in thinking that DD will get nowhere with these GCSE options...

[PosyPanther]

DD is 13, so, in my opinion still a child, she changes her mind about pretty much everything daily, school shoes, whose her best friend, her favourite colour, you get the picture...

She has just had the first leaflet from school about GCSE option next year and want to pick health and social care (double award)human health and physiology instead of additional science, child development, psychology and sociology. She says she wants to do social work or primary teaching (or win the X factor )

I think she's mad. She's in the top set at school, level 5 across the board at primary school and is working at solid level 7s now. I would much prefer her to take at least two science GCSEs, history and geography instead of psych and sociology and a language with one choice left for whatever she fancies (but I'd prefer a second language or triple science.)

I can't see that having History, geography, french, german, separate science would disadvantage her in applying for ANY degree/career pathway? How do I convince her that some subjects actually are better than others? Her teachers are insisting all GCSEs are equal but I can't see that sociology is as hard as German or Physics? I'm worried she's going to close doors at 13...

BATCT, I was thinking about it the other way around. My children might decide they don't want to go to university; I want them to have had a decent academic education at school so that going to university becomes less important.

'I guess with academic qualifications you can always take up a vocational career, the other way around it's impossible or an uphill struggle at the very least.'

You've put your finger on it.

Took DD to Starbucks for a coffee to treat her as a grown up. Also knew she wouldn't throw a massive tantrum in a public place

After our netbook negotiations she has agreed to take:
English
English Literature
Maths
Science
Additional Science
French
German
History
Geography
Sociology

Which gives her 9 decent subjects! I'm sure sh'll swap German for Spanish or Geography for RE at least adozen times before September but luckily she really wants a netbook.

damn I should have done that Phd in Quantum Physics after all - I could have stepped straight into a decent role in Health and Social care - if only I'd have known.

I had parents that had a set idea of what jobs/careers were "good enough" for me (only one was a "soft" option - and that was by virtue of the fact that I was at a music school)

It sucked for me, and even more so for my brother who was "expected" to do something much "better" than the jobs he's had.

Neither my chosen (social care sector) career nor my brothers (childcare) jobs are up to the standards of "what we are capable" of according to them.

OP - I think if she goes onto do Health And Social care at a higher level she'll find Psychology more useful for than Sociology

Excellent PosyPanther.

She's 13 BaroqinAroundTheChristmasTree. It's not about choosing her future career or ruling any out it's about keeping her options open.

I totally agree with you OP - she should do additional science at the very least, preferably triple science. And also history and geography. NOT waste her time on shite like child development and health and social.

I had a time of it last year when DD's options came out. Some of it was complete tripe - like BTEC Hospitality and catering, photography, business studies.

She HAD to take additional science (and as she is in top set those who opted for double science had to take triple), and strongly encouraged her to take history and geog, instead of fluffy crap. I think it is very important that you steer children into making the correct GCSE choices - it does mean so much. DD wants to join the RAF at 18 as an officer - she very much would required maths/sciencey A levels to stand a chance, if she hadn't taken additional science she would have been screwed (you need at least double science to be able to take a science A level).

I don't think kids should have such free choice, tbh. Mind you, the schools encourage it as it is easier for a kid to get equivalent of 4 x C GCSE when they study GNVQ Travel and tourism, or some such crap.

back when I was lecturing, a lot of psychology departments really didn't like psychology A-level and looked more favourably on maths or science, if that helps. The quality of the A-level might have changed in the interim, though,

One of the issues that often arises, is that pupils choose subjects they like the sound of, backed up by parents who say they "must do what interests them". Two months later the pupil realises that actually there is writing and coursework and deadlines in all of their subjects, and that they do not enjoy their "softer" choices so much anyway.

Well done PosyPanther .

Well done in persuading her, OP.

I insisted on my dd following mainly traditional academic subjects - although she did "product design" rather than triple science (double science was compulsory for top set anyway).

One "ology" type GCSE will be fine, but any more makes it a struggle later on.

The school seemed to be pushing the newer subjects, under political pressure it appears (we're in Wales) and it saddened me to see a number of her very bright friends choosing almost all "ology" type subjects - many of them BTECS not GCSEs.

Interestingly, two of these friends have now said they regret their subject choices - they're in Year 10 now.

One of them, who is very talented at video editing, which he has taught himself, took a BTEC subject called "digital cre8or" as well as media studies - and says he's already bored by them as they're so slow - he'd already taught himself much of the subject matter so is well ahead anyway.

BATCT, I cannot see where on this thread anyone has said that people shouldn't work in Health and Social care or that people shouldn't gain specific qualifications in order to do so.

The point is that there is no need to start gaining those qualifications at 14, when it will won't harm your chances of working in Health and Social care if you start specialising at 18 instead.

Exactly Narky. It's about keeping options open and being the best you can be. Not choosing some easy options because you want an easy life.

Well done for bribing persuading her!

Great news PosyPanther, well done!

Still prefer her idea of winning the Xfactor though.

OP In our school three of the senior leadership team speak to every Y9 re their choices and I'm one of the three. We started doing this because students can get GCSE choices quite wrong and, in our school before we took over, it was limiting their next steps.

Your dds choices look a lot better now - always a good idea to let students study something they're totally passionate about (Drama, Art) but with lots of subjects only available at KS4 students often don't really know what they're really choosing which is where guidance becomes extremely important.

From experience I can honestly say that GCSE's are irrelevant, it is A Levels that Universities look at the results for.

My sons school is the worst in Hampshire and in the bottom 10 of the country, unfortunately we moved just as he was starting secondary school and had no choice but to take that school.

He passed five GCSE's that is all the school offered, but he is taking four A Levels at one of the top Colleges in the country.

His Uni application is based purely on his A Level results nothing else.

He will be studying Maths at one of the top five Uni's. Try not to think too much about GCSE's - A Level's are more important in the long term.

Every Y9 student. Individually.

Not every Y9. That would be a bit rubbish :)

well done posypanther! They sound like very good choices that will keep her options open.

Agree in general Classydiva except for two things:

1. Your choices in GCSE will limit your choices for A level. So if you've taken a batch of art/drama/childcare GCSE's, you are not going to be in much of a position to study Law or Chemistry at A Level.

2. If faced with two students with identical A Level grades in similar subjects, an admission's tutor would likely look at GCSE's. Who would you take? Someone who's done academic subjects or someone who's done the softer subjects?

Universities are only interested in the grades for the A Levels. My son has to get A* A A, he will too. It is based on the reference too. They do not take into account GCSE results, they go on the Application but Uni places are awarded on A Level grades alone. Nothing else.

I would urge any parent to ensure that their child gets good grades in a Science Subject, Maths and English, with A grades in those subjects you can take A Levels relevant to your Uni degree course.

Science teacher here - the current science GCSE alone is not sufficient for access to any Science A-levels at the majority of colleges/sixth forms - you need to also take additional science. Your dd could be at risk of missing out a massive chunk of possible futures without it. For what it's worth though, triple science isn't necessary for A-level at all - I'd only recommend it for those who love science know they're going to continue with sciences later.

Sorry, classydiva, but Oxford does use GCSEs, and so do most of the Russell group.