Tell me about Citizenship GCSE. Which is apparently compulsory at my DD's school. She doesn't want to do it.

It would be good policy if Citizenship was a compulsory GCSE nationally and I also would subscribe to the "suck it up" approach partially as it is also about building grit and not only about doing the subject you like, especially at GCSE. Good training for life afterwards and a bit of civic education not a bad thing at all.

[quote bellinisurge]@Puzzler333 , yes, I am trying to get her to focus on the positive of an easier GCSE.
[/quote]
I wasn't suggesting you weren't, just FYI .

My main point was to reassure that triple science shouldn't close doors at all if this is the avenue she wants to pursue for a level and beyond.

I really wouldn't worry abiut triple science.
It wasn't an option at my school but I was still comfortably able to go on to do 3 science a levels and an oxbridge science degree.

If she is interested, she could do something in her own time science related?

The citizenship is likely to be because its an easy grade. It's a pain, especially if it hasn't been apparent earlier, but won't hinder her in the long run.

I think you should discuss with the school to check they won't make an exception, but it's best to manage your dds expectations and encourage her to see the positives.

The info you need from school is how many hours per week are going to citizenship.
We can't tell you that.

Sorry if I'm losing patience but a) you need to find that out and b) you shouldn't be giving posters the impression that your DC is prevented from doing triple because of compulsory citizenship when it just isn't true.

There are times to argue with schools, and there are times when you do just have to 'suck it up' and say 'not ideal, but OK, it is what it is, we will work with it'. I think we should be at the latter.

You have been unnecessarily rude to posters who have given that advice.

If you wanted just to know about citizenship and what it involved then you should have just asked not muddled it all up with her not wanting to do it, triple science etc.

In the scheme of things for your DC's education this is just a non issue.

x-post. So she has to just make a choice like hundreds of others up and down the country who would like to do more subjects than there are slots.

Triple or Business or Tech. Just choose.

Doing business isn't a pre-requisite for anything at A level.
So either decide now probably not A level science and just do combined (which still has a lot of content), or drop Business and pick it up at A level if desired.

If you are worried about "worthwhile" GCSEs there have been a couple of threads recently where Business Studies was considered less valuable than other subjects. I suspect your DD will be directed to swap Business Studies or DT.

I don't understand how it prevents her from taking triple science.

Either triple is offered in which case she can choose it in preference to other options, or it isn't offered at all in which case it isn't available.

I guess what OP really means is there are other options the DC is picking over and above triple. With 9 GCSEs even with 6 compulsory, it still leaves room for triple science, a humanity and an MFL or tech subject.

My daughter is studying it and really enjoys it. The curriculum covers politics, law etc. I would say it's one of her favourite subjects and she wants to go onto do science A levels.

Is she keen to take science A levels? If so then I'd really push for triple. If not then double is fine (in fact its fine for A level science with some catch up work over the summer).

Ah yes, I forgot it meant only taking double science. In that case I would be concerned. Is there no other way of her taking triple science?

Honestly, I really feel you are overthinking this. All the bases are already covered. As I and other posters stated earlier, universities are far, far more interested in GCSE grades than the subjects they took. They really don't care and neither do employers. I was in your shoes 6 years ago, and now know that in the grand scheme of things it won't reduce any opportunities at all.

OP, you still haven't clarified how many hours a week it is. The requirements around Pshe have changed - in 2018 or 19, I think. In the past a lot of schools got away with just squashing it into tutor time, but this is starting to change.

If she is going to do one or two lessons a week of Pshe anyway, why not get a qualification to show for it?

She wouldn't be allowed to opt out of Pshe entirely, as she wouldn't the cover the statutory requirements.

Have you actually spoken to the school about this yet?

I really wanted DD to do French, and she really didn't want to. Remembering my experience with history I kept my lips buttoned, and I'm glad I did because she aced her GCSEs, and she wouldn't have aced French.

It's a pointless waste of time, but short of moving schools there's nothing she can do about it other than try to find it vaguely interesting.

I agree with you. It's ridiculous it should be made compulsory. Is it the new General Studies which was useless and a complete waste of everyone's time.

I remember asking the Citizenship teacher about it at parent's evening. She said that every parent had asked the same question. I did challenge the school at the time and asked whether an MFL should be compulsory instead of Citizenship, but got nowhere.

With the benefit of hindsight, I feel that Citizenship has benefitted DD more than French would have done. She is now at university studying a STEM degree.