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Original poster

GCSE options School saying DS HAS to take Spanish - he hates it!

80 replies

Jungfraujoch · 11/02/2019 19:28

So DS Yr 9 choosing options. OPTION being the key word here!

Top 2 sets in Spanish have to take it as an option. Sets below can choose whether they do or dont.

He is in the second set, hates it, doesn’t think he should be in that set anyway as he struggles.

He has chosen Product Design, Business and Geography. Instead of Spanish he’d like to do a Level 2 BTECH in Creative Digital Media but has been told not possible alongside Product Design as too much coursework!

My thinking is he will work much harder at Digital Media than Spanish.

We are waiting for the school to respond further but am interested to hear other people’s thoughts and experiences. Thank you

OP posts:
clary · 11/02/2019 20:32

I taught MFL and utterly love my subject but I would much rather teach a, weaker student who was keen than one with more ability who wanted to be elsewhere.

Options is not relevant really tho, there are a number of non-optional subjects at any school. A mate of DS2's only had one choice after compulsory Eng, maths, science, French and humanity.

My Ds2 had two choices so yours is doing pretty we with three. But yes, I would push it with school if he feels that strongly, tho MFL GCSE is more worthwhile than media BTEC IMHO.

Oliversmumsarmy · 11/02/2019 20:01

I was made to do 2 languages and a load of other O Levels I didn’t want to do and had no interest in and failed the lot

youarenotkiddingme · 11/02/2019 19:48

My son was allowed to drop languages.
He has 1:1 in English!

I don't think they should be forced as many will not 'use it' but will use another subject because it's a field they will study beyond school.

However - schools have timetables for GCSE. So sometimes they do have to follow a subject they aren't keen on to fit into a timetable. It has to be that way. They can't have 1-200 students all on individual timetables!

Bestseller · 11/02/2019 19:43

My DS was forced to take a language and now (in year 11) the school want him to withdraw for the sake of their results to give him more time to work on English. Honestly, why would you force a child who's going to struggle to pass English to take another language?

Anyway, given my time again, I would definitely fight harder for DS, at the time I felt duty bound to support the school but I have since realised that almost all the advice they give is in their interests, not the child's. Not their fault, it's the system they have to work in but I wouldn't blindly follow it again.

Alarae · 11/02/2019 19:36

When I was at school they made us do French or German at GCSE. We did both up to Y9. No getting out of it unfortunately, so I envy the lower sets at your sons school!

Bloody hated it as well although I can still remember how to tell someone I like football (and I don't...)