GCSE computer science: Daughter was refused a place

I would ask whether any element of the selection was based on other option subjects chosen in order to help it fit in the schools timetable. I think that it the only way it could be biased, on the basis that boys generally choose X option and by having computer science in the other option slot gives most people the ability to do both of their preferences.

Yes I agree with you op. There aren't enough females in STEM and they should be looking for ways to make the playing field more even. Otherwise it's just talking the talk.

Yes. IME it's usually the qualified teacher who drops out first...so many cover teachers and repetitive worksheets.

There can sometimes be cases for a bit of positive discrimination. If there may be some sort of bias against one group then, other things being equal (in this case test scores), preferentially selecting from them may be justified.

In the case of CS, there's still societal sexism - it's ridiculously seen as a 'male' subject, computer clubs are more likely to be male dominated etc.

This doesnt really help the OPs DD because they won't be able to unpick whether any of that applies but it's not sexism to try to counter ingrained sexism.

Random allocation is fairest for all subjects. Computer Science teachers are hard to find as they will make much more working outside of education.

Luckily you don’t need CS for A-level or degree so if she’s keen she could teach herself at home although I wouldn’t recommend it as it’s pretty dry as a curriculum.

Ask to be added to the aiding list for a place in the hope that someone changes their mind and switches their GCSE. My son didn’t get one of his first choices but was offered it by the end of September but decided to stick with the subject he started instead.

She won't get it formally but this is the sort of thing that might well come out over social media chat. maybe it is just my DC who seem to get to know all about this sort of thing

Yes, absolutely boombang - I think we're on the same page - I just thought it worth mentioning in case the ratios not aligning perfectly is interpreted as evidencing a bias that might not exist!

she is not going to get that information

It's only going to ring alarm bells if it's very skewed e.g. 50% of applicants were girls and they only got 5% of places. However, it's quite likely there just weren't many girls applying. That might be a course of cation for OP to follow if she thinks the process was unfair - find out how many other girls applied and didn't get a place.

I agree with you OP. It's difficult to be the only girl in a class of boys so they should be trying to balance the sexes if they have enough suitable girls that want to take it. And it would be completely legal too. Given the tiny number of girls sitting this subject and pursuing it at university etc it would be a more than reasonable adjustment.

no, it doesn't agreed. Just saying the Op is not going to be able to judge if the system was fair by knowing the proportions in the eventual class

Also, given that it's just one class, a higher or lower ratio of boys to girls in the selected group compared to the sex ratio in the applicant pool doesn't necessarily indicate the process wasn't random/fair.

Fine if it is random but why would this need a program.

Because we've moved on from someone drawing names out of a hat?

knowing the composition of the class won't help, you would need to compare it to the composition of the applicants. If 80% of the applicants were male, and 80% of the class is male, that would indicate a fair random selection procedure

Properly qualified CS teachers are like hens teeth so there is usually competition for places where it is offered , any many will be being taught by non specialist teachers . I would ask about a wait list as you are likely to get drop outs early on .

Lots of people go into computing without any qualifications in computing at all. The thing that get you a job in computing is being able to demonstrate you have skills. I know loads of self taught programmers. People who have written their own websites, apps, games etc look better to employers than those who show no iniative.

The other thing is, this time round she didn't get a place despite being a girl. But there will be future opportunities that will be available to her and not to boys.

And yes. This is only GCSE. There will be opportunities at a level and beyond that do not require computing.

Not a GCSE, but you can also make sure she has done the iDEA Silver Award at home to have a CS item to put on a CV. It can easily be done over a summer holiday/at weekends.

My son's school didn't even do CS at GCSE. They only had one part time teacher so only offered it as an A level option. Doesn't hold anyone back as it's one of those subjects where you can do A level without having done GCSE and can do a CS degree without having done A level! More important is a sold Maths ability, so as long as your DD is aiming for top grades at Maths GCSE and plans to take A level Maths (again at a high grade) and/or CS at A level, then a computing degree or a computing apprenticeship remains entirely feasible.

They need to tell you how the computer program selects.

Fine if it is random but why would this need a program.

Not fine if it is a biased program against girls. For example it might look at passed data and project that boys will do better so pick boys or it might have more subtle bias by looking at factors which boys generally come out better in. I also wouldn't fine this ok.

It may be worth dropping an email to school to let them know that your dd would love to do CS, should anyone change options before September. Ideally, your dd would send this email, or speak to a teacher, but an email from you wouldn’t hurt. If a place does come up, I imagine they will want to give it to a girl, so that’s in your favour.

Not everyone can get all their GCSE choices unfortunately. My ds didn’t get GCSE PE - it wasn’t based on merit, just time-tabling.

If your dd is disappointed, this is good opportunity to chat to her about other things she can do to progress towards a career in Computing/STEM. Resilience, flexibility and problem solving are great skills for everyone, but especially those working in tech. GCSE CS is not needed at all to go down this pathway.

I know it’s disappointing for you both. But keep your eye on the long game.

See if there is a waiting list. Several of my DS's friends dropped it really quickly in September when they realised how dull it was. There really doesn't seem to be much programming going on even now - just learning about computer ethics and software and hardware.

If it really is random selection there isn't a lot you can do.
If there are other criteria involved in selection I guess you may be able to argue that your daughter was disadvantaged (depending on what they are).

You daughter can probably find out who got a place in the class by posting on social media :)

What elements of the course was she most interested in? This is at least a subject where there is lots of material online that she can look at on her own.

Does the computer program select based on highest achievement in the test? It would make sense for them to select like that. Have you asked what the criteria is?

You could ask the school if there is a waiting list in case any students drop out quickly. Your daughter might not want to move subjects if she has started another subject though.