To think my son should not be forced to do a full GCSE in religious education

[ReallyTired]

He would far rather do GCSE music. He had done RE since he was five. Surely an extra two years is not going to increase his knowledge of other religions that much.

Fuck, you are so right Rufus... Son was 15 huge apologies

No worries rose

Thank you Rufus

"oh just tell him its the way it is he has to do it. its called school and they have to suck it up. My son told me lots of things were shit. I said ok son you disagree now but just get on with it and tell me when you're 25."

What utter bollocks.
I think it's a pretty good rule of thumb in life to dismiss any sentiment that includes the expression "suck it up". And that's before we even address the fact that you obviously have no idea what the thread's about.

My son is 19 - he has ever hated the expression "suck it up"

Just "suck it up" is actually quite a good thing for children to learn, how often have you had to do something even if you didn't like it or didn't want to as an adult? I'm not saying in this case, however did anyone notice that the OP has actually changed her tune, she isn't sure that her son would persevere at a GCSE in music if studying independently and actually just likes to play his guitar and sing, if this is the case then he might struggle with the composition and colaboration elements of music GCSE.

I M a great believer in making the best of things. It's just that particular expression seems to me to have connotations of "don't question, or rock the boat". And compulsory RE seems to me to be something worth questioning and rocking the boat about- regardless of the specific circumstances of the OP's son.

My children both got scheduled subjects they didn't want this semester (not in the UK so not GCSEs although they are GCSE age). By the time I found out ds had already gone to see the school counselor and got things moved around. He couldn't do everything he wanted so he chose one easy option and signed up to an online course in the subject he couldn't fit in at school. dd was reluctant to kick up a fuss, so I went to see the counselor with her, and supported her to ask if things could be changed. She also wasn't able to get the subject she really wanted, but after a lot of checking the counselor was able to get her into a class that she has really enjoyed (she wanted to do creative writing but got into photography).

I've always told them that they should ask about possibilities rather than just 'suck it up'. Seems like a much better life lesson to me. It's pretty rare that there are no alternatives, and at the very least you are taking your life into your own hands rather than just passively putting up with whatever life throws at you.

It's a pity that the UK system is becoming so rigid, having choice makes such a big difference to engagement. My two both much prefer the classes which everyone has chosen to take. Having to take something you are not interested in and feel forced into doing doesn't tend to lead to great classroom dynamics.

My son is a very good musician. He would not struggle with the composition elements and the collaboration elements would be good for him. Takes a lot of perservance to get to grade 4 in guitar and s similar standard in voice. He already writes his own songs and has definite talent in that direction.