Possible impact (or damage?) of only doing Combined Science

Dd did a lot of self study by the way. She had some poor science teaching in Years 7-9 but then there was a staff change and things improved greatly. She used Tassomai which is a paid for app but you can start it in either KS3 or KS4. She also had CGP textbooks and revision guides.

Hi Kutik - My dd has just finished Year 11 at an MDS (dance) school so a very similar set up.

If he wants to pursue science at A level then he must do the Combined Science that is equivalent to 2 GCSE's. My dd's school for the first time last year began offering single sciences and she chose that route. The only children who did the combined Single science were a couple who are not at all academic and in a "normal" school would be bottom sets. The school decided to forgo their progress figures in order to do the right thing for those children. However that does not sound at all the right thing for your child.

Double science will not be a problem if your ds wants to do science A levels as long as he is prepared to do some study over the summer holidays on the extra content.

Hi Kutik, if he wants to keep all options open make sure he is allowed to take the same number of GCSE's as other schools, and that he does 2 science iGCSE's, not one.
I had the same worries as you about my yr 8 DS who is going to choose options next year. To be able to take as many different subjects as possible he will probably do 2 iGCSE's for science (at your school called co-ordinated science) instead of 3, because that frees up another option for him (they are allowed to take 9 iGCSE's only, plus an HPQ). The school says there is only a small problem with Chemistry, should he want to do Chemistry A-level, and he would need to do a bit of catching up over the summer preceding A-levels. Physics and biology should be fine. He would still be allowed to take chemistry A-level if his iGCSE-grades for science are good enough.
I also checked with the sixth form our local grammar which is very high performing and pretty selective; for any A-level science the criteria are: a 6 for a GCSE in the same science they want to do for A-level, OR two 7's for double science (co-ordinated science at your school). So, a boy who wants to study A-level physics at this grammar will be accepted if he got at least a 6 for a separate physics (i)GCSE or two 7's for the two combined science (i)GCSE's. The grammar does not distinguish between GCSE's and iGCSE's.
I agree with other posters: see how it goes, he can always change schools after year 8. I would probably worry more about how lack of a good physics teacher at the school could influence your son's love for physics, but that's a different matter! Well done to your DS for gaining a place at his school.

Loads of state school children only do double award science and go on to do science A levels It really isn't a problem, honestly. Presumably the school you're talking about want to make sure they free up as much time as possible for Music and know that not doing 3 sciences does not disadvantage anyone wanting to go on with science.

DD's school only did double award IGCSEs, they had a significant number studying science or engineering at Imperial/Cambridge, medicine etc.

Kutik iGCSE shouldn't be a problem as lots of the private schools do them. They are also being reformed in line with GCSE. You should probably wait and check again in a couple of years though when the dust has settled a bit!
I would imagine that for Years 7 and 8 the school will be covering the usual science topics and in smaller classes so he shouldn't be at a disadvantage. If at the end of Y8 he wants to switch back into mainstream state or private provision I doubt he'd be behind much and if he was he'd catch up in any case. It's much harder to switch once you start GCSE work so I would say it's an idea to review your options at the end of Y8 and let him enjoy music for now!
Incidentally, it is possible to combine music and physics at university - Imperial and Royal Holloway both do this so it wouldn't be a totally unusual A level for a musician to take!

you need to just keep an eye on what is happening in the science - iGCSE isn't accepted on all A level course, because it can be completed without every entering a science lab.

It isn't going to affect him in year 7, 8 or 9 though - so you can always rethink a few years down the line, if the school offer hasn't changed

The lack of Physics A-level may well be due to lack of demand. It is the least popular science A-level, and it sounds like the school can only employ 2 full time science teachers (I may have misunderstood?). As they are a small school with a specialist focus that is not the sciences, it does sort of make sense that they would go for specialists in the other sciences which are more popular.

It isn't uncommon at normal sized schools both private and state to have 30-40 pupils wanting to study biology in Y12 (obviously split between 2 or more classes) and

Your lad must be a talented boy to get a place at a specialist music college.
I would make sure he does double/combined hwatever the new iGCSE name is for it. That will be more than sufficient preparation for A level if then choses to move away from music and do sciences at A level elsewhere.
I say that based on years of teaching A level sciences, we offer both triple and combined in my school, but take many from a school that only offers combined. The interested, keen and motivated have no isssues.
The school 3 of my dc have been to only offers double/combined. It hasn’t stopped my older dc doing engineering and medicine (at RG), and they get plenty of kids to Imperial, medicine, dentistry every year.
So I guess I would concentrate on the now, let him go to music school, love life, do double science and reevaluate in y10 as to what for sixth form.

Is it actually a published policy of the school not to teach to the 'separate sciences' IGCSE, or to offer only Biology and Chemistry, not Physics, at A level? Or is it just the current policy, driven by the lack of suitable / willing teaching staff. If current science teachers left, would the school deliberately not attempt to replace them with a more 'balanced' crew?

The year that DS1 was looking at sixth forms, one of our local comprehensives made the painful decision not to offer any of the pure sciences at A level, due to lack of demand, but it was just for that year.

Could be Business Studies for all you know

My degree is Business but given I also have a HND in electronic engineering has meant I've taught in the DT department very successfully

Have you considered applying to other specialist schools, that might have more A-levels available?

But I suspect people are right and that children who stay to 6th form at a specialist school are pretty set on the specialism, and that he could move for 6th form if he wasn't sure.

Even moving for Year 10 is possible, if he was still strongly considering physics etc as an option and wanted to do triple science. He'd still have had 3 years of specialist training, and he could go back to a private (or even state) school at that stage and be fine, if he's reasonably bright. Or moving in Year 9, to a standard independent school that has a year 9 entry, and he'd not even be the new boy.

or at any point during the time there, he could consider switching to a different specialist school, with more academic options.

I suspect you'll know when/if he's not loving it any more, or is not happy socially, and he'll be on board for a move then if needed, which makes moving schools much easier. Right now, if this is what he wants, then he has at least a couple of year to give it a go without it closing off any options.

Oooh, in that case, I'm not sure which school it is, Kutik!
I thought it might be the P School...

Sorry, should really read the OP in detail.

Pretty much at all costs, if he is interested in Science, he should avoid Combined (1 GCSE equivalent). This is no longer available in 'standard' GCSEs, and therefore won't be taught or offered in state schools. Therefore, if he transfers to a state school, or even a non-specialist independent, at 16, it would prevent him from joining Science A-level courses.

If he does co-ordinated science, the one offering 2 GCSE equivalents, then he is much more likely to be able to do Science A-levels, and so you should push for that.

However, you should probably bear in mind that 'ordinary' GCSEs have been very thoroughly revised over the last few years for the new 9-1 grading, with science (among many other subjects) now having MUCH more content.

iGCSEs have NOT been revised as yet, which means that they currently have less content than normal GCSEs. Therefore, although 'double Science' (ie 2 normal GCSE equivalents) does not leave an insurmountable gap tob the new A-level specs, 'Co-ordinated science' iGCSE, if still available and unrevised when he reaches that age, is likely to leave a very much larger gap.

Possibly worth asking about the specialism of the person who has a Natural sciences degree.

The largest natural sciences degree is from Cambridge, and the final year (specialism) could be Physics or Plant Sciences, or History & philosophy of science....or many more.....

On the 'double' (combined) vs triple (separate) sciences issue,, the last time i looked into this in detail (a couple of years ago), those from double science only schools did as well in their own sixth form as those from triple science offering schools in their own sixth form, but there was a slight disadvantage for those who had transferred from double-only GCSE schools to triple-offering schools for A-level. However, my own old Oxbridge college said they had an equal number of science undergraduates who had originally done double and triple at GCSE, so doing double definitely doesn't preclude studying science at a high level in the future.