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Original poster

GCSE Options - information from school

65 replies

louisea · 19/12/2012 22:53

When are the parents in your schools given information about your DCs GCSE options? DTs are in Year 9 and have so far had a couple of assemblies giving them information about some subjects. So far no information has been sent home to parents. I contacted the school to find out when the parents information evening will be and was given a date in mid January.

Other schools have already sent home booklets with the DCs and have given guidance. Should I be concerned that the school is going to give us a very tight deadline to make choices or is this time frame normal? These are my first children going through secondary school so we're all learning as we go.

OP posts:
BellaVita · 20/12/2012 08:36

DS1 picked to do

Media
Music
IT
Double Science

Has to do half RE, English Lit, Language, Maths, Citizenship and PE.

GrimmaTheNome · 20/12/2012 08:27

DDs in year 9, options sometime next term except for their tech subject which they started this year (they are allowed to drop it though).

They'll all do the core subjects inc triple science and are expected to do at least one MFL and history or geography for the EBacc. They don't have to do RE so as they do 11 GCSEs (+0.5 citizenship + twilight MFL/Latin/BTec Dance if they want) they've quite a lot of choice. AFAIK the only things they can't do are 2 techs or some combos of the 'fun' subjects -Art, Music, Drama,PE. (I don't mean by 'fun' that those don't entail a lot of work!). I'd guess they can't do both Computer science and ICT but don't know.

Jux - 3 science GCSEs at the end of yr9? Why? How? Confused My dd is good at science, no way could she do that yet, they can't possibly have covered the syllabus yet.

Vagaceratops · 20/12/2012 08:06

ibizagirl

Our school also chooses options in year 8 and then starts GCSE work in year 9, but I dont think this is the norm.

lljkk · 20/12/2012 07:59

Bigblue I think the modern thing is for them to plan to complete 8-14 GCSEs/BTECs, but it depends a fair bit on the scheduling and the ability group child is in.

DS school does GCSEs over 2 years so options choosing is from Feb-May of y9, with GCSE work to be completed yr10-11; other local state schools have them choosing in Feb-May of yr8 to do the GCSE programme in y9-11.

But because of sweeping changes from central govt. it's not clear how these or other schools will reschedule, if at all.

Something I wondered... is it the middle ability pupils who tend to do the most GCSEs & BTECs? I'm thinking weakest academically do the fewest because that's what they're up for. Top ability do fewer than average too, but do the more rigorous options. It's the kids in the middle who might do more of a scatter gun sampling, maybe, because their potential is unclear?

bruffin · 20/12/2012 07:41

Dcs school
Maths
English language
English literature
It
Science double or triple science
1/2 re
Citizenship
All compulsory

Then choice of a further 3, and a twilight if they want

bigbluebump · 20/12/2012 07:35

How many GCSEs does a pupil normally take?

bunjies · 20/12/2012 07:13

Same here. DS is in Y9 & options evening is end of Jan. From what I understand he will do core subjects (maths, English lang, English lit, 3 sciences) plus a language, a history or geography, RE (which is compulsory in his school Hmm) which so far gives him 9. Plus I know he wants to do drama as well.

bruffin · 20/12/2012 07:13

At Dcs school the dc put in a sort of wish list, then the school sorts out a timetable and puts together option blocks, from which the final choice is made.
Dd was one of the few whose subjects clashed.

OddBoots · 20/12/2012 07:04

I'm not sure if it was different 'in my day' or if I was wandering around in a teenage cloud but for my ds in Y9 it seems like it isn't simply a case of selecting options. It appears that at the school now before he is being given the choices he may make there is streaming and banding going on to decide which things are open to him and which aren't.

At his last parents' evening he was told that he will be taking triple sciences and he is in the 'baccalaureate' group so he has to take Geography or History and at least one MFL.

WynkenBlynkenandNod · 20/12/2012 06:57

Options evening is 21 March for us with the booklet coming home a bit before. That's fine with me as I'd like a little longer to see how she's doing in various subjects though we've started discussion it in general terms.

BellaVita · 20/12/2012 06:47

Agree with Bruffin DS1 is now Yr11 and in Yr9 his Option Evening was March - was given paperwork a couple of weeks before this. Choices had to be in after Easter.

bruffin · 20/12/2012 06:23

Perfectly normal. They really shouldnt be starting gcse until yr 10. Dcs school dont make decision until around end of Feb/march yr9. Options evenings,paper work etc not until the new year in year 9.

ibizagirl · 20/12/2012 06:14

Dd was told about gcse options just after Christmas in year 8 and had to pick them by early Feb i think it was. She is now in year 9 and is doing gcse work. Don't understand why your dc's are in year 9 and options are not in place.

BackforGood · 20/12/2012 00:09

dd is in Yr9 and not heard anything yet, so you are further on than she is.
When ds was in Yr9 (different school) we had a GCSE Options evening just before Feb 1/2 term, then they had their Yr9 parents evening just after 1/2 term, and then the options had to be in at the end of that week, or the next week.
In reality, there's not a lot of choosing to be done, IME so far - by the time they've got the complusory ones, then there are the ones they are never going to do ina million years, and then you've realised thay have to choose one from each option block - it's not exactly a free choice, then it kind of falls into place without too many decisions having to be taken, IME.

Jux · 19/12/2012 22:59

We're in the same position as you. DD is in Y9 and o info has come home. The school is operating paperlessly so I keep going online to see if ere is any info there. What I found was a leaflet which was sent home last year, and which talks a lot about the EBacc, and which has no relevance to current Y9s.

So we have no choice but to wait for mid-Jan. Meanwhile, I have no idea how to help/advise dd, and all I know is that they are expecting her to take 3 science GCSEs at the end of this academic year.

I suspect that the exams have been in such a state of flux thanks to Gove that no one really knows what's happening.