wants to go to? I'm wondering if she was predicted good grades for triple and has now been disadvantaged, if they would take this into consideration?

If all else fails can you ask the school to enter her for the triple exam anyway (or enter her privately), she could do science lessons in school and then get a private tutor to cover the extra material needed for triple science?

2 7s and one 6 in her mocks is on track to do well in all three sciences - 5 months out those could go higher.

The OP issue is her DD needs 5 GCSE above grade 5 and with one less science GCSE she at higher risk of not meeting that.

So already doing well with the triple science - she doesn't need higher grades - she needs 5 GCSE above 5 - which this discussion puts her at risk of not getting.

I assume that the school logic - higher grades in double - but if you mess kids round like this they may decide other subjects take priority and those higher grades may not appear.

Those going on about how only high flyers get to sit triple science - nobody from that school is sitting triple science due to the schools decision. It has nothing to do with whether the OP’s DD is good at English - nobody is getting the option and it’s very poor form from the school as it sounds like she’d do well in them.

This.

sounds mad but for some they come out with higher double than they would for triple. My dds school swaps pupils around after mocks to play the system to get the better grades (with agreement though!).

this is terrible at this late stage for the school to do this though, they have 5 months left of school. Can you look at her sitting it in college instead? Some do this.

I do appreciate some courses you absolutely need triple (doctors /vets) so it really is awful for the school to pull that chance from the young people.
as completely anecdotal and useless information for you, I got accepted having done double on a science based animal degree (almost, vet level)

You could pay for her to sit them at a private centre?

Approach school and have a conversation. Plus I'd approach the college with dd and have a chat with them

I'd be furious!
No advice really apart from saying you're right to be angry.
Science was my strongest subject too and I did all science A levels - so would have been at a disadvantage when I started A levels if I had done the double science option (or the equivalent of that in the 90s!)