To try to do something about this school situation?

[loopyluna]

Background: live abroad, DC all bilingual in speaking, reading and writing.
DS, 12, just started new school. He's in 3rd year of seniors and we had several reasons for changing school that aren't relevant here.
For the last 2 years, he's been doing 6 hours a week of German lessons and has a reasonable level. Obviously his English is excellent but he had a very bad year last year and didn't do v well in many other subjects.

So, new school have one class who start German in the first year, however it is the "top" class. DS has not been put in this class which is partly good as I think it would knock his confidence (he is v defeatist and I fear he would be inclined to give up rather than compete with the "clever kids".)
Only problem is that, his class are all starting German from scratch. They do 3 hours a week so it is unlikely that they will ever reach the level that DS had now (only 2 more years left.) Now DS is fine about being bored in English and happy ghat he'll

Drat!!
Posted mid sentence!
Anyway, happy that he'll get good marks but is really peed off about the German.

Should I ask the school if anything can be done about this? Should he give up on the German and take Spanish instead? WIBU to do nothing and let him have an easy time in English and German or should I insist he is stimulated???

So he can either study German with children who are in the top class (and have been studying German since Y7), or he can start again from scratch?

Seems odd that there isn't any middle ground - could you explain his current level of attainment in German outstrips that of the new beginners and ask if he can join the top set just for this subject?

That would be ideal -ie, he stays in his class for everything else but has German with the others who are working at a higher level. I imagine this will prove impossible due to time tables though.

I'm inclined to ask if he can just swap to Spanish to prevent him getting bored, but it does seem such a shame to have done two years of intensive German for nothing

Are you in a position to get him a tutor? My thinking here is that you're right - it is a waste and if he doesn't keep up with he'll lose what in this day and age is a very marketable skill.

The school may not be able to accommodate but a tutor would at least keep him up to speed and possibly he can sit the exam (and get a qualification) anyway. My friend was able to sit a French exam without taking the class as his mother was French and he was bilingual.

Hmmm, decided to have another chat DS about it before contacting school and it turns out that, as most of the class are doing Spanish, there are only THREE of them in the German lesson!
He's not happy about the level but I would imagine that with a class this size, they are going to progress pretty quickly and he should think himself v lucky to have almost private lessons! I can't imagine many schools could allow such a small class.

Sorry but, if his German is that good he should go his GCSE and get it over and done with. All my ESLs take their home language in Y7/8/ and move over to A level. So do the British expat returners take the host language.

I have 100% A*-A over 5 years, and the worst I have at A level is B

His German isn't fantastic -certainly not gcse equivalent level yet. And afaik, you can't take subjects early here anyway as you get one overall qualification which encompasses all subjects.
I'm not even thinking about exams, just about him being able to develop his knowledge of the subject and not have to re-do all the basics.
In any case, with 3 pupils in the class, he shouldn't really be moaning at all!