GCSE Options - information from school

Personally, I would run a mile from any school that was dictated to by parents. I object to both academies and free schools for that reason. I trust my DC's school, and they wouldn't be there if I didn't.

I don't want my child's education to be decided by whichever twit parent shouts loudest.

I accept most Board of Governors are patsies in state schools, but never the less they still have a legal duty to run the school. In the public sector you always get the same answers 'we cant do that because of this'. If you tell schools what to do, and don't give them the option to moan, they will find a way to make it happen. Parents shouldn't leave these things up to head teachers, stand up and make a difference!

Astronomy does sound good, the problem here is what happen if the teacher is sick/leaves? Is there another great astronomy teacher waiting to take over, what if there isn't? Its a gamble just to teach niche subjects on a teachers whim. Obviously if a school has a strong long term commitment to the area its different.

You can distance learn astronomy GCSE anyway, so if the teacher left part way through there is always the option for existing students to continue that way. Or any reasonable physics teacher should be able to cover it. It would be a great shame if minority subjects like that were removed entirely even if most children don't get the opportunity to study them - it's the kind of thing that makes school fun (for those that way inclined).

Ah, in USA "the school board" is very different thing, more like the governing board for the LEA, and they are elected from general population.

Thanks for explaining difference between ICT & computing GCSEs, very helpful.

On back of that I managed to find Options Booklet for DS1's high school which is juicy reading. He's in yr8 now, do I assume he will do "old" style GCSEs or new style EBC?

The majority of subjects are in the national curriculum, so up until recently state schools didn't get get a lot of choice. Academies and free schools can opt out of this, but are unlikely to deviate much from the core subjects so they will all cover English, maths, science, history, geog, MFL, IT, PE, RE.

There is more flexibility around areas such as technology and performing arts, so for example some offer dance and some don't.

Why is offering an interesting subject like Astronomy ridiculous? My DC love science, and they would rather do an extra science (so 4 sciences GCSEs in total) than subjects they are not interested in like art, drama or business studies. What is so wrong with a school using the expertise of the staff they have?

Oh yeah astronomy sounds fab! I'm fairly sure that when the teacher leaves the school woul make sure those that had picked it as a GCSE option would continue to be taught! (Quite ironic you Chloe you say complain to the board, whoever they might be, if you want something to be taught, whilst mocking a school that response to demand!)

I wonder where Chloe gets her ideas from too - certainly not experience! The national curriculum pretty much determines the subjects kids study, not parental pressure on the governors. There'll be a bit of tinkering around the edges - some schools with a performing arts specialism might offer dance and drama, others a wider choice of languages, or business studies. Larger schools clearly have economies of scale and can usually offer more subjects than a smaller one can.

Time tabling and the choices of the rest if the cohort will also influence what your child is able to do - no school will offer a subject if there is only one child that chooses for instance. It will probably also be impossible for a child do to 2 languages, both humanities, art, music an drama as well as their EBacc subjects.

Oh, and GCSE computing is pretty rigorous and highly regarded. GCSE IT isn't - they are two separate subject!

I had a bit of a choice with DD and went for the one where I thought she'd be happy over the one which offered German. I would have loved for her to have the option to do this as I have German family we visit but felt that her happiness was more important (she'd been bullied).

We're a term in now as thy all start a new school Year 9 and her grades have soared way beyond what I could have expected at this point. Am very glad I didn't push on the basis of options.

I know many parents don't get a lot of choice of school, sadly. Its the school Board, of Governors, that have the authority over which subjects are studied, obviously informed by the head. If you don't like the choices the school offers, get on the board and get it changed.

The idea that they offer Astronomy because a teacher is 'interested' in it is ridiculous. That's bad management, what happens to the kids when that teacher leaves.

Computing/ICT is a waste of time at GCSE for most kids.

How many GCSEs do kids in private schools usually do? DS was in aprivate school & they encouraged GCSE completion for some yr9s & yr10s.

The ones I know of 10 or even only 9, AFAIK done in Yr11. Nearly all trad academic subjects.

I thought that I read on MN that computing was a pretty low value GCSE. But maybe that was wrong.

ICT is low value - I meant Computer Science - totally different thing.

I'm assuming Chloe74 you don't have a lot of experience of education in the UK ?
Firstly, the idea of 'choice' of schools is very much a theoretical idea for a lot of the population.

Because I live in a City, I do actually get a choice, but things change very rapidly in education - not by choice of the schools, I can assure you. Schools are such a political football, nothing ever has time to 'bed in' before it gets changed again. It is not the schools fault, and if it's changing in one school, it's very likely to have to change in the next school to.
I have dcs in Yr12, 9, and 6 currently, adn, although I asked all the right questions when we looked round for each child in both Yrs5 and Yr6, so many things change before they take their GCSEs, it's untrue!
My ds took his in the Summer, using a very different format from what dd1 will be presented with, which is again going to be different for dd2. Not the schools' choosing, but political interference again.

Ibizagirl, GCSE choices in Y8???!!!

DD's lot chose pathways last year; I'm not entirely clear what purpose pathways have, as dd chose the one which had music, art and drama, and it looks like she won't be able to do any of those at GCSE at this rate, well, maybe one.

I'm assuming 'school board' = governors.

Apart from anything else, outside of the core subjecs GCSE subjects can vary depending on staff interest and expertise!

My DCs school currently offer Astronomy. It was introduced by a particularly enthusiastic teacher and whilst it is popular, I can't imagine that it would stay very long if he left!

Choose a school?

It doesn't work like that around here. In order to get into a school you have to live very close to it. There is no choosing. You can choose where you live I suppose but not always that practical to move house.

Is there such a thing as "the school board" in England? I know what those words mean in California, but not in UK. Who or what is "the school board"? I imagine that school GCSE options mostly depend on LEA policies which depend on national guidance, how much leeway does any local school have in varying the offerings?

How many GCSEs do kids in private schools usually do? DS was in aprivate school & they encouraged GCSE completion for some yr9s & yr10s.

I thought that I read on MN that computing was a pretty low value GCSE. But maybe that was wrong.

I don't know what happens if you sign your child up for a school and then try to stand firm and insist they follow a GCSE programme of your choosing. I imagine that they can't actually turn the child away, or can they?

I don't suppose they turn the child away, but they certainly can't be expected to 'follow a GCSE programme of your choosing' - they have only so many teachers/labs/ etc etc and timetabling must be a challenge as it is.

We absolutely checked what options would be available - and what results the various schools we looked at got in the subjects which we guessed DD was most likely to want to do. As to the number of subjects - well, that depends on ability. DDs is a GS so they all seem to manage 11 (and more if they want to do twilight extras) and get good grades. 7 or 8 subjects wouldn't nearly enough for them especially now there are computing and worthwhile tech subjects to throw into the mix.

I guess many other parents don't then, I am surprised. I wouldn't have thought a school had to offer a course just because you demand it but they cant force you to sit a particular exam just because they teach it and they couldn't exclude your child for doing so.

I don't believe the English stiff upper lip attitude of 'there is no point in complaining'. If parents don't complain then change doesn't happen. The school board have the authority to make changes to the subject choices. Have you tried making representations to them, asking why they have made the choices they have, or even standing for the board yourself.

If parents don't tell the board what they want then how do they know your views? Stand up and be heard.

I also wonder at the validity of forcing options different to what you were told upon entry. I wonder would there be a case against the school for misrepresenting what they offered. If it happened to me I would find out my legal options.

Are these not matters others consider before choosing a school? When deciding a secondary for my DC, exam options etc was a huge influencing factor. You can hardly pick the school unaware of these?

Actually it is extremely easily done.

You are 200% more informed than most parents if it crosses your mind to ask these questions when looking. DD is y6 so I have just done the beauty tours; none of the official presentations talked about these issues, it was only when I asked specific questions to teachers about GCSE schedules that I got a clue. I am 99% sure that most other parents on tour never asked any similar questions. Most parents just assume it's kind of like when they themselves were at school, they don't realise the complexity of the options and possible implications of the modern choices. I'm only so well-informed because of A) MN and B) I am foreign, so I know I am clueless.

Plus sometimes you're looking at very few viable choices, and all of them run similar schedules or other factors are so compelling in the choice, that you just have to lump it for what you get. Around here you only get choice in state secondary if you can pay £300-£600/year in transport fees.

I don't know what happens if you sign your child up for a school and then try to stand firm and insist they follow a GCSE programme of your choosing. I imagine that they can't actually turn the child away, or can they?

chloe exam options change regularly at my DCs school, and much of this is due to outside pressure. I have 4 DC (two now adults) and I don't think a single one had exactly the same options to choose from, and they were all different from when they started in Year 7.

The only choice you have is to stay or move school, complaining won't achieve much. Schools can't run individual timetables for each child!

Are these not matters others consider before choosing a school? When deciding a secondary for my DC, exam options etc was a huge influencing factor. You can hardly pick the school unaware of these?

Where changes to be made which I was not previously aware of I would take the matter to the board. You also have the option of refusing to sit any exams you don't think are appropriate. 10-13 exams seem way to excessive to learn them all properly. 7-10 seems a much better amount to learn in depth.

Thanks. If they take about 10 and of those about 8 are compulsory, then there aren't really that many 'options' to choose from, are there?

Posted too soon... Option evening & booklet out usually just before Feb half term, parents eve just after then a week to decide.

My DC's school also ask for outline plans just from the kids and use this information to timetable option blocks.

They do English Lang, Maths, double science, IT, RE, PE as Core

They have 3 option blocks to fill, and if you want separate sciences this takes up one of them.

The top sets take English and Maths in Year 10 and Lit and Stats with FSMQ in year 11. But if they are not on track to achieve target grades they drop down to lower sets and just focus on Lang & Maths

dd's school do 10 or 11 GCSEs + 1 BTEC for most of the students - a BTEC is compulsory for all & the 11th GCSE is a twilight MFL. I imagine the BTEC thing will change with the new exams. Of the 10 maths, English x2, MFL, a science, RS & a technology are compulsory which leaves them with 3 or 4 options. They have three different streams for science - some single award thing I've never heard of (might be 20th century science???), a double GCSE or three separate & if they opt for that they do the 20th century science exam in year 10 so they get 4 science GCSEs. dd's only in year 7 though & obviously no-one has any idea what that cohort will be doing