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Original poster

AIBU poor GCSE options?

81 replies

hornetgirl · 26/05/2016 20:32

Short story, I invested a lot of time and emotional energy on trying to get DS into a good school. He passed 11+ in a neighboring borough but we didn't get a place as we were too far away. He didn't get into the very super selective grammar in our borough.

Eventually we got offered our 6th choice for secondary school. It is a previously failing school but now an improving academy. I have decided to run with it as we have no other options and have focused on the positives, which there are many (sports/ close to home etc).

I thought I as doing well until I was browsing the website today and realised that the year 8 GCSE options are really poor. There is no option for triple science offered at all! They do not require a modern foreign language as compulsory and the children only get three options for GCSE above the compulsory ones (one of which is PE) . So basically I ended up stuck in doom again.

This time last year I was hoping for at least a school where he could get 10/11 good GCSEs, now he is stuck in a school where he can only do a max of 9 and is extremely limited in his options. He is quite into his science, will he face trouble later in life with A levels and University if he only can choose double science?

So fed up with this whole sodding business :-(

OP posts:
bojorojo · 26/05/2016 21:10

He could still opt to do a language if he wanted to. I agree this is rock bottom education. Doing GCSEs over 3 years tends to say most children need lots of teaching to get the good grades and there are not enough science oriented children to make triple science worthwhile.

It is, of course, perfectly possible to be "outstanding" and only offer limited subjects; as long as the students get good grades. However, I am with you, OP; this is dumbing down and the school is not offering a broad enough education. I guess there are no vacancies elsewhere so I would hang on in there and change for 6th form. There are young people who do science A levels with double award science so all is not lost.

With the new harder GCSEs, 9 will be fine but for bright children triple science should be offered, as should two languages. I pity the children who are forced to do PE GCSE but are useless at sport! At least a language is some indicator of intelligence. No wonder language courses at university mostly get students from independent schools these days. Other students do not stand a chance when languages are so devalued.

catslife · 26/05/2016 20:56

They do not require a modern foreign language as compulsory That's because taking a language at GCSE isn't compulsory nationally. Compulsory languages isn't a good ideas as it mean pupils could end up taking this subject who don't want to.
dd is an an outstanding comp, most pupils (only) take 9 GCSEs. The most important thing is getting good grades not the number of subjects taken.

LIZS · 26/05/2016 20:49

Many schools don't determine double/triple science until end y9/10. They all study the same until then . PE seems an odd compulsory subject unless it is a Sports Academy but does include human biology.

Decorhate · 26/05/2016 20:46

Lots of people here will tell you that it won't matter if he does double rather than triple science. That may be true if your child is an all-rounder. However I agree that for a child who is better at science than other subjects, it's a shame they are effectively losing out on a good GCSE. My ds would find it far easier to get a good mark in Science than an essay based subject

TeaBelle · 26/05/2016 20:40

I did double science but our school still taught each science as a single subject iyswim so it was fine to do any of them at a-level. Also these days there are many many more routes into careers than a straightforward path

Original poster
hornetgirl · 26/05/2016 20:37

Also as they choose options in February of Year 8, it basically means he could end up giving up languages/ history/ geography/ music all by the start of year 9. How is that a 'good' education?

OP posts: