GCSE Options

[GCSEnoob]

Is PE really a compulsory subject as my son’s school seem to be suggesting? DS has zero interest in pursuing anything related , so would prefer it if he could choose another subject instead.

Is it also the case for your child’s school that one option involves having to choose between
RE, health & social care, or enterprise?

in my son’s options, languages have been put together with humanities, which seems bizarre. Does that mean the school think he’s not really clever enough to manage a language?
it is possible to do both, but would need to be at the expense of the IT/design/engineering/food option.

I’m concerned that he is not being given the option to choose the subjects he really wants.

I’m guessing that where the OP says “science” she means the normal range of science options (combined or separate three sciences)

That seems a restrictive way of organising the blocks. My son’s school have already chosen RE or Citizenship which they start in Y9 and take in Y10, then they have core plus three options - first one has to be an EBacc subject (geography history French Spanish computer science) then 2 others - and those EBacc subjects appear in the B and C choices too. They have PE lessons but that is separate from choosing PE or sports Science as an exam option. It's the having one whole block that has to be sport that is odd - do non sporty kids get fewer qualifications?

But doing three sciences rather than two needs more lessons, so the extra science has to be taken as an option surely?
Also how can core PE be in the same block of choices as GCSE PE? GCSE PE would need far more lessons. And why have they shoved languages in with hist/geog?

I think these option blocks are shite OP. I wonder if they have a problem with recruiting teachers and this is reflecting that. There's never a shortage of PE teachers IME.

But doing three sciences rather than two needs more lessons, so the extra science has to be taken as an option surely?

Not everywhere. Some schools assume the best scientists take triple science, so 3 GCSEs can be taught in the time it takes the rest of the year to be taught combined science.

DC school has options around all the EBacc subjects and then two options. So the subjects are Maths, English, combined or triple science, geography or history, modern foreign language, and then two free choices.

Everyone are timetabled RE and PE classes but not as GCSE subjects. However those are also available as GCSE subjects. It sounds odd your child school is forcing some non academic options.

My DC school also timetable combined and triple sciences with the same number of lessons. Like another poster said, it’s assumed the top set is triple and the lower set is combined. I looked at the numbers sitting and it’s about 1/3 triple and 2/3 combined science.

Yes, this is how our school does it.

Science, English and Maths aren't in OP's list because they're not optional, they're compulsory.

Sorry - have just never heard of ‘science’ being a subject before. In DD’s school and any DC that I know it’s separately taught as the usual biology, chemistry, physics choices

I think OP was just summarising science it will be double or triple science. I think core PE is required by national curriculum and rightly so given the state of physical health of many teens. The blocks of subjects look odd though, usual requirements is for both a language and a humanity to hit the ebacc requirements. Definitely check those listings.

My son is looking at 2 schools
Choice 1
Compulsory
English lang
English literature
Maths
Single award science or 1 science straight subject
Re

Then 4 options from any subject choice. Doesnt have to be from a particular subject area.

School 2
Compulsory
English
Maths
Double award science
Learning for life and work
ICT
And 2 choices from entire subject range

@mummyof2boys30 are you in Northern Ireland? I've never heard of single sciences offered on their own in the rest of the UK.

sorry slight misunderstanding, I thought he had to choose one subject from each block, but realised that he can select two subjects from option D. However he has to choose a reserve subject in option D too, so he still might not get to do exactly what he wants.

some subjects are BTEC or other coursework based assessments.

Understand more about the PE option - those who select GCSE PE do that as an additional GCSE, but it’s not recommended if you don’t already do any extra curricular sports.

Enterprise is similar to GCSE business but assessed more on the coursework.

DCs school splits into two streams (Baccalaureate kids who have to pick a language) and non-baccalaureate kids who don’t.

If you’re a Baccalaureate kid and you also choose triple science you only have one option left but you can choose from anywhere (ie tech, IT, RE, business). Also a wide range of BTECs if you don’t want to take GCSEs past the core subjects (Photography, child development, PE etc)

We have similar to others:

core - Maths, English, Science (combined)
MFL you do the same one as you have been doing since y7. So French or Spanish
Humanities - Geography or History

They have 2 free options. You can take geography/History or Triple science as one of these.

RS and PE are compulsory, but no exam.

Ours too, more or less. Triple science covers everything more quickly. The combined trilogy science kids have slightly fewer science lessons and they have a bit extra PE in the gaps (not gcse etc - just a bit more school sport).

And for clarity, we’re saying “science” for quickness, but for both triple science and combined trilogy science they’re taught wholly separately as physics, chemistry and biology. Up to Y9 they have “science” lessons with the same teacher all year. But from GCSE onwards they have three separate teachers regardless of triple or combined.

That sounds a bit better. So one from B, two from D, and another from either a or c?

Its pretty normal to pick a reserve - some of the subjects will be limited (there might only be one or two GCSE computer science teachers for instance, or a teacher might resign at may half term and they might not be able to find a replacement). Hopefully it will be ok.

A reserve is just in case, I wouldn't worry too much about that. In reality hopefully they would talk to the child, because which one they would pick as a back up in practice will often depend on which subject it is they are being denied. At our school it's very rare for them not to get their first choice and in those cases they talk to the child individually.

The existence of option blocks should really minimise this happening.

It looks like he can pick a decent choice of mainstream combinations from those blocks. It's just option A that's a bit unusual. Your school seems very keen on Health, whatever that is.

Sorry, going to take issue here. RS is at least 50% ethics. Social justice, causes of crime, euthanasia, the changing roles in families. The religious side includes a minimum of two religions and emphasis is on how belief affects worldview and behaviour. What's not "real" about that?

Personally I would much rather she’d have learnt sign language or even more about money and managing finances but that’s just my opinion. In my mind that would have been much more useful but each to their own.

The blocks do seem a bit more restrictive than most schools!

But based on your further update it looks like your DS could choose something like RS, Geography & French or RS, History & Art as a fairly "traditional" set of options, do the core PE and come out with a broad spread of GCSEs which will keep his future options open.

Actually sorry, you said 2 from D didn't you - so realistically you can keep most options open. Maybe it's the way they're presenting it which is odd! Essentially they're saying RS is compulsory in most circs; and PE is compulsory but you don't have to take the GCSE. Then the real "options" subjects are 3 chosen from blocks B (1) & D (2).

I did wonder about the reserve. Son chose Enterprise as one option and Business Studies as his reserve. As his other option is history, I guessing it is more likely enterprise that does not go ahead if one doesn’t.

Yes northern ireland. Thats actually the grammar school option. Can do single award science, or choose one, two or three of the sciences.