GCSE reduced subjects advice needed

It would be helpful to know his grades and his predicated grades shown in numbers (ie is he performing at 1, 2, or 3 for subjects).

All A level programmes are different - some will accept 5 GCSE’s subjects, some 6, some 7, some 8 etc. our local popular over subscribed grammar accepts 8 as long as a min grade average is achieved.

What you need to do to resolve your concern is which school is he hoping for do A levels in and what subjects - and then go to their website to look for their min gcse grades for every entry plus what subjects he might want to do at A level. as some subjects need prerequisites but to be honest most prerequisites are certain grades in Maths and/or English.

kids do either triple or combined science - he’s likely to do combined and even with combined its worth two GCSE’s (triple is worth three).

when you say English is it English and English lit or just English? English and English lit are two GCSE’s. English alone would just be one.

But a bigger problem you have is his grades. He could do 11 GCSE’s … it doesn’t matter the number of GCSE’s he needs certain grades to get into a levels. most a level programmes the min grades is a 7 in the GCSE’s he wants to do a levels in.

to be honest …. the less GCSEs he can get away with the better. It means he can concentrate on getting good grades on maths and English which are essential. My daughter did 8 GCSE’s (including drama, dance, combined science) and not only got into the A level programme at local grammar, but is now at Russel group uni.

my son was at a grammar they said he was underperforming in science and dropped him to gcse combined science. He ended up with two 9s for combined science (worth two GCSE’s) and his grammar school suggested he do science for a level. So go with as little pressure you can get away with I think!

the biggest problem you have (other than his grades) is are there two non academic subjects he thinks he would enjoy?

What were his SATS results in Y6? That would give something concrete to go off. Also schools are measured by the progress children make between SATS and GCSEs so it would be unusual for a school to self-sabotage as it were by not giving a child the chance to perform to the best of their ability.

I'm not surprised you are finding it stressful. Communication sounds dreadful. I hope you can speak to someone during the school day today.

No. Obviously you can't do A Level MFL but you can do A Levels with those choices. Entry on to individual subjects is dependent on grades but in many cases basic entry tends to be 5 x grade 5 passes. It is school dependent though but no, they can't say you have to have done X amount of humanities or language.

Just don't submit the form by 27th Feb if you still need time to speak to school. They have set that deadline for timetabling/option blocks and to allow them to plan ahead.

By the way, I wouldn't email head: email the deputy or AHT that's in charge of curriculum.

What did his Y7 and Y8 data say? You haven't mentioned that but this should also have informed school decisions, rather than one isolated set of Y9 data.

This is entirely dependent on the school/college. My DS18 is at one of the top schools in Liverpool. No pupil is excluded from their 6th form for not having taken a MFL GCSE or for not having done 2 humanities. My eldest (25, same school) did take History, Geography, plus MFL, but DS18 did MFL plus Geography only. He is in Y13 doing maths and sciences A levels.

I would expect this decision to be something that school consults parents about, not imposes on them. You need to book an appointment with the HoY, and explain that he has no interest in the creative/practical subjects. My DS25 ignored the recommendation that pupils take one of those subjects (out of 11 GCSEs) and did an entirely old fashioned-type academic set of subjects, whereas I took music and really enjoyed it. DS18 did computing and one creative subject instead of two humanities.

I would definitely ask for a meeting with the Head.
I would also want to have all of his exam scripts. If he has answered all the questions he got to correctly but didn’t get to the later questions (which tend to be higher marks) then there could possibly be an issue with processing speed or something. The answer to which isn’t to reduce his options academically, but to get him assessed and see whether he would benefit from extra time in exams.
separately - could ask how he is doing in homework and class work. It may be that he would benefit from having the additional maths support and maybe doing fewer subjects in total, but I agree with you that forcing him into cookery or another practical GCSE is pointless if it’s not a subject he has any interest in, or particular flair. (Plus it sends out all sorts of dodgy messages about those subjects being of lesser importance).
bottom line is really that the school can do this. But it absolutely should not have come out of the blue.

@Arizona29 you mentioned your son is bright, but struggled in an exam setting. Maybe this is because of an issue like @Theonlywayicanloveyou mentioned above. I’m not sure if they offer it at your DSs school, but children like that wouldn’t have their options restricted here, they would be offered a reader/writer in the exam, a longer time to sit the exam or other accommodations. Maybe this might be a way forward for your DS if he can be assessed and the issue identified.
The school absolutely should have made you aware of any issues before now :-(

I was that kid who knew the answers but couldn’t physically write fast enough, failed some of my O levels, scraped into uni after someone gave me a few exam tips (ie just do essay plans if you haven’t got time for long answers). I have several degrees now including a PhD. Finally got awarded extra time in exams in my forties after an assessment.

1. of course the school have to make out like it’s a hard deadline because there would be mayhem if they didn’t but your son is one of a v small group so although they won’t say it don’t panic about the deadline.

2. I would pay my last penny to get a private assessment as pps have said (and did this for one of my own)

3. I would organise afterschool tutoring maybe maths and English as they are so important in current system, and because they are foundational for other subjects (school predicted two 4s for my DC , with tutoring and extra time for dyslexia she got two 7s). Is he on board with this as a condition of you fighting his corner? Online or in person tutoring with an A level student can be good value and they know the syllabus. The same DC who had the tutoring also worked as a tutor while still at school.

4. emphasise to school how demotivating this is for him, and how motivating keeping up with his peers will be

5. sounds like it’s been handled badly but the best option for him might be some compromise between their suggestion and the standard.
   all the very best to him and you!

I do also agree with this.

If he is struggling the risk of overloading him is that he doesn’t get his 5 in English and maths and that shuts off so many future routes

Not finishing exam papers - sounds like slow visual processing. My 8yo has a diagnosis of that now. You can get an OT to assess this private without a waiting list. Then you have something to show SenCo.

Agree with meeting with head.

I would look at moving schools tbh.

I was also wondering bottom maths set out of how many. You mentioned moving from middle to bottom which suggests three sets and a very small cohort. That doesn’t then suggest he is struggling so much at maths. Different story tbh if it’s bottom set if 10 (say). But even then, if he wants to study politics and English a level he just needs to pass his maths.

Please don’t do this, HoY might have a full teaching day and meetings with parents who’ve been waiting their turn. Schools are not a service industry, time is highly structured and breaks are usually filled with duty rotations/phone calls to parents/paperwork/emergency situations (all to benefit children, I might add. I don’t think parents understand that our staff room is usually empty at break and lunch).

Arrange a meeting by all means.

The school will definitely want the percentage of pupils getting a ‘pass’ grade in English and maths to be high, for their own reputation and position in league tables. Also, your son needs a pass grade in these subjects too. At the moment, when decisions are made, based on your own information, he needs to be in the bottom set for maths. It’s in his best interest to have extra maths and English support. Their decision is not closing options for him. They are ensuring his success. And theirs.

To answer your last question @Arizona29 yes for sure you can do A levels with those GCSEs as a number of posters have already said.

There is no need to have two humanities and a language to do A levels. Most DC don’t even take two humanities.

Grades are what us important (min grade 6 in chosen subjects as a rule or if taking new subjects, a 6 in a similar subject). As I posted before, he needs to be sure he is taking any subjects he wants to continue with. That might need to be your focus, if he for example wants to do French and geog at A level?

What A levels does he want to do? You mention plans for uni - does he have a subject he wants to study there? What is it?

I like others think the reduced timetable is probably a good thing for him, but would be concerned about the insistence on two creatives he doesn’t want to do. Art GCSE is only for enthusiasts and not easy, so that would be my angle with the school.

Our school always put predicted grades on school reports ( from year 7), does yours not do this. I could tell based on those that my eldest was going to be pathway 2 and that my youngest would be doing Ebacc. I am a bit surprised that you thought dc would be doing Ebacc when bottom set maths. I think that was a good indicator that he'd be on a different pathway.
I'd arrange a meeting with the head of year though to talk through it.

This.

So for a levels it varies between colleges/schools.

however you definitely do not need to do the full ebacc to get on a levels.

my son really struggled with English. He dropped two slots at gcse to do extra study support.

passed by the skin of his teeth and went on to do a levels in maths, bio and chem.

in general to do a levels you need to pass maths and English (although some sixth forms will let you resit one if you failed) plus have 5 GCSE’s at 5 or above.

some sixth forms are quite competitive to get into and ask for more than this but this is generally the offer.

what a levels does he want to do? Obviously if he wants to do German Spanish and French the lack of languages is a problem. However if he wants to do English history and psychology (for example) this is achievable with the current pathway.

Also my friends son was moved into bottom maths set and got a 7(A) so don’t panic. Sounds like there is a lot to unpick but he can still be “bright” and be in bottom maths set. It happens! He could have all sorts of things that are making it hard to learn which he needs support with, that does not mean he’s not bright or intelligent as some people are suggesting.

He has reduced options because they’re giving extra maths and English intervention. They’ve made the assessment that he could fail his core subjects which is worse that not having a higher number of GCSEs

why is he not finishing? He may be smart but if he is unable to time manage and get through the exam when the rest of his peers are then it’s an issue. What have beeen the reports in parents evening over the years?

what records of grades has he gotten since year 7? Has there been no reporting of his grades or progress in the past 3 years?

have you not seen any of his homework marking or work when he comes home?

How could anyone answer those questions? We don’t know what is going on. Only the school can answer these questions. If I were you I’d focus less on the “not been told” points (although valid) and more on how they know there is an issue and how best to ensure he can achieve his best possible outcome.

He can absolutely still so Alevel provided he gets the grades. 7 GCSEs is more than enough, I know lots of children doing A levels now with 7 GCSEs. Don’t worry that part will be ok.
Definitely go and talk to the head of year who will be able to explain their decision making progress.
I would get him assessed for dyslexia like you said in your last post, if possible get this done privately as it takes ages for schools to sort this out more often that not. Ask them for an Educational Psychologist referral as you are concerned about your child being an average attainer until now and want to unpick why this is happening. Anxiety can absolutely affect test performance and schools put these children under a lot of pressure.
If he has slipped since year 7 perhaps it’s something about this scbool? Anyway for now focus on getting a meeting with the school as it seems like they need to explain what has gone wrong. Take a note book and write everything they say down. Schools do get things wrong and this could have happened. Or your son could be struggling to keep up with his prior attainment and you need to know why.
goodluck I hope they see you soon.

His year 9 assessment scores were all below the year group average. Not way below. But they were below. His results do not reflect his intelligence or capability. He said he knew all the answers but didn't get to complete the assessments as ran out of time. So the unanswered questions that he hadn't got to pulled his total score down, even though all the questions he did answer were correct

This is your problem. So either he read all the questions, wasting time not actually answering thus not having time to finish OR, he has some processing issues and didn't read ahead and has no real idea of whether he knew the answers. He may need an assessment for extra time. The school will take the view that the results do reflect his capability as it stands.

Look, the school want him to come out with the best set of results possible. The more GCSEs he acheives, the easier it will to move forwards. It can be tough to get maths and English at college/6th form if failed in Year 11. I would be grateful for any issues having been picked up and intervention put in place - many will never get that.

Bottom set for maths? Out of how many?

It’s very poor of the school that they didn’t contact you OP, they should have been involving you in the decision. Could his teachers maybe have thought you knew, hence not mentioning it at parents evening?

Having said that, I agree with other posters who are saying that him being below average in his test scores, not having adequate time to finish and bottom set for maths is an indicator that he does need the additional support and maybe doing fewer subjects is better. I’m going to be honest, a-levels are a bit of a step up from GSCEs and then a degree is a big jump from a-levels so getting a grounding now in good exam technique doing fewer subjects sounds very beneficial.

OP what were your sons SATS scores?

With the greatest of respect, he isn't incredibly intelligent if he's in the bottom set for maths. That's disingenuous at best. The schools communication has been poor and you need to work out if there are any additional learning needs, especially with him not finishing tests.

Thing is that if he's working well according to the teachers, but underachieving in comparison to the rest of the year there's something going on.

But also if he says he knows all the answers but didn't finish, but also scored below the average then even with extra time he's not going to be achieving top grades. And child saying they knew all the answers and the reality can be a different thing. Have you seen his papers? Was he getting 90+% on what he did do? ( which may well have been the easier half of the paper)

By looking at what help is available - and it sounds like in maths at any rate he needs it, he will be far more likely to reach his potential whether that's A-levels and degree or another route.

Rather than going in objecting to their suggestion, you need to find out how they are looking to help him. Working with them is far more likely to result in good grades.

Imo this is one of the problems in modern culture where schools tend to go for "meeting their targets" ( which can be individual ones) and "doing very well" with no idea given to parents -or pupils often, how this may translate into real exam terms. You're not the first person who's had a shock in year 8/9 when GCSE grades start to be mentioned and they find that their DC, who they thought would be looking at 6-8 grades, are really looking to scrape a few 4-5s.

OP this is a shock and it’s poor communication from school to just dump this on you at the last minute. You do need an explanation from school before you submit his form and if they are not responding to e mails, I wouldn’t return the form until they’ve discussed this with you. What are they actually going to DO if his form isn’t submitted in time?

If it’s any comfort, DS is now in Y12, when he was in Y9 his (selective, private) school told us he should only take 8 with ‘study skills’ as an additional option. This was basically extra support for maths and English. We disagreed and pushed ahead with Spanish instead. He got a 4 in his Y10 Spanish end of year exam, so dropped it and joined study skills. At GCSE, he got 9 in PE, 8’s in maths, science and 2 x English and 7’s in history and classics. He’s now on track for A’s at A Level in history, classics & politics. So his options weren’t that dissimilar to what your DS has been offered and he’s absolutely thriving. He would never have got 8’s in maths/science/english without the slightly reduced timetable and the extra support from school. Try not to panic - but do let school know you won’t be returning his form until you’ve had a conversation with them.