School removed GCSE for yr 11 student?

Surely you can't go on the marks to decide what is easier or harder. It depends on the questions (assuming they aren't exactly the same).

I'd book an appointment with the school - argue your case for your DD - those are good grades - and talk to the college.

Obviously you can also try and raise other grades - but I don't think this is fair at all.

Something to bear in mind...
Its slightly harder to get good grades in triple because the grade boundaries are higher. For example- last year a grade 5 was 64% on the combined but 67% on the single. You might find that 2 better grades is just as valuable as 3 less good ones. Especially as there will be less to revise.

I think the best thing to do now is contact the college, explain the situation, give them her predicted grades. I bet they will likely be helpful.

Surely that decision is made in Y9 - when options are chosen and accepted.

Also think DC school tends to look at science scores over time rather than all subjects - but they may factor that in.

You don't surely decide 18 months into a two year course with your presumable better science kids to change the exam - and leave presumably your better students with one less GCSE - and after many ay have already applied for college courses for next year.

Even if they don't have a physics teacher - they'll still need to coved the physics section of double award - so they'd still need someone for that.

DD2 has an awful physics teacher - was predicted a C (Wales A*-G) but first exam sat end of year 10 she got A on that paper as we put the extra work in ie we taught her large swaths of the syllabus and made sure she did practise. So even less than stella mocks you'd think they'd be time to pull those up.

What grades is she aiming for. Are you really saying she did the course in yr 10 and now they have dropped it 6 months from the exams?

In our school the children would study all 3 sciences and only the top few would make the grade to be entered into single subject GCSEs.
I can see that if she's only getting g a 5, it's not top marks so wouldn't really meet the criteria for 3 separate subjects as doing 3 covers more material. Students getting a high 7's and above would meet the criteria to be entered into single subjects.
I would concentrate on getting her English at a level where she can pass and not have to resit, and talk to the school about how they are planning on supporting the art students through their GCSEs without a teacher.

The headteacher of the school I was at 40 years ago said the same thing but it wasn't true. I needed all three GCSEs (or O levels then) for the subject I did at university. My DC went to grammar schools and they only do triple science.

If all else fails, I'd ask for her to be provided with the materials/curriculum abd entered for exam privately.
I'd get her a tutor also.

That’s terrible. If this is truly their reasoning, they could have made that the option moving forwards, not for the students who have already started studying for the triple.

If you are prepared to look at the syllabus in art and help her gather all her art work together to put into a portfolio, I think you may be able to pull up her gcse grade. DS was so disorganised but his drawings and paintings were ok. He mucked about in class as there was no direction from the teacher - she didn’t tell them what to do. She was going through something in her personal life I think as she just put a PowerPoint on and sat at her desk. She left soon after. It was a big shock when he was predicted a 5.
I read the syllabus and worked out DS hadn’t connected his work into coherent products or included progression (initial drawings, thoughts, ideas) in written explanations. I showed him what to do in the syllabus. He spent a solid weekend cutting out bits of printed out inspiration, quotes, and drawing some other bits that linked his pictures together. He got a 9 in the final thing.

This.

They only let 30 take triple at DC school but all mine have taken it - (they could have done double and got onto A-level courses). They thankfully can't do that at my dc school -wales - despite struggling for staff - as they sat one of the exams for each science in Y10.

I'd ask for a meeting with head - and talk to the college - as the exams are May it's getting rid of an option 5 months out for entire group is just not on.

It makes no sense to prevent students doing three sciences because they struggle with art/humanities subjects. It should be the other way around.

Or the specialist isn’t there? (Bet it’s physics)

Yes physics is particularly hard hit for good teachers. It is the only subject now that all three of my dc have had a tutor for. Not an actual teacher mainly but a uni student. I have MN children at leafy MN schools where generally there is good continuity of staff so I can only imagine how dire it might be in other schools.

I know that some of the decisions in terms of higher / foundation papers were taken at this time of year so it is probably that they all had lower marks and hence the decision to switch. I would though be checking that they have covered the right material for the combined at this late stage.

Is your dd getting as much help in terms of exam concessions for the English? Is she able to use a laptop? Does she have a reader for the sections she can have one? Have you watched the relevant film versions of the Eng lit books?

They should decide before pupils start year 10 not in year 11.

This. In my school it is only the real high flyers that get to do Triple- they are specifically invited. There is no way someone struggling in half their subjects would be allowed to sit the Triple exam, they'd be back in combined science.
It sounds as if the school is under pressure from their Trust to improve their science results. They will do better in combined. And as others have said, you're better trying to improve her English grade as she'll have to resit if she doesn't get it in Year 11. 2 Science grades, Maths, English and Geography are her 5 subjects for a 5, you need to try and get these.

Is it because they are so behind in the syllabus that they have run out of time and want to use that time to recap and revise?

Also, I’d be worried about the Art. It’s difficult to get a decent grade in it, but without a teacher guiding them on what is looked for by the moderators (the support work especially gets forgotten about) it’s almost impossible. the class is being failed massively by the school.

Hmm, reading the school statement I’d say the mock results were shit in triple, and are thinking that their results will be impacted by this so have lowered the bar so results look better. * It’s shit for the kids predicted and on track for the grades (happened to my son many years ago). If you can afford it, I’d go for the private tutor angle, it should at this point be revising and consolidation as they SHOULD have covered everything on the papers by now. And enter as a private candidate.
*Also any chance there are vacancies in science that mean the staff are stretched? Or the specialist isn’t there? (Bet it’s physics) As people have said there are massive shortages especially in the sciences. My job was recruiting long term cover and trying to find A, a qualified teacher of any kind and B one in the sciences and C one capable of teaching higher was always difficult, now it’s impossible.

I've heard of kids being asked to move to combined post mocks... In order for them to get a secure grade. However, to withdraw triple to all students in year 11 at this stage seems unfair.

I have a Year 11 DC doing tripple science. If they sent that message now, I'd be booking in to see the head. This is outrageous.

Fine to do this for the current year 9s, so they don't get the choice when they go into yeat 10 but you don't muck around with students 6 months away from their exams.

Try and stay cool, explain that their decision will have serious implications for your DC, where these subjects are her strongest, and you want to discuss how the school will help her to make up the GCSE she will now be missing. Complain to the governors if the head doesn't see the madness in this decision for those students who excel in science.