Year 9 Options, What has your child chosen?

Has already done IT - ECDL (equivalent to a B at GCSE)

COMPULSORY
DT - will sit at end of year 10
Maths GCSE - will sit in November of year 10
Maths AS - will sit at end of year 11
English Language - will sit at end of year 10
English Lit - will sit at end of year 11
Chemistry - will sit at end of year 11
Physics - will sit at end of year 11
Biology - will sit at end of year 11
RE - will sit at end of year 11
German or Spanish (hasn't decided yet) - will sit at end of year 11

CHOICES
AS computing
Music
(Latin as reserve)
Will choose an extra GCSE (he wants to do astronomy) to do in year 11 (or start another AS)

English
3×science
maths
Spanish
tp
geog
history
pe

My daughter has chosen:
-triple science
-maths
-English Lang/lit
-Rs
-IT (but short course, so worth only 1/2 a gcse)
-History
-French
-German
-AS level Computing (it was offered as one of her options for GCSE)

Wht do you think? Sensible choice or not? It sounds very challenging and not very creative, but I guess in the end it's her choice, not mine.

And sorry what I meant was I would rather he just did 12 and didn't do business at all as he has no interest in it.

circular other schools in the area offer two languages, pyschology and some even classical history (which was surprising at a state school). I was more a bit shocked at the fact that even the least academic students still have to do 13 GCSEs or equivelants including the two maths and a language. There's no choice of 'pathways' as many schools have.

MuddilingThrough - Just curious, but apart from the options chosen, what other non-practical subjects would you expect to see?
The only academic option I can think of is another language.

The 21st century science sounds a bit disappointing - is that all that was on offer?

DS1 found it very hard to choose and I found it hard to help him as it seems most GCSEs are irrelevant crap at his school. In the end he has -

COMPULSORY
English Lit
English Lang
2x Maths
'21st century' science (he's chosen triple)
One MFL (although no choice as to which one)
RE
ICT

OPTIONS
Geography
History
Business Studies

The options he chose were the only non creative ones on the list so he had to do them as he is awful at music, art and the many forms of DT!

My daughter wants to be a vet so she's chosen Chemistry and Biology, then she also chose Geography and Art and IT (she didn't want to choose IT, would have preferred History but History clashed with Geog).

The rest are all core subjects (Maths, English, Language) so she didn't have any choice in those.

My dd has chosen her options-

Compulsory
English
English lit
Maths
Science (double)
Re
IT
French

Options
Geography
PE
Media
Graphic design

Our DS did 1/2 the RE unit in Y10 and the other half in Y11 making it a full GCSE - is that unusual?

Notdaphne
My dcs only get 3 options unless they want to take a twilight arty subject and those are invitation only.
There is an option of core maths and English for lower sets but then they are left with only two further options.

Whoops, forgot to mention that the RE is only worth half a GCSE.

DD is doing
Compulsory
Engish
English lit
Maths
Double Science
Welsh
RE
Welsh Baccalaureate (which is soft skills like working in the community, team work plus IT...supposed to be worth 3 GCSEs but nobody except the Welsh Govt. agrees)

Optional
French
Art & Design
Fashion & Textiles

I've started another thread on this because I'm not happy that the school is taking away one of their GCSEs so they get only 9, converting 2 of the spare hours to an extra hour each for Maths and English (where the school is struggling) and the other two for the Welsh bacc.

DD1 (year 9) is doing:
Mandatory
Eng Lit
Eng Lang
Maths
French
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
RE (1/2 a GCSE)

Voluntarily
History
Geography
Music

Thanks to those who replied to my question so far :)

DS took last year:
Compulsory

Maths
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
French
RS
English Lang
English Lit

Options:
History
Latin
Art
Greek

DD Y9 (now)
Compulsory

Maths
English Lang
English Lit
Single Science
French
RS

Options:
Double Science
Latin
Spanish
History

I am very surprised at the number of dc on here who do not have to compulsorily take a modern foreign language.

I forgot to add Art to my DC list.

Dd loves the theatre and really enjoyed drama in yr 7 and was very good at it. They don't do drama in yr7 & 8. However she helps out back stage in school productions but they tend to be musicals and she would really like to do some straight acting.

MissSmith DS4 has just opted for Drama, never having done very much, because all his other GCSE's are black letter subjects and I counselled him to find some light relief. But he's rubbish at Art. This is on the basis of change ia as good as a rest because three of his six older siblings have done Art and we know how much time Art takes. DS4 and I also both like the idea of him doing a subject which involves team working. Drama links in to nothing else he wants to do nor to anything he looks likely to do in the future. It has merit as a kind of joker in the pack. I know it can be hard to get the highest grade in Drama but that consideration came below all of the rest.

HTH.

Maths
English Lang
English Lit
Biology
Chemistry
Physics

Options:

Spanish
History
Geography
(Option to do astronomy) Undecided

DS is doing:

Compulsory

English Lang
English Lit
Maths x2
IT
Triple Science
French
RE

Options:
Art
Latin
Geography

His reserve option choices are Geology and History, and he still has time to change. I would really like him to swap Latin for Geology, but he is adamant that he will not change.

My son's head asked him this, as they like to be sure kids don't just think it's a doss option. DS's (dramatic) answer was 'I can't live without it!'

Hi Mums,

Thanks for posting about your children's choices for GCSE. I am currently a trainee Drama teacher and I am writing an assignment about engaging year 9 pupils in drama who haven't picked it for GCSE or who aren't really bothered about it. My question for you - and your children if they are nearby (!) - is what was it about drama at key stage 3/year 9 that made them want to pick it at GCSE? If it's that they enjoy it, what was it particularly that made them enjoy it?

Thanks in anticipation,
Miss Smith :)

EBacc is the new (made up, off the top of of some minister's head) measure of schools. It's what % of pupils get at least a C grade GCSE in English, maths, science, a foreign language (ancient or modern, I think) and either History or Geography. It's supposed to show those schools who don't just let their pupils take 'noddy' subjects to get their 5 GCSEs, including maths and English. Doesn't take into account pupils preferences or those for whom a less academic, more vocational timetable may be more beneficial. Many are now being shoehorned by schools into taking EBacc subjects when it may be entirely inappropriate for them to to so, so the school looks good in this new ranking. (IM humble O)