How important is taking triple versus double science at GSCE?

My DS sat triple science last year. He is an above average student but not top of top set sort. He was encouraged by his teachers in year 9 to take it but with hindsight I think it was mistake.

Reasons why I think it was a mistake.

The school couldn't adequately staff it and he had a lot of substitutes.
He is bright but better at essay type subjects.
His maths wasn't quite up to it compounded by the fact the school was even worse at staffing maths - he went through so many maths teachers.
I think he would have got 2 higher grades in double science than he got across triple.
He hasn't gone on to do any science at A level (he did want to do biology but he narrowly missed the entry grade and they said no)

If any of this resonates OP I would say stick with double science.

@JaffavsCookie we have top sets of 34 and lower sets of 19.

ah ok, so even bigger than us, but crucially your school has opted to fund more smaller groups.

@JaffavsCookie 350 in year 11.

It would be behaviour and attitude that would seal it for me.
The extra content is easily covered, and the combined exams are definitely as demanding as the triple, but in our school the behaviour of the triples is ( in general) much better than that of the the combined sets ( 5 triples, 6 combineds, don’t lose an option for triple).
BTW @mumsneedwine how big is your school with 16 sets at GCSE ( see above we have 11 with 300 kids/year)

I'm glad DD's school treated triple science as a separate option.

My daughter is a newly qualified doctor. She only took double science GCSE and only two science A levels plus drama. She had two offers for medical school and now works in a London hospital as an F1.

I say this to counter some of what people will tell you is necessary to do medicine.

@clary I never said it was you, however you were commenting on a point I raised to another poster. I raised that point because they did say that.

We have 12 combined and 2 triple classes. Not that unusual. And 2 ELC.

However, to imply the teaching or behaviour in combined science is shit because only 17% of those kids get 7s, is insane.

That wasn't me - I don't have any stats for results of those doing double at the schools I know about. I simply reported anecdata (and made it clear it was that).

Also, you have 9 sets in a MFL? How big is your school?!

I don't teach there any more but it was utterly regular sized. Like, 230 students in a year. Eight forms, but we were luckily able to set into nine groups with a very small lowest set of about 15 students. (The sets went across several subjects.) This was KS3 which I realise I may not have made clear haha! Tho five groups taking MFL for GCSE was not unusual in a year.

It’s the same in my DCs school. Triple science isn’t counted as choosing an option.
The timetabling allowance is the same for triple as it is for combined.

DDs school offered triple to 2 classes out of 8 (the target grade 7-9 students). But no additional timetabling, they were told they were expected to keep up with the faster pace needed to cover the additional topics and do extra work at home.

One thing I would say is that combined science grades are linked, so you get pulled down by a bad science. In triple, you might be 9 8 4 but in combined this might translate as 6 5, which could make a difference to general A Level choices later on.

I don't agree. And I teach A level chemistry. The extra content for triple is not that hard compared to A level.

I would say if your DC is intending to study sciences at a sixth form where virtually everyone has taken triple science, they are likely to be at a disadvantage (at least initially) if they only have combined.

I agree. A couple of pupils at DD's school dropped out of biology because they felt that they couldn't catch up as everyone else had done triple science.

This was before the GCSEs were reformed, so double science pupils had only done two papers for each science, whereas triple science pupils had taken three papers for each science. (So basically, the double science pupils had only covered two thirds of the syllabus that the triple science pupils had done).

Triple science isn't harder than double science. There is just more content. If the school treats triple science as a separate option then it won't be any more difficult than double science.

@clary I'm not denying there will be poorer behaviour in lower sets, it's is a quite obvious result when you force a lower ability child to do a subject at a level they can barely access. The fact the combined science curriculum is enough to access a level content should illustrate how packed it is...
However, to imply the teaching or behaviour in combined science is shit because only 17% of those kids get 7s, is insane.

Also, you have 9 sets in a MFL? How big is your school?!

But you can easily do combined if you want to do science A Levels.. and there will be kids doing triple that don't want to do it for A Levels.

My ds did double as not wanting to take Science A Levels, and it gave him wider choice of other GCSEs, and my dd triple as she did. Anecdotally ds' double science class did have poor behaviour which was an issue for a while.

Interesting to hear others agreeing about possible behaviour issues in double science.

It's a bit like a top maths set - surely @Foxesandsquirrels you couldn't deny that behaviour is likely to be better? I'm talking here, let me reiterate, about schools which stream for triple/double, so that all the most able students sit triple. It's different if triple is an extra option, although even then it will be populated by students who have chosen it (but of all abilities) so again, I would expect a greater level of interest, as opposed to those who have got to do it but don;t all perhaps enjoy it. I don't really think that's a good reason to choose triple as an option tho!

I am not saying that all less academic students behave badly - but as someone who has taught set 9 and set 1 in the same year group for French, I can't lie, the learning environment was much more easily calm and engaged in the top set, despite there being some lovely kids in the lowest set.

Grade boundaries are lower I think

@PrincessOfPreschool not the case actually - quick glance at 2019 GBs for AQA - biology and chemistry around 140/200 for a 9; combined trilogy 269/440 for a 9-9 - so actually a lower mark needed for the highest grade.

I'd agree with the 2 posters that have mentioned better behaviour in the Triple Class. I'm glad we made the switch from Triple to Combined at such a late stage even though DS 'wasted time' on unnecessary content as it's definitely rowdier in the Combined class. Luckily this close to GCSEs they are just revising material in Combined rather than still being taught new triple material

My ds has recently made his choices, he was unsure between double or triple, he loves science but was worried about having less choices for his other subjects if he went for the triple.

However at the options evening, his science teacher said one thing to consider, is everyone has to do double, so the double classes have children in who don't want to do science at all & who don't want to be in school. Essentially behaviour in schools is going down hill, but the behaviour in the triple lessons is better because the students are more engaged. I'm sure that's not the case across the board, but definitely the case for ds' school and other local schools.

If your child isn't easily distracted then it probably wouldn't matter, but my ds is, so he's gone with the triple, where hopefully the environment will be calmer.

@Foxesandsquirrels clearly there are smart kids in the combined science class. Not all smart kids like the sciences. But if the OP is considering doing triple, then they must have a child that wants to continue onto A level. Otherwise it is a clear choice for combined surely.

@Foxesandsquirrels it is on the school’s website.

A lot of schools only offer triple science to the top set. This explains the higher percentage of grade 7+ for triple science when compared to double - the academically more able kids are generally the ones doing triple. Combined science doesn’t disadvantage in anyway but for those who are interested in A levels in one or more science subject, doing triple science ( if able to) makes sense.