Does my child really need to choose French as an option?

Catholic usually equals selective by another route!!!

I'd say always

Catholic usually equals selective by another route!!! They neverf have a standard catchment like every other school: the net is cast very wide. What percentages of low and middle achievers? What percentages of FSM, PP and SEN?

I think you are right mousymary. MFLs require effort and so many children do not want to be bothered and are told if something is hard, then it is ok to bail out. It is a poor template for life. MN is full of mums asking if a subject takes up a lot of time, is too hard, can be avoided or asking for agreement that it is worthless.

I think children do get a feel for what subjects are well taught and what departments get good results year after year. This is worth something because it shows standards are maintained and there can be some confidence in good teaching continuing. Even if you get a good teacher you like for a year, it is better than not having them at all.

Pupils are told time and time again not to choose a subject based on the teacher - good or bad (or whether your friends are doing it). Presumably in this school there is more than one French teacher and also teachers come and go.

Surely subjects are supposed to be hard? If everything was "easy" it would be a bit of a drag. Languages are like building a Lego model - you need to build up from the bottom and make sure your foundations are secure. You can't do a bit here and there and there are no short cuts. That is why many pupils deem them "hard". What they mean is that you have to put in a good deal more effort than for many other subjects.

Hi Iamastonished. Nope not an academically selective school just an outstanding Catholic school with all mixed faiths including atheists. But all off the point. A gifted and talented child should have no problem changing a subject in year 9. The point if the discussion just got waylaid.

"Any school with 98% A-C is probably selective with no Middle or lower achievers."

Of course it is. DD goes to a good comprehensive school with the vast majority of students having parents who are supportive of their education. Last year's pass rate was 82%.

It is interesting to know why a child who is supposed to be gifted and talented cannot do French. The truly gifted and talented nail all their subjects.

Lots of schools now do 3 year GCSEs due to not very bright children needing more teaching, schools needing better results and getting the not so interested out of lessons. Any school with 98% A-C is probably selective with no Middle or lower achievers. Not a fair comparison, but I do think very bright children might be bored with 9 subjects taken over 3 years and it is not a broad education.

Absolutely hate hearing about teachers being recorded without their consent and videos of them being picked through.

Agree good and bad in all. And I will pin medal on all teachers anyway lol!

(Sorry for hijack- I'll scuttle off and mark my lovely teens' exam simulations.

Agree with the others. I love my job, I love the kids.. They energise me. At times they're quicksilver. They give me hope for the future.
Then there are the ones who think their kids can do no wrong, refuse self-responsabilty and lack self awareness. They do their kids a massive disservice tbh, because mammy can't go running and crying bully when they get to uni or work. It won't wash.

Year 4 equals year 10.

We started in year 4 in the 60s for our 0'levels and EVERYONE sat the 11+ as standard to decide on your future, rich or poor. We went comprehensive in year 4 with the local secondary next door so positive O level work started then because both pupils from each school sat O levels but bottom streams sat CSEs.

My mum made me do French. I hated it. I was useless at it. I haven't used it since I left school 26 years ago ( I've only been to France a handful of times since leaving school).
Do a subject she enjoys and will get a good grade in. That will be more useful

MaisyPops X post with almost exactly the same content!!!! 😃 great minds think alike 😃

To be honest sos the vast majority of kids and their parents are BRILLIANT. There is a minority though who think the rules don't apply to them and are entitled arseholes, whose children are precious snowflakes who should be allowed to call the shots and be pandered to at every turn. We usually find that entitled kids have entitled parents who will back them to the hilt against a teacher.

It's a bloody hard job nowadays - the reason I keep doing what I'm doing lies in my first sentence. These kids and their parents get sooooo pissed of with the entitled, disruptive arses both young and old enough to know better.

Sostenueto and Matchstick

I'm old, very old.

Way back in the days of O Levels options were taken in third year, but for science and maths we started O Level work at the start of third year.

The courses were two years, but the work started before the 2 year course.

Sostenueto
We manage because the vast majority of students are lovely and the vast majority of parents are supportive. When we do parents evenings you realise how the vast majority of parents value you what we do and want the same as us: to help their children do well.
I always think of it as 10% of students/parents end up having a disproportionate amount of my time spent on them. Within that, I often find that some parents of challenging kids are lovely, very supportive and want home and school to work together.
Sadly, there's a proportion of kids who have a bad attitude and then get their "I'm unique and rules don't apply to me" world view reinforced by parents at home. They are the ones where home end up 'well known' in the staff room..

To be perfectly honest I don't know how teachers put up with it. For a wonder teachers have breakdowns. How can parents think it's OK to video teachers (like to see their reaction if teachers recorded their previous little darlings) and its OK to chat while teacher is trying to teach? I mean would you as an adult butt in while someone was talking to someone else? Don't the kids nowadays learn about manners and respect anymore from their parents? In my day you didn't breathe unless the teacher said you could or else you were likely to get a blackboard rubber thrown at you or the cane.

You told the deputy head that the teacher had shouted at your dd and the deputy told the teacher off....(presumably then telling you they had done so, or how would you know?)
Really?

Iamastonish
Depends. I've taught many lovely kids who are genuinely popular because they are lovely. Even quite popular lad lads are alright and knuckle down.

It's the "popular" girls (read- girly group, closed friendship group, giggly, always some drama or gossip that MUST BE discussed, often the ones who claim it's soooo unfair that teachers tell them off for talking) who are massive pains.

Funnily enough, the rest of the class don't think they're "popular" or cool. They just wish they'd shut the hell up (as I've had many a student tell me. They just inwardly roll their eyes at said girls).

Sorry matchstick meant syllabus not coursework. My gdds school leading school in maths and MFL and they have never, not even in the old system of entering children early for exams so the A-C figures looked good, felt the need to do a 2 year course in 3 years. Last years results for her school was 98% A-C including maths and English. Says it all really but am not doubting what you say matchstick all schools are different.

I can think of several 'popular' (=disruptive) students like your DD that I teach. Bright, lively, but resent the subject so try to amuse themselves each lesson and drag others into it.
I regularly keep them behind as a sanction for their behaviour. Doesn't make me a bully.

"Oh, and the 'popular' ones are often the ones staff find to be the biggest PITAs in class."

So true. They like to show off in front of their friends.

New course has no coursework anymore. Feel free to disagree. It will, however, be interesting to see results in 2018 for the new cohort who have been rushed through compared to my 2019 results as I unofficially started the GCSE course in Sept before they opted. They will have done a third of the course at the end of the year. But hey, I've only been teaching 12 years. What do I know!

Totally agree MSL