Am I right to be angry ??

Do check the requirements for level 3 graphic design courses at you local 6th form. I've just checked the prospectuses for two near us. One has a requirement for either Art, Design or Graphic Design (A level) and the other says either one of those, or a portfolio if none of them are taken (BTEC).

DS is absolutely not more important than a 3/4 but is it not in the interest of my child who had worked hard in the subject to give him the opportunity over someone who has proved they aren’t going to put the work in to the subject already ? The school is failing my child .

What a shitty thing to say. How do you know that a 3/4 student hasn't worked just as hard as your son? The school isn't failing your child, you are. You should be encouraging him to broaden his horizons in terms of the subjects he studies. Instead you're setting him on a very narrow pathway to follow in his father's footsteps career wise. That isn't always a good thing. At 14 he has absolutely no idea what's available in the big wide world out there, which is why at GCSE students are expected to follow a broad path, and that options subjects have minimal bearing on future career choices.
You're going to get nowhere when you meet the DHT i suspect.

A quick Google and look at 5 different sixth forms /colleges who offer graphics, not one requires graphic design. They all ask for either art, photography or graphic design.

Check the A level entry requirements before you go in all guns blazing.

Oh sorry, cross posted. Yes what noble said, get the DH to confirm he is ok to do graphics a level with art GCSE.

How do you know that the students predicted a 4/5 have proved they aren't going to work in the subject? Grade 4-5 could show really hard work from them, if they are lower ability. My ds has SEN and worked really hard to get his C grades in maths and food tech, I'd have been very annoyed if a higher achieving child had been prioritised for food tech over him if that were the reason.

Are you sure about the a level in graphics op? Who's told you that?

Then you need to get confirmation from the school that not having graphic design GCSE but having art won’t affect his ability to take A-level.

Once you have that in writing, everything will be fine.

The deputy head , in charge of assigning place.

At school (11-16) or for A Levels?

The timetable isn't scheduled according to predicted grades, it's scheduled according to subject. You need to find out which of the other subjects graphic design clashes with on the timetable and try to work around that. If, for example, it clashes with the higher pathway maths, would you consider putting him in the lower group? If not then they can't change a timetable to suit one person

He can’t do A level GD without gcse graphic design

Says who? I find this very unlikely considering most schools don't offer graphics gcse.

He can’t do A level GD without gcse graphic design

Who says this? It sounds extremely dubious and I’d be very surprised if it were actually true.

Our school don't offer graphic design at gcse but at least 3 went on to do the a-level at college. College requirement was an art subject

No FE depends on a graphics gcse because most schools don't offer it.

Why is your son more important than a child who is predicted grades 4/5?

This will not be down to future predictions for marks but to timetabling. Your DS is in a higher pathway, therefore they want him in the higher sets. That may have meant allocating him to Graphics would have been incompatible with putting him where he belongs academically. It happens, timetabling is complex.

My DD2 desperately wanted to move from one parallel cohort to the other in Yr9 bcause she was the only one in her friendship group assigned to that cohort - and she was finding it socially very hard going. The school were willing to make the move, but at the cost of moving her down sets in the sciences and maths. She had the choice, she made the choice to stay where she was (and ended up settling very well by the start of Yr 10, but Yr 9 was a tough year).

I agree that your DS will more than likely be able to pick up his subject at A level with a good Art GCSE and a portfolio focused on the graphic design side of things.

I have to say that I took both Art GCSE and Graphic Design GCSE and both are totally different. What he may want from Graphics, he won't get from doing Art. That being said, if he decides in two years time he still wants to do that then college is the next best option. They will however, require an art form of qualification.

I'm surprised they are only allowed 2 subjects. I had 3 as well as all the compulsory ones.

Unfortunately sometimes due to class sizes it’s not possible for everybody to get their first subject choices. It’s a shame but if it’s done by a computer it’s just random luck and not unfair at all.

What would be unfair is your suggestion that students with higher predicted grades should be given priority and all the others should be at the bottom of the pile when it comes to getting their subjects. That would be hugely discriminatory on lower achieving students (who are more likely to have SEN or be from low-income families or looked after children etc).

Sorry your son is in the 5% who didn’t get their subject choices but I’m afraid that’s just the luck of the draw. It’s not unreasonable to be disappointed but unreasonable to expect them to kick a lower achieving student out of the class to make room for your precious son. If he’s a high achiever I’m sure he will do fine in whatever subject he follows anyway.

I agree, he will be fine in terms of career, no future employer will demand graphics GCSE, as many schools don't even offer it. Why not look at what he wants to do post-16 and see what's needed for that? If his A level choices require graphics GCSE (which seems very unlikely to me) then that may be an argument for you to put forward.

There is no legal requirements for the school to give your son his preferences - most schools I know ask for a number of choices, I recall ds2 listed four for two slots. Was art one of these? I would say as others suggest, that art may well be better in terms of range of possibilities.

Also as new start rightly points out, it would be to the greatest degree unfair if options were allocated based on ability. I don't see why a more able child should get priority over their choices tbh, so I wouldn't mention that in your meeting with the dep head.

His career path is not even vaguely screwed. He just didn’t get his ‘preference’. As posters have said, a lot of schools don’t even offer Graphics at gcse.
Art is better as he will learn a broader range of skills. He can specialise later.

You are overdramatising this. Many schools only offer Art GCSE. He can probably include elements of graphics in his portfolio but not taking Graphics GCSE as an exam will not be significant in the longer term.

Art is better. It’s more varied and can be tailored to interests. It certainly won’t stop him doing anything and, in fact, keeps more doors open. No employer will demand Graphics GCSE. Art can be great prep for that career so encourage him. It’s also very useful if he needs a portfolio for university.

What they all said. ^^.

It is disappointing, and rubbish you've only just been told, but it won't impact A level courses or prevent him from doing anything as a career.

You are more likely to get somewhere with pleading his interest than with spouting legal requirements. It is up to the school how many pupils they think they can reasonably fit into any class.

Also, maybe find out how much 'graphicy' work he can pull into Art GCSE.