More of a WWYD actually- College now not offering 2 of the IB subjects that DD1 wanted to do

No, Chat doesn't get much traffic at all.

See if Hockerill Anglo-European College can take pity on her and squeeze her in as a boarder?

YABU because you have not asked an "Am I Being Unreasonable?" question.

There are sections on education, on "What would you do?" and general chat.

If you make a thread title asking for Oxbridge/Russell Group admissions people, you'll get replies - there are a couple at least who post regularly. Or better, ring them up. If she is already thinking about university and specifically Oxbridge, she needs to know from the horse's mouth what they think about all this. And they are nice people who will be helpful. Points in her favour if she rings and investigates.

FWIW, Oxbridge interviewers may ask why she didn't move schools - they will not take 'oh, the school didn't offer it' as an excuse unless it's very clear the student comes from a background where s/he could not possibly have changed schools.

Duchesse I've known two students do the IB at the college and they both did very well (one had previousy been at St Peters, one had been at the Maynard). They both went to Russell Group unis. But. They were both doing arty humanities stuff (one was music, the other was geography). I know someone who teaches Maths at the college. She is an excellent teacher and a very academic mathematician too (Cambridge). But I suspect that not offering the higher Maths course is simply a reflection of the economics - perhaps not enough people wanted to do it to make it viable? I had this problem at my inner city comp when I wanted to do furtherr Maths A level - only about 6 kids in the Borough wanted to do it. So they decided that just one school would offer it. It wasn't my school. That school also didn't offer the other subjects I wanted to do (history and music). Luckily for me and the other girl who wanted to do further mats at our school the Maths staff decided to teach it in lunchtimes/after school /free periods instead. That is, I suspect, unlikely to happen at the college.

I think, to be honest, that she should either stick where she is or go to the Maynard. I don't think she should have her whole future decided by college economics unless there is no other choice. The 'solution' the college offers doesn't sound like a solution to me since it looks to be attempting to replace a further Maths equivalent with standard Maths. Or, as Yellowstone says, try the CG or Torquay route. I'm sure any of those schools will bite her hand off, she has done so very well. It's such a shame that her last weeks of holiday have turned so stressful though.

Just saw you are in Devon, if it's Exeter college your daughter wants to do the IB at, I'd say to go for it and do Maths A level independently.

My friend did the IB at Exeter about 4/5 years ago and said it was brilliant because it was just one group of tight knit, quite hard working students doing the IB with her, and they all gelled really well together and helped eachother out. Also, she loved her history teacher (quite an elderly lady if its still the same one) - really strict, but a feminist and with some great stories to tell.

International Baccalaureate.

I would rethink to be honest,if she is thinking medicine andCambridge you can't afford to take risks .I would do A levels with EP

International Baccalaureate

www.ibo.org/

Well established european qualification, increasingly offered by UK schools (my old school now does it), several of my uni friends have it. Advantageous as others have said as it allows a breadth of subject range into 6th form.

I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be along soon.

I'm being nosy but what is IB?

Ok. I wouldn't attempt to do A- level or IB level Physics without Maths. I tried and it was very difficult and I dropped a grade. In retrospect I should have either done Maths A-level or changed the Physics to something else. The college IB + Alevel maths plan sounds potty. We did a similar fudge at my school - Scottish Higher Maths for A-level physicists. It didn't work.

Ergo I would rethink where she goes. I have little recent experience with the English education system so can't comment on equivalency of other offerings.

Do check the medicine entry requirements carefully as you don't want her to be excluded from certain courses because she hasn't done a particular subject. Anecodotally Biology is useful and can get you an easy first term....but on the otherhand two of the very high flyers from my medical school year didn't have it. Both went on to graduate with honours.

Depending on what she wants to do in the future physics might be very useful. As an anaesthetist I have thanked my amazing physics teacher from school a million times over as our postgraduate exams have a large physics component and I think I would have struggled a lot without the very solid grounding that I gained at school. However this is years in the future for her.

If she wants to do nat sci or medicine at Cambridge, I think she would be better off doing A Levels and specialising properly. At least that was the advice my school gave. Though it was, err, 14 years ago, before the new AS Levels.

Doing IB plus maths A Level sounds like stressful fuss. Very naughty of the school to put her in that position.

Phone any other other possible schools and explain situation in case they can squeeze her in?

The EP is a component of the AQA Bacc ggt.

If you're in the central area duchesse then you could try either the CG or the grammars down the coast. If they have room, for CG she'd have to start in Y11 - but some do. The others are more conventional but not as good. The 11+ is irrelevant with 9A*'s, no-one would hold that against her!

They're only a phone call away.

Mind you, DD2's school is very good and probably way more convenient but if DG is willing and able....

A minor point I know but if your DD does do A levels in the end she could do the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) which is similar to the IB extended essay. It also gives you extra UCAS points in line with another AS level.

The real Complex here!

I would be interested to learn why HL maths is not being offered. Is it a cost cutting thing as the school does not expect much up-take from pupils. Or is it, as another poster wondered, because the maths dept at the school is not willing to offer the course for its own reasons. Personally I feel that if a school is to offer the IB, they need to be able to offer all levels for each subject they offer, and Maths is compulsory.

The idea of covering A level maths, then quickly shoving in a Maths Studies course at the end sounds very half baked and as others have suggested will not give your daughter the depth of knowledge she will require. I can see no advantages to it at all, she will have to complete a very time consuming maths project as well as all the syllabus work.

Maths HL is a very tough course, (many of my A* students have struggled). It takes more than just hard work to do well, there needs to be some sort of innate spark of mathematical creativity. It's also a hell of a journey, if you enjoy mathematics it opens up places you never imagined you'd visit. I love teaching it.

Many universities (not all) consider it essential for anyone studying a pure science or engineering course. For the top uni's you may well be asked for a Grade 6 (out of 7).

I would like to rush to the defence of the Maths Studies course as it does take a lot of flak. It is a great course that includes a lot of stuff that the other courses do not. It is aimed at those less likely to use maths after leaving school, but it is a decent course.

Ah ok! Sorry, from your OP I thought that she wasn't too keen :)

Just throwing a different perspective here from someone who has no idea about any of this...is there somewhere that does offer what she wants that is free and rather than boarding, rent out a small studio flat(putting your 10K toward that instead?) I know it is young to live out of home, but, maybe??

Just wanted to reiterate what someone has said already - maths a level is really hard. At my school a few years ago people who got a B at gcse were given a massive chat to try and deter them from doing it at a level. Not to scare you! But it's a massive step up from gcse and I wouldn't recommend it unless ur DD is really keen on maths.

Not being able to do Maths at the highest level is the deal breaker IMO.

TeamDamon I tried to make the point about IB offers for university entrance on another thread but duchesse told me off :(

And I said about A Levels, clever DD and depth :(

duchesse this thing at the college may be a blessing; I'd be on the phone to the schools.

duchesse our school does the AQA Bacc, two of my DC have completed it and a third is half way through it. On the academic side it's A Levels pure and simple with the EP added on. Very different conceptually from the IB. Your DD is clearly very clever so I'd have thought A Levels and the EP would suit her well. She could always opt for 4 A Levels too if she wanted more breadth.

What a pain about the Maths. Are those two other schools really the only viable options in the area? Not so bad if her DG is happy to help, but what about other good schools in the state sector in the area? Her grades are ggod enough for any school to want her I'd have thought.