Year 9 - choosing options - how is it going?

Yes, that's a consideration too Cooney, although DD1 is managing alright at the moment. She has played violin since she was seven, mainly to build up the strength in her hands and improve her fine motor control. They worked hard with her in primary school on her handwriting and it started to come together in Year Five, but I've noticed it is deteriorating again - it's a lot less legible than it used to be. She hasn't got a lot of strength in her wrists, has problems using scissors and cutlery for example, but she is keen to take History so we'll have to play it by ear. It is good your DS gets extra time - we haven't gone down that route with DD, because we've never had an official diagnosis - maybe we should have done.

LadyGlencoraPalliser, DS is also dyspraxic, so was trying to avoid the subjects with a lot of handwriting as although can do very well in history, the problem is finishing the papers when it comes to exams even with his extra time. It is such a shame. I'm sure RS must have a lot of handwriting in it also, which may change his mind about taking it.

DS1 doing compulsory
Eng x2,
Science x3,
Languages x2 he has french and latin as his, maths,
plus 3 others, in the running at the moment and the final choice need to be in a couple of weeks, are
economics(subject to passing an apitutde test),
RS- Philosphy and Ethics (don't ask me why!) and music.

He may change his mind after parents evening tonight.

Oldbeforetime - why yes and yes!!

As your name suggests with skiing - does your dd love the slopes, and is a great skiier???

If so snap!!

RBOTP - is your dd lovely 95% of the time, horrid for 5%???

If so I think we may have split twins at birth

Apparently we are getting a booklet next week.

Triple science does not count for three options. That was an urban myth. They had an assembly. LOL

It is a shame. She filtered drama, music and art out at the end of year8. She still has to do DT but will ditch that in the summer. They do alot of games/ PE all the way through. There is no ditching that, but she loves sport. One if the PE rotations is dance, but that is only a 6 week stint once in a blue moon. There are plenty of clubs she could join ie drama/ dance/textiles etc but given a choice she wouldn't. Her favourite subjects are sport, physics, chemistry, maths.

RBOTP - do they not do it at all?

That is a shame, my dd does not have to do the following as GCSE, but if they choose not to they still have to do certain amount of pe, drama, music, art etc each week.

Yes, that's sad, isn't it?

LGP - I really am pleased that DD gets to do what she wants, I just wish she couldn't narrow it down just yet. She has already eliminated some subjects as of this year. She is only 13 and will never do art, drama, music etc again.

RBOTP - My DD would kill for the opportunity to do your DD's choices. She will be forced to take one creative and one technical subject even though she would rather do all academic subjects. She is planning Music for creative, which is fine, but graphic design is the only tech subject that appeals and she won't do well in it because of her dyspraxia.

DD will be doing
Eng x2
Maths early then half A level
Science x 3
French
Latin
Greek

Then one from history geography RS

She has filtered out all things creative which I think is a shame.

just to add cory I'd be very surprised if your dd really had to do compulsory PE GCSE - at ds' school although everyone does PE and games throughout KS4, only those on G&T list for sports can do the GCSE as such a lot of it is performance-based

we have ds1's options evening next week, but got the booklet this morning

he's got to do English Lang and Lit, Maths, at least one MFL (he's doing Spanish and Latin - OK, I know Latin isn't technically a MFL!), 3 separate sciences, at least one humanities subject (History, Geography, Ethics & Philosophy), then he can choose two out of Art, Art Graphics, DT, Drama, Economics, ICT, PE, Music, or another humanities subject.

He has a sports scholarship so is expected to do PE GCSE so that only leaves him one choice - he's torn between ICT, graphics and Ethics Philosophy - frankly I'm not sure why we need a whole evening ...

Thankfully his school don't want them sitting ludicrous numbers of GCSEs so they have a limit of 11 (12 if they do additional maths) and several are IGCSEs so no coursework (yippee) - at some of the girls' schools round here it's de rigeur to do at least 13 or 14 ...

Nope. History, geography and French are not compulsory!

verybored is your DS' school not making Bacc subjects a requirement? DS' kept the language requirement when they were made non compulsory but I'm not sure whether they are going to insist on history or geography or just recommend it. DS will probably do both if he can but that is more due to not knowing what else to do rather than a love of geography.

This is the 'discussion' we are having. He wants to do hist and geog which is goo, which means he is only 1 subject away from the Bacc. But TBH if he's not going to pass it, he won't get the bacc anyway.

I think it would really be a shame if he is able to get at least a C for him not to do it. He has said he will consider it, mainly because he doesn't want to do some of the other options!

Verybore, he will need French won't he, if he is to get the English Bacc? And geography too , for the humanities part?

Should also add - she would like to do
Maths
Further Maths
Physics

for 'A' levels

and then study

BEng Aeronautical Engineering at university.

Sorry haven't been back on.

Thank you for the responses - just to clarify with ICT they either have to do ICT GCSE or the non-GCSE course. I thought if she did the non-GCSE course, at least she's got ICT listed, but she can use her option for another subject.

There were other choices Art/History/Music/Drama/Graphic Design, bu my DD is adament that she is not doing any of these. Art as she's heard there is a lot of coursework, the other 4 because she does not enjoy them.

PE at her school seems to be for G&T only, she's not on G&T register, so we were going to see if she can do it or not.

Already does German, Spanish is a beginners course, and she has basics of Spanish so that would be her preference of the two. Languages cause her no problems.

Got our booklet yesterday.

Compulsory subjects:

English lang
English lit
Maths
Science
Business studies OR ICT (DS doing ICT)

Compulsory non GCSEs

RE (half GCSE
PSHE
Citizenship
PE

Then choices of:

History
Geography
Sociology
Media Studies
Construction
Catering
French
Drama
Music
Business studies
Child development
Art and Design
Product design resistant materials or multi materials
PE
Health and social care

He can choose 3 but must also choose 1 reserve. He's decided to deffo choose History and Geography but doesn't know about the 3rd and reserve. I'm trying to encourage French but he doesn't like it, so i'm going to ask at parents eve if he has a hope of getting a decent grade. Other than that he may do drama, sociology or catering.

He wants to go on to study sciences so doesn't really know whay else to choose. Any suggestions would be helpful and appreciated!

I am hoping this will prove to be the case, circular. Though when I asked her tutor I got a vague "oh but it's partly assessed on coursework so she'd be all right" reply- which left me a little confused. Having said this, the this was a supply tutor, standing in for the ordinary tutor (who is a graphics teacher with limited knowledge of other subjects, in any case).

Hopefully we will get better information from the Head of Year at the meeting.

Cory - is PE GCSE definitely compulsory?
My understand was that it is part of the KS4 core, but just to have X no of lessons a week. And generaaly available as a GCSE option. That's how it works at DDs comp (forgot to list it)

Unless isports is one of the schools specialisms?

Hi

Dd has:

Compulsory

Maths
Double science
Double English
One Modern Language (French)
RS
PE
IT

also

One Compulsory Tech (the school being a tech college): Choice between Food Tech, Resistant Materials, Graphics, Textiles and Art & Design)

Which leaves

Two Options

Dd wants to do History and Drama, but is putting AS in Critical Thinking in as an option in case she doesn't get both her preferred options. She wants to be an actress, but has said she will take History rather than drama if she has to choose as it looks better on her CV and she is doing plenty of out-of-school drama.

We're going to see the school about these on the Open Day before she has to choose. I am
not happy about PE being compulsory as dd is disabled and has only just started attending PE lessons after a period of 5 years: she can only do limited things, and may be unable to participate at any one time: if she gets a lower mark through only completing the theory, then I do think that is unfair. So question one is How is the marking done in PE- and does she really have to take it? OR can she take it without doing the GCSE?

The second problem is IT, which is coursework: dd has missed a lot of IT due to illness/disability, so we need to know how she can make up for it.

I also wish Tech was not compulsory, but it is a tech college (which we chose because they could cater for dd's disability, not because we wanted her to concentrate on non-academic subjects).

Basically, dd is very academic and has difficulty doing things with her body, so I wish she had a chance to do more academic options. But heigh-ho, I suppose it's not the end of the world.