To think that there are no actual 'choices' for year 9 options GCSE's?

[gluteustothemaximus]

I don't get it.

Maybe someone can enlighten me.

Such a massive deal is being made of options, choosing options, going to meetings about options, pre-meetings about options evening, how it is the most important time in a child's life at school.

DS has no choices for 7 of the GCSE's. He has to take Maths, English, English Language, Triple Science, RS.

Then he gets to 'choose' History or Geography.

Then he gets to 'choose' a MFL of Spanish or French.

Then he gets to 'choose' one more out of all his favourite subjects. Art, DT, Music, Business Studies, PE. He loves all of these, but can only choose one.

AIBU in thinking, that there are no actual choices but one?

RS not compulsory at DD's school and she is dropping it with a heavy heart as doesn't want to chose 3 "soft" options. She's doing PE, Food Studies and Geography. One language is core so she's doing French and dropping Spanish. She is only doing double Science with the reasoning that if she needs to do science at A level - to get on the course of her choice - you can do the catch up Biology course during the summer holidays.

The school recommends only doing 9 subjects which I thought was strange but doing a 10th means eating into their study time which can cause a drop of standards in the 9 main choices.

Both my children's schools have only ever done 9 subjects.

However I didn't think RS was a soft option. It's seen as very academic at their schools.

At my school triple science was compulsory for the top two sets. Double science compulsory for everyone else except bottom two sets who did single. But we all had the same number of science lessons per week.

Maths, English language and lit, Welsh also compulsory.

Four columns for options.

First column - geography /history / sociology /psychology / child development

Second column - art / music / drama / PE / IT

Third column - French / German / Media Studies /History / Geography

Fourth column - French / History / Geography / IT / Technology

So it was very possible to pick two languages or history and geography...but sacrifice other things.

What you couldn't do was two of art / music / drama etc. Or indeed none of those.