DD forced to do X number of GCSEs subjects?

Maybe reading this wrong but a DC getting a mix of 8 Bs and Cs looks like they'd be above the average.

www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/2012/group.pl?qtype=NAT&superview=sec&view=aat&set=2&sort=&ord=&tab=55&no=999&pg=2

Not many posters come to these threads to shout about their average kid doing 8 GCSEs and predicted straight B's and C's - but statistically they are the majority

Mine! (almost)

Thewordfactory
But you have to remember the distortion inherent in these threads.

My DD is doing shed loads of GCSEs - she's also predicted rather good grades.

At the same school there are kids doing 5 GCSEs and a couple of vocational courses.

The schools (well the sensible ones) have a sliding scale of qualifications to get all pupils over the core hurdles and then give the others enough work to keep them stretched and motivated.

The timetabling has been such that she had only one after school lesson per week, which was lucky as she had dancing after school twice a week and music after school twice a week.

Set 2 and 3 kids were doing around 8 or 9 - to give them a decent spread but solid core

Not many posters come to these threads to shout about their average kid doing 8 GCSEs and predicted straight B's and C's - but statistically they are the majority

All these GCSEs are so daft! They're just not necessary. Far better for able students to go into more breadth in fewer subjects. Also, completely pointless and often counter productive for applications for university. None require reams of qualifications but the most competitive require very good grades!

At this age, pupils must have a full timetable. They can't pull out of the school's requirements because they don't feel like it, or their parents don't feel like it.

Hope the Head can get OP to understand this. It's not going to be easy for daugher if she has the same mindset.

She could always go on strike, secretly. So choose the subject she finds most interesting, do minimal work on it, and then "be ill" on the day of the exam?

I agree GCSE art is incredibly time-consuming. However, if your DC like it, it can actually be fairly relaxing for them, despite the time!

I would check the requirements for medical school. Provided your dd obtains A/A* in the most important subjects having 1 or even 2 B grades won't make a difference.
Of the options listed at dds school a high percentage of Business studies students obtain grades A and A* so if that's your main criteria choose that one. The school may allow a pupil to drop a subject at the end of Y10, if they are having difficulty with the workload. However I would not expect potential Medical students to come into this category. At the end of the day. Medicine is a high workload degree course and it would look odd if your dd had fewer GCSEs than other potential students applying from her school.
Any future sixth form (if your child is planning on applying elsewhere) would ask for references from the current school and not complying with the school's GCSE policy may affect her chances more than having an additional subject with a lower grade.

I don't think 10 a/a* and one b at GCSEs is going to jeopardise her changes of studying medicine - unless you are trying to get her into private sixth form on a scholarship?

I think business studies is always useful, PE will compliment her science GCSEs and resistant mats teaches good practical skills. If it was me choosing, I'd probably go for food tech as a less academic lesson, but it's down to personal choice.

What would you envision her doing whilst everyone else is in the extra timetable slot? I had to drop graphic design at GCSE as the teacher lost my coursework and it was pretty rotten - I just had to sit in the class where the graphics was taught, doing my own work and not talking to anyone.

If your DD has the capability to study medicine then she can cope with the same number of GCSEs as her peers and achieve A/A. Not that she needs all A/A at GCSE to get a place at medical school.
Is there a 6th form college which requires all A*/A? I find that really hard to believe.
Your DD is 14. Please encourage her not to have all her eggs in the one basket.

Resistant materials would be a way to demonstrate planning, manual dexterity & research, all useful skills in a dr. Otherwise can't she just do a 2nd language, some unis give lower offers to applicants who have a MFL at a level - ucl or imperial, can't remember which.

GCSE Art is hugely time consuming.
Just hunting and gathering materials for projects takes up loads of time.

GSCE music is similarly time consuming. DD dropped it as it was sucking all the enjoyment out of her love of music generally.

3littlefrogs, they started some of their GCSE courses in Y9 (she has taken 2 this year) and the PE was an extra one that she was wanting to do but now realises it is just too much. As she has taken 2 and dropped 2, she "only" has 11 to do next year
On the positive side, at least it has kept the curriculum broad!

DD2 has just finished her Gcses. She ended up doing 9 (+ a compulsory Ict qualification) as she dropped P.E. (And just did core PE) at the start of year 11. She was allowed to drop the subject after seeing her head of year. She wanted to concentrate on getting 9 good grades - she also wants to do medicine at the moment. She is doing maths, physics, biology and chemistry at AS level plus self-studying AS further maths (in case she changes her mind and goes for something like medical engineering).
A lot of the art / dt / music gcses are very time consuming - Dd2 did music and DD1 did art and music.

couple

OP - you need to look at the entry requirements for the sixth forms you are interested in as getting a couplle of Bs will not be a problem for many. At dd's highly selective school entry into sixth form is based on a points system. I think it is 8 for an A*, 7 for an A and 6 for a B and you have to have a minimum of 6.75 as an average across your top 8 GCSEs, therefore having a B in extra subjects would not penalise your dd but she may look like a more well-rounded candidate.

Yes - you do have to mention all GCSEs and grades. This is why this is an issue. If you could just leave them off the application forms for 6th form AND university nobody would worry.

TBH I can't imagine how 15 GCSEs would fit into a normal timetable.
DD did 10 (dropped one half way through year 11) and was still doing controlled assessments at 8 am, lunch time and after school. There was barely time to breathe and certainly no free periods.

Also, it's probably worthwhile to realise that competitive sixth forms will get less so over the next 2-8 years as the number of 16 year olds in the population is lower for each of those next years, the same will go for Uni admission, as there will be fewer 18 year olds, plus Universities no longer have caps on how many students they can admit (although this might not apply to medicine, I'm not sure).

Competitive sixth forms will favour applications who have 10 A - A as opposed to someone who has 10 A - A and a B or C.

Do you have to mention the ones which are only B or C? Or does the school give a record too?

I was only allowed to do 8 GCSEs in 1988. I resented it then and still do a bit now.

What do you suggest then, OP? That your DD has a free slot on her timetable? Obviously the school cannot do that. Arguing that you only want her to do things that she will get an A or A* in is ridiculous - you have no idea what will happen in the next two years and who is to say that she will not find that she has aptitude in one of the options the school wants her to take. I would caution against allowing a 14 year old to believe that anything lower than an A is not worth having and also that she does not have yo do things she is not interested in or not immediately good at. Also, at 14, she may have her heart set on medicine, but IME, students change their minds about future plans at this age.

I think your approach is wrong, and that you are highly unlikely to convince the school of your POV.

Can she do something arty or creative as she doesn't seem to have anything in that category?

Dd is at a highly academic school yet they all have to do a creative subject. Dd did 11 GCSEs in Y11 and had already done ICT GCSE in Y9. They all did 12 or 13 in total so if you are looking at moving your dd to a more academic school, I am not sure that 10 would compare favourably. If she is going to do medicine she sounds more than capable of dealing with the workload.

DS1 has no practical or arty subjects on his timetable.
Maths
English language
English literature
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
German
History
Latin
Classical Civilisation

He chose Classical Civilisation as his 'soft' subject because he is passionate about ancient history and has no interest in doing GCSE art / music / ICT / product design.

I think it seems like an overly academic timetable, but he seems to be enjoying the courses so far (started at half-term).

If she wants to be a GP then GCSE business studies would do no harm, especially with 10 academic subjects.

My DS3 picked all very academic subjects, he started his courses last week and after a day asked to switch his geography to sports studies. He is is still doing history, full RE, German and ict as his options. I'm pleased for him, he's picked a subject he is interested in that isn't quite as academically challenging as his other options. I think universities like to see a good range of subjects.