What subjects are needed for an EBacc, what are the benefits & options?

Ebacc is a league table performance measure, the kids don't get a certificate or label with their GCSEs to say that they got it, just like they don't get anything to say they got 5A*-C inc English and Maths. That's also a performance measure, but employers and colleges will only know by looking at the results and subjects to be able to tell.

Schools will push it, but I've not seen anything yet with entry requirements specifying Ebacc.

Textiles GCSE is lots of writing and little doing - be warned

EBacc is a nonsense thing. DD1 has all the subject requirements, but not because the school encouraged her to - these were the subjects she wanted to do. She is doing 11 GCSEs (RE/RS is compulsory and she reckons she might as well do the full GCSE course as she now has a fabulous RE teacher and is really loving it) with two humanities (couldn't choose between history and geography).

I couldn't care less about the label, only that she works to her best and enjoys school.

Yes, I'm worried about the course load of three project heavy GCSEs but her teachers reckon she'll be fine as she's so passionate about her subjects and is so creative. Her graphic design teacher says she's producing degree level/commercially viable work already! Says she'll sail through her GCSE.

At my DDs very academic private school, 12ish to Oxbridge, some to US universities, most of rest to Russell Group or equivalent ie good universities, they are only allowed to do 10 GCSEs, since more are seen as a waste of effort better used elsewhere, be it focusing on the 10 or on extra curricular.

They only specify English Lang, English Lit, Maths, Double Science and one MFL. The only advice they give on the rest of their 4 choices, History, Geography, Triple Science instead of double, Religion and Ethics, Latin, Ancient Greek, French, German, Spanish, Music, Drama, Art, DT - Textiles, DT - RMT, Food Tech (note no *** studies) is that unless their future ambitions are in the arts or music or drama or DT then they should pursue at least one of the last six arts / DT subjects for interest and variety but, unless it is something they want to pursue further, ie a talent / interest that they have ambitions to progress to A level and beyond (in which case they are encouraged) then no more than one because of the coursework load.

So basically all that stuff about Ebacc making sure that state school matched practise in private schools was rubbish. A fair few take GCSEs that would not qualify them for Ebacc, and their university prospects do not suffer.

I'm just back from a parents evening and have been quizzing teachers on this.

The subjects dd wants to take will mean she won't get an ebacc. She wants to do triple science, german, art, photography and graphic design. So no humanity.

Teachers opinions seem to vary wildly. A couple said she'd struggle to get into a decent uni without ebacc.

Her form teacher admitted the school will push her as she's academically very bright to do ebacc as it makes their stats look good. So firstly he said she should do what she wants but then changed his mind and said she could do photography as a hobby.

Another teacher said unless she wants to do geography or history at degree level she shouldn't worry about it.

hOY said she should do what makes her happy.

Agreeing with those saying Ebacc is pretty meaningless.
She should choose what she enjoys / wants to do, not what someone thinks she ought to do, as long as she has - as you have listed - a wide range.

The Ebaac is not of value at all expect for the school league tables.

Damn, Titchy is right. Even UCL only require that a student make up a deficit in MFL by attending a short course, not that they must have MFL in order to be admitted.

Agreed. It does depend on a variety of factors.

Nothing wrong with 12 good grade GCSEs agreed BUT a child may be better off achieving 10 high grade GCSEs than 12 average ones iyswim.
Some schools try to squeeze in more subjects e.g. by offering Triple award science to the top set in the time lower sets take Double Science. This doesn't work for some pupils (or some teachers) so if this is how the OPs school is offering this subject I would urge caution. Taking some GCSEs a year early also doesn't work for some students.

Nothing wrong with 12 GCSEs.

I've just been reading through this as my DD is about to get her options as well. A couple of you have mentioned the amount of option choices OP's DC has. My DD understands she can do up to 12 GCSEs as well.

She has to do Eng Lit, Eng Lang, Maths and Triple Science (although the top set are allowed to argue the case for doing Double Science - hers is that she regularly gets the bottom marks in the class, so they need to convince her she can cope with workload and if she can, that she will pass) - so that's 5/6 options.

She's been told she has to choose 5 options plus a spare, or can choose 6 options as long as it includes 2 MFLs - if they choose this latter option, the school guarantee they will get every option they want, so they are basically encouraging those who've been studying two MFLs so far to carry on. She is desperate to do two certain GCSEs, so wants to take six GCSEs.

This could indeed mean 12 GCSEs for my DD.

It's not. It's nothing to do with the International Bacc. It's a made up by Gove thing that means nothing. It is used in school league tables and as far as I've discovered for nothing else.

Reading with interest as DD is strong academically but won't be choosing her options until next year.

Would the Ebac be of use if you wanted to study or work abroad? I've always imagined a strong Ebac result would be more easily recognised in countries that work towards a Baccalaureate. Don't know if that's true though.

Ebacc isn't a separate certificate by the way. It's actually pretty meaningless for the students. And no university requires an MFL at GCSE level, not even UCL.

I agree with you DoctorDonnaNoble. The DFE did change it to include Latin following an outcry from teachers and parents but have no idea why they haven't done the same for RS.
EBacc is mostly about league tables and measuring the performance of schools, there are no real benefits for the child.
The new performance 8 measure is now being followed by schools and includes a wider variety of subjects than the Ebacc www.aqa.org.uk/supporting-education/policy/gcse-and-a-level-changes/performance-tables. Both this and the EBacc have meant that in may schools creative and performing arts have been squeezed so that fewer pupils can take more than one of these options.

Glad to be corrected. It was stupid it wasn't. It's still not something that really means anything.

Seems like a lot of option subjects OP. At dds school they can only choose 4 options and as Double Science takes up one option that's only 3 choices in reality (with 2 reserves).
There will be a list of compulsory subjects which will be both English language and English Lit for top set students.
The PP is incorrect Latin is now included in the EBacc (this was changed).

A lot of schools don't even mention Ebacc, or only very half-heartedly "we'd like you to do at least one Ebacc subject, pretty please" I think it's just short of completely pointless. Other than a very small number of Unis having a MF-language requirement, the Ebacc subjects aren't on Univ. radar, either.

Which history syllabus do they do? That might help her decide.

My DD is doing Medicine Through Time and the American West which I think is all quite interesting. Other syllabus seems to be 20th Century.

Suggest she looks at what will be covered for both History and Geography and picks the one she most likes the sound of.

Latin and Greek don't count for the Ebacc. Neither does RS. We had a boy the year it was introduced who got 13 A* and did not get the EBacc. He is now at Cambridge.
It is of no consequence to the student. It is of consequence to the school's league table position.