Year 9 - 2022/2023 Support Thread

I'd like to join please. Been looking for a Yr 9 thread for ages.

Not compulsory although they are encouraged to take a language and the only alternative in the block with French is a vocational qualification rather than GCSE. I haven’t heard of citizenship as a GCSE before

It's weird how the schools all do it differently. Do you not have a compulsory language? I thought all schools had to do that now. Citizenship gcse is also compulsory at ds's school too. He'd rather not do that.

@icanbewhatiwant they have 5 compulsory (maths, 2 English and double science), then do 4 others picked from 4 blocks, where I thought the combinations were a bit odd really. Doing triple science takes up one of the choices, and history and geography are separate blocks so you can do both or neither, whereas I know they are often set against each other.

@Eccle80 that is a small limit isn't it. French and science is compulsory at ds's school. As is either history or geography, they can't do both either. Then they have 2 extra choices.

We’ve had the option blocks and form sent home, but the meeting about it is next week. He’s at a smaller school and they don’t actually have that many subjects to choose from, and it is a bit limited with what combinations are possible. It is looking likely his 4 choices will be French, Geography, triple science and history.

DS's school I mean.

Seems like the positive with music gcse is the very small class sizes, only 6 students in the current year 10 in DS's class!

We had our GCSE options evening yesterday. It was interesting although didn't really change DS's mind on anything.
He's choosing Geography over History. He wants to do Triple Science, and the school should be ok with that given his last test results. Only 2 other "free choices", and it's looking like it will be PE and Music. He's both sporty (plays club cricket, cycling and running with a club) and sciency, so PE GCSE is a good fit, plus he has grade 6 in piano so in with a good shot for Music. I kind of wish he'd take DT, but that's going to be his reserve.

It's interesting about the comp science...DS is in the top set in maths, but he is bottom of the class in comp science. He doesn't enjoy it apparently because it's "boring", although the other day he told me it's getting a bit better for him and he likes the coding they've been doing recently.
I always thought he'd go into a field of Maths/Computing, but he still can if he wishes to even if he doesn't take GCSE Comp Science.

Ds's choices have already been submitted. He didn't take long to choose. Out of history and geography he chose geography. Then he's put in preference order, computer science, business studies, psychology and Art. He will get given 2 of those 4. He won't know until the end of March. He's fairly sure he will be doing computer science as the teacher suggested it to him. There has been a lot of complaining on our school parents Facebook page at the fact they only have the 2 choices, plus the humanity choice. One mum moaning because she thinks computer science is core subject that they all need to do and they've said her dd should do something else. Maybe ICT skills could be a lesson without an exam. But I think computer science is quite a difficult one. Another few parents saying they don't want their dc's taking a language. I quite enjoy reading people complaining about stuff.

@MissyB1 does he do sport out of school? Ds2 did gcse pe and they needed to do out of school sport which had to be filmed amongst other things.

@QueenMabby yes I know but Ds won't take the art that seriously, I should think for those wanting high grades then Art is more serious.

I've found out this eve that out of the 4 choices ds will only study 2 of them. Plus history or geography. Ds has put his choices in already, though he can edit them. He's put computer science, business studies, Art and psychology.

We have an options evening next week and then the form has to be in by March 1st. At DS’s school by the time they take the compulsory subjects they have 2 ‘free’ choices. At the moment he is thinking of music and economics.

@icanbewhatiwant
thats interesting, he struggles with maths so I suspect Computer Science is not really for him. Yes I think their choices should be what they enjoy, if he really wants to do PE (and I suspect he does) I will advise he goes for it.

@MissyB1 I'm all for doing subjects you enjoy not just the ones you think will be better when thinking of jobs etc. Unless there is an A level a student particularly wants to take that has to have a certain gcse. But I think mostly as long as they do well in the core GCSEs then most courses are accessible.

At ds's school they have to take history or geography but can't take both. Ds prefers geography. They have also been told they are only to choose computer science if they are good at maths and science in general. Decisions don't need to be made until 10th March.

Well ds was dead set on taking computer science - now he’s having a big wobble about it. Apparently he’s struggling with the coding they are doing at the moment (python?) and he thinks he won’t manage the GCSE. Should he’s thinking of swapping that for either History or PE.
His other choices are
Drama
Geography
Business.

Ive suggested waiting until the options evening and we will talk it over with the teachers then.

@QueenMabby yes you are probably right about RSE. Ds wouldn't tell me what he'd learnt in lessons.

He's not sure which subjects to choose. He knows which ones he doesn't want to do. His first choice is computer science, that's probably a good choice. Then probably business studies, then either Psychology or film studies, also Art or photography. He's not great at art/photography but I think one subject that is fun is good. It would be helpful knowing how many of the 4 choices they'll actually study. I'll hope it's 3. But if it's only 2 and he wants to do a more fun subject then maybe that needs to be choice 2. Oh well...

After I said I'd heard nothing about options, Ds has bought home a booklet today all about choosing options. They had an assembly about it yesterday. Nothing for parents to attend. It doesn't actually tell us how many of the options they will actually study. Obviously there are the 3 core subjects and a language. He has to choose either history or geography. Then all the other subjects are listed and he has to put 4 of them in order preference. It says they will not study all 4. So that's annoying we don't know how many. It also says they will continue with PE, RS, RSE (no idea) and citizenship.

@DataColour ds2 was fairly sporty, he really enjoyed the written part of gcse PE more than the practical.

That will be good if it isn't compulsory at our school anymore (for gcse) ds3 is in top set PE but he's not sporty and doesn't do any out of school sports, so won't want to do gcse or b-tech if he doesn't have to.

PE lessons at our school is compulsory till end of GCSE, but not an actual GCSE in PE. But I think DS will be taking PE as a GCSE option as he is quite sporty, competing at club level and besides it's mostly science anyway.

@NotDonna ds1 and ds2 both had to take either gcse pe or b-tech pe. They are 19 and 21 so maybe it's changed at their school now.