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Original poster

Options - DD has to choose between Art and History - WWYD?

62 replies

SugarSkyHigh · 09/02/2011 20:21

My yr 9 DD is just choosing her options - at her school, technology, RS and one MFL are compulsory (aswell as maths, science, english of course). This means that the only actual "options" she has been able to take are another MFL and Art. She would also like to do history but that would mean not doing either one MFL or Art. I sort of wish she would drop the art and do history instead but it has to be her decision I think.

Plus, she could still do history at A'level later on presumably, without having done the GCSE?

Or would you tell her to do history GCSE????

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kensworth · 13/02/2011 16:03

PINKBRACES eldest came out of Central st Martins it's fantastic tell her to go for it on ucas choices

kensworth · 13/02/2011 15:59

Art is fantastic but as pointed out above VERY hard work and you need to be passionate about it . Also only really useful for uni if she intends to study art. I have 1 child with a fine art degree one half way through art degree one in the final year of fine art degree and one doing it at Alevel !!!!!!!!!!yes we are an arty family .if this is what she wants then you will only get on an art course with a portfolio of work. If she would want to study academic art would not be useful history is very well thought of at uni level .hope this helps as option are a nightmare so good luck

jellybeans · 13/02/2011 15:31

We were told that the English Baccalaureate MAY be required for university entry at some point. I also was keen on DD doing history but she chose geography instead. I was relieved she didn't want to do Art as i feel unless you are very talented at it, it is hard to get top grades. It is a good option for some people but my DD is not a natural artist and doesn't really enjoy it. Her school do MFL GCSE in year 9 so she doesn't have to choose one for options. She wants to do single science, Geography and possible A Level maths.

pointydog · 12/02/2011 13:33

That is scandalous if some secondaries do not offer the option of learning an mfl. Outrageous.

purepurple · 12/02/2011 13:18

applepieplease, universities have not stipulated that you need the ebac to get in. They may very well do, in the future, but haven't yet.

crystalglasses · 12/02/2011 12:54

Applepieplease, I wonder whether you live in the UK? All these are not essential entry requirements for university here. In many state schools students don't have the option of studying a language these days, few schools offer the Baccalaureate and most teach the combined sicence GCSE.

goingmadinthecountry · 12/02/2011 12:47

DD1 is in Y12 and an academic type student - Art was a total pain. She had loads of coursework to finish/improve on - it was done but obviously she wanted to do her best and isn't a natural artist. It took time away from her other subjects. Have spoken to other parents who agree.

If you want to follow some kind of arty career path, great, but otherwise it really isn't a soft option time wise. As an ex sec teacher it was an eye opener to see it from the other side. It also ended up being her only B which she was a bit miffed about!

thekidsmom · 12/02/2011 10:29

apple pie thats not true,- you dont need to EB to go to Uni.

My girls go to a school where you CAN'T get the EB because they dont do Maths or Science GCSE - they do IGCSEs instead and that is not a barrier. they can choose RS as their humanity

So its not the case that you need history or geography for uni.....

applepieplease · 12/02/2011 08:20

If your daughter wants to go to Uni she will need the English Baccalaureate - English, 2 x science, maths, an language and either history or geography.

It would be foolish not to have this as the core of the curriculum for your child.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 12/02/2011 00:08

I think the A-level course probably is, Crystalglasses, but what I've seen of the GCSE course doesn't fit any deifinition of philosophy that I've ever encountered. I just find it intellectually dishonest to give pupils the impression they are studying something they are not.

crystalglasses · 12/02/2011 00:01

I've just realised that my dd1 studied it at A level rather than GCSE 0 level. Would you agree that the A level course is more in line with your understanding of philosophy, LadyG? My dd1 found it so stimulating that it has been a thread running throughout her undergrad, postgrad and research student studies.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 11/02/2011 23:42

I call it disingenuous because it is NOT philosophy. There is a element of ethics involved certainly, and an attempt to look at issues of personal morality as well as a survey of religious belief, but philosophy it is not.

crystalglasses · 11/02/2011 23:37

Ladyglencora, why does it make your teeth itch. Are you saying that the GCSE is disingenuous because it is just RE in a dressed up form?
If so i have to take issue with you as my dd1 did this GSE and I can vouch for the fact that it was so much more than a study of religion ans it addressed the big subjects in society from an ethical and moral perspective and so encouraged analytical thought and the challenging of commonplace assumptions. For example she learnt about the nature of belief; moral, ethical and cultural arguments for and against abortion; the role of ideology; meanings of community and the influence of some of the great ancient and modern philosophers.

pointydog · 11/02/2011 21:35

It's called Religious and Moral Philosophical Studies (RMPS) up here.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 11/02/2011 21:28

They call RE Philosophy at DD's school (the exam board course title is Philosophy, Theology and Ethics) which is so disingenuous it makes my teeth itch.

pointydog · 11/02/2011 21:18

Poker would be provide a huge leap forward in teh dds' education during RE time. It is quite outrageous, really.

BelligerentGhoul · 11/02/2011 21:16

'Churchy chat' - we didn't even get that in our RE lessons. The teacher used to sit at the front and ooze whilst we ate midget gems and played covert poker.

pointydog · 11/02/2011 21:16

Sound slike rubbish to me.

GrimmaTheNome · 11/02/2011 21:15

RE is demanded by law - so they might as well get a GCSE in it - otherwise they're studying it for nothing.

What, not for the good of their souls? Grin

A lot of places just do one lesson pw - thats all DD does in KS3. Actually I can't find it mentioned at all on my DDs school curriculum past KS3 except as optional GCSE...
Presumably if your school insisted on it and your child couldn't do the options they needed to without dropping it, you could just do the religion opt-out thing at that point.

sorry, off topic meander!

Original poster
SugarSkyHigh · 11/02/2011 21:15

LOL @ churchy chat!

OP posts:
Original poster
SugarSkyHigh · 11/02/2011 21:13

At parents' evening the other night, the RE teacher claimed that admissions officers / employers will often look at a pupil's RE GCSE result if they went to a catholic school, because they know that RE would have been compulsory and therefore it can be quite telling how well a pupil has knuckled down and studied at a subject that they have not chosen. Hmm The more I think about that, the more dubious I am - because of course maths and english and science are also compulsory and who likes all of those? (one or two maybe, but all 3)?

Eveline - I am not against her taking Art, if you look back at my previous posts. it would quite pain me to see her drop that, because Art is quite a Big Thing in our family.

This Ebac thing however really is bothering me now. Yes I am quite surprised that the school doesn't seem bothered by it!

OP posts:
pointydog · 11/02/2011 21:13

The dds don't "study" RE. They doss around for one period a week while the guy shares a bit of churchy chat.

BelligerentGhoul · 11/02/2011 21:06

And she HAS to have either History or Geography to count on the Bac figures, which are published - so I'm surprised that the school doesn't seem to be making at least one of them a necessity.

RE is demanded by law - so they might as well get a GCSE in it - otherwise they're studying it for nothing.

pointydog · 11/02/2011 20:56

It is claimed that history is more highly thought-of by top unis.

eveline22 · 11/02/2011 20:32

Im not clear why you are so against her taking art for GCSE, especially if she enjoys it?

Why do you think History is a better option?

Art is usually 60% coursework, 40% final timed test, so not all coursework.

It is a subject which encourages problem solving, visual awareness and creativity, all very useful for the future.

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