Choosing options in year 8

True, reddidi but if I pursue this, some of her fellow students will have to make witness statements (those involved in the debate) and DD will be forever in this teacher's sights whilst any investigation takes place.

Part of me wishes the teacher had gone through with it, especially because it would then have been an obvious and flagrant breach of the discipline policy - she is supposed to give warnings first, misconduct is the final step and the criteria for it are very very clear. We could indeed have caused great trouble for this teacher, and would have done.

As it is, the situation is much more 'she said, she said'. I've asked DD to report any further incidents back to me though, and if anything like this happens again I will insist on a meeting no matter what.

last week she threatened my DD with a gross misconduct charge for questioning the existence of God

That's not poor teaching, that's breaking the law. If the teacher had gone through with this they could find themselves in much more trouble than the pupil.

I wonder too, Jam. This teacher is horrendous - she brings in evangelising Christian organisations to speak to the children but never any representatives of other faiths, and last week she threatened my DD with a gross misconduct charge for questioning the existence of God in a conversation where this was a logical extension of where the debate was going. The only reason I didn't complain is that my DD was adamant she didn't want me to, and I could see her point.

It's a terrible shame, because RE can be a hugely engaging academic subject in the right hands.

AFAIK it is compulsory to take RE until the age of 16. It's actually the same in Holland, where I went to secondary school, with the only difference that it isn't an examined subject at all.

She'd love to be able to drop it and take drama instead, but she can't. Our hopes are pinned on her having a different RE teacher in Yr9 because the relationship has seriously broken down.

DD1 has just got hers together, she is doing

English x2
Science x3
Maths
Statistics
History
Geography
French

And then compulsory non-examined PE, PHSE/Citizenship and RE (half a GCSE).

She would like to drop RE as her current RE teacher is a Christian fundamentalist who sees her pupils as fertile evangelising ground as she doesn't enjoy it and has no interest in it, but that isn't possible.

In my opinion being taught computer science is a real bonus as programming is very hard to learn alone whereas geography knowledge is a little easier to pick up on your own if necessary. I have university qualifications in both.

Seriously either are fine. If she wanted to do cookery that would also be fine! She is doing 9 or 10 academic gcses - what the 10th or 11th or 12th is will make no difference whatsoever. The best for her is what she prefers.

I've got 2 sons who have just chosen options this year.. Ds1 is yr 9 at a selective and ds2 yr 8 at a comp.
Ds2 has gone for
Maths
2 English
3 science
History
Geography
German
Mandarin

And ds1 is doing
2 English
3 science
2 maths
History
Geography
Spanish
Re
Art
I've been really impressed with the way ds2's school has handled options and the structure for next year.. I think it's a really good system, especially for those who could do with the extra year.

Computer science and geography are both well regarded as academic gcses so she should do whichever one interests her the most. Not the one that interests you the most!

Why do sports leadership? Is citizenship compulsory? If she wants to be a sports teacher or working in that industry I can see sport as being good but it is not anything a university academic course will look for. Isn't citizenship just lessons rather than an exam? Geography is more value than computer science but as there is already a humanity in the mix, history, geography won't make much difference either way. I would do it instead of the BTEC and citizenship though.

9 tends to be the minimum now as children who are good at science will do triple science and linguists might do more than one language. For some, this will be 5 GCSEs before you add in any more compulsory ones or chosen ones. 10 is fairly normal but no-one will ever need more than 10. Quality over quantity is better. Therefore 2x English (literature and language), maths, 2 or 3 sciences, a humanity, preferably a language and a choice of 2 or 3 more is just fine.

I think computer science is programming. If she's good at the logical aspects of maths, I think this would be good. At my older children's school you are allowed to geography A Level without GCSE geography.

Younger DD is also choosing options in Y8, but won't start the GCSE courses until later in Y9. Initially they carry on with the KS3 programme of study, but just not doing some subjects.
DD has to do English lang and lit, maths (she'll probably do this at the end of Y10 and then do GCSE further maths in Y11), triple science and RE. She then has 4 option choices. She's going to do history, geography and Spanish and is still deciding between French and drama. For her it is complicated by the fact that she may move schools at the end of Y9 so we are also trying to marry it up with the potential new school!

Ds1's school seems to have different pathways for the 'curriculum offer' they give them in y9. DS came home with his sheet which appears to be the E.bacc offer. He said there were different sheets for other people in his form, but we got no info about the BTEC courses etc. All DS knew was that the other forms were longer and had more options on them than his form.

The school seem to go for 8 or 9 GCSEs (depending on whether you're doing double or triple science). I'm not sure there's all that much value in doing more really.

They have English, maths and sciences as compulsory subjects (we don't find out if double or triple science until Y10 starts). Then they have to choose one of the languages they're studying in Y9. Then three from the crappiest set of option choices imaginable (well, they're probably great if you're arty and what to take art, textiles and drama etc). They have to choose a first and second choice in each column and can't choose the same subject twice (whether as first or second choice). They have to do modular PE too.

If he gets his first choices, hopefully he'll sit:
Maths
English
Triple science
Computing
Geography
History
French

His decision making process for second choices were based around whether he'd hate DT, business studies or RE more. He plumped for RE being the most tolerable of the lot.

He's hoping he'll be prioritised for computing because there are maths entry requirements for it and he's in the top set for maths (and lives maths).

And so many schools doing over 3 years now. Surely it wouldn't !take a difference? Need Careers advice!

Thanks bigtilly. I think 9 or 10 is plenty but I see many doing 12 or more. Great if the child wants to but unnecessary I'm thinking. More chance of getting better grades if you don't spread yourself too thin?

I can't see how they can be looked on less favourably since all students study maths, english, science, languages etc etc for years not just the 2 or 3 running up to GCSE. It's really just dropping a few to concentrate a bit more, it's not like taking 3 A-levels over 3 years for instance.