To steer DS away from doing GCSE Child Development?

[dson2]

DS wants to do GCSE Child Development.

WIBU to steer him away from this?

How is this even a choice, the last exam for this course is 2018. Therefore no new classes can do it?
Although given the detail of human anatomy needed, the breath of knowledge covered within this course- it is not a soft option.
Those who say this have little understanding of what's needed for it and tend to remember those less able children who they knew that took it.
No GCSE is a soft option, they all involve hard work- he needs to make choices that he will engage with and enjoy, after all he is the one that needs to maintain the effort for years.

I agree with Gold. Also look at what those who might recruit him later might think of it.

On whether universities look at GCSE grades in making offers I certainly don't do university admissions but I would be surprised if they didn't. If they don't look at the grades why do they ask for the grades on the form - why not just ask if people have passed or failed them? If they don't look at them then surely it would be sensible for children to do as little work as possible other than to say get a C in maths, English and the ones you want to do at A level?

I accept the fact my twins got AAAA in AS exams may not be looked at universities this year because some schools are not doing AS but I still think those grades will be looked at too.

Her university couldn't give a shit on what she did at gcse, she needed the grades in her A levels to get in.

Just be aware that this is slowly changing. In a lot of very popular courses, GCSE grades (not courses though I might add!) are being considered. Even more so, with Linear A Levels, students won't have public exam results of go on at the end of Year 12.

Last year, I had four students get rejected from Nottingham for Computer Science. All predicted 3 As each. When I contacted them to get feedback, they said they had too many applicants, so if they didn't get all As and A*s at GCSE, their application was just going 'straight in the bin'.

OK Progress 8 is BS. It is not compulsory for a child to take 8. 5 is the minimum unless circumstances dictate otherwise. If ANY school says a child has to take GCSEs in accordance to Progress 8 they are lying.

My eldest walked out of school. She only has English & Maths. She has Btec Business. She has been given an UNCONDITIONAL offer from Nottingham Law School. She also had offers from Sheffield, Westminster and Exeter.
Unless they specify otherwise, Universities want 5 GCSE passes including English & Maths. Some just ask for 3 specific ones.

The big downside of comprehensive education is that it gives kids capable of taking 'hard' subjects the impression that 'soft' ones are acceptable.

If they don't look at the grades why do they ask for the grades on the form - why not just ask if people have passed or failed them? If they don't look at them then surely it would be sensible for children to do as little work as possible other than to say get a C in maths, English and the ones you want to do at A level?

Seriously, do you really think lecturers read every single one of the hundreds of applications, personal statement, GCSEs, dance exams, references? Alongside a full teaching load? Really? Sit there and think 'Oh well this applicant did childcare GCSE so let's put him on the reject pile despite his 3 x A predictions....'? There is no time to do that! Most institutions now have centralised admissions - thousands of ucas forms for a team of 4 admins to read? Or maybe Meet the predicted grades - get an offer. Within 24 hours often. Literally computer says yes.

For the majority yes, scraping half a dozen C grades will be perfectly ok as long as the A level are in the right subjects and at the right predicted grades.

They are on the form for fairly obvious reasons. For a very small minority of courses they might be a filter and it's not terribly efficient to have two versions of the same form. Dance exams, music exams? Useful for Physics degree applications? No, but they go on the form too for the same reasons.

"The big downside of comprehensive education is that it gives kids capable of taking 'hard' subjects the impression that 'soft' ones are acceptable."

That's a downside of a bad education, not a comprehensive one.

When I was at school a lot of people took Child Development who had an interest in Psychology as there was no Psychology GCSE available at my school and that was the next best thing.

*The big downside of comprehensive education is that it gives kids capable of taking 'hard' subjects the impression that 'soft' ones are acceptable."

What utter, utter tosh! No doubt matched with opinions as to what is "hard" and what is "soft" .

Many Universities don't even read Personal Statements or references to be honest. Exeter (Russell Group) being one.

So sorry for not RTFT.... Lots of degrees require a modern language GCSE. Surprised school hasn't pointed this out.

What are you afraid he'll become if he takes it? A good father?

Oh, and Curious12 , unless that has changed recently, then it is certainly not true about Exeter. When I applied (admittedly in 2003...) I was given a conditional offer to study Classics and English. I then went on a conference at Exeter in the summer (after A Levels had finished, but before results) where I was able to meet many of the professors in the Classics department. I spoke to two who specifically remembered my personal statement and had had a hand in issuing my offer. One of those professors then also co-wrote a reference for my application for my Master's degree at Oxford partly on the basis of having known me for such a long time. So I am interested to know where you have heard that Exeter don't read their applicants' personal statements.

shalli....Lots of degrees require a modern language GCSE.

Utter tosh. Show me ONE.

Lots of degrees require a modern language GCSE. Surprised school hasn't pointed this out.

Only language degrees, or 'with a language' or 'with a year abroad' type of things. Not any of the ones which a kid (such as the OP's DS) who wants to do sciences and doesn't like languages would be interested in.

On gcse grades - some courses do require more that a C in maths or english if not taken at A level - eg some good engineering degrees will require a B in English.

Angelil things have changed MASSIVELY in the 14 years it was since you applied....

I seem to remember that there is one University that requires a language GCSE- is it UCL?

UCL requires students without an MFL to take a language module in their first year. So they don't need a language even to go there!

I think titchy already explained the UCL thing (but could have been another thread, it comes up a lot!) - if you haven't done a language gcse you have to do a language course when you get there. Frankly there are so many other good universities that I doubt it bothers many people in reality.

I sometimes think titchy and a few other people, there are a few fabulously helpful posters who work in uni admissions, should do a 'university entry - facts and myths' topic to refer people to.

EVIDENCE though, titchy , that this is now no longer done?

I think the thing with admissions is that it is not a one size fits all. Different courses and different universities may well do things differently to how titchy works, even if the majority do, most of the time. In my experience anyway.

If he might want to become a parent one day I would say it is a very good GCSE to have. It covers all of the physical stages of child development and also psychological stages as well. It would help him to understand his own future children. It is a pity more parents do not do this course. It would be advantageous if he wanted to study Psychology at A level or do a Btec in Child Development or Health and Social Care.

On their open day this year! I attended and asked about Personal Statements as I was concerned that mine had been so heavily edited I hated it and was told,
"Good grief we don't read them. By the time a college tutor has made you edit it, it is no longer recognisable as you anyway. Chances are they all say the same; grade 8 in flugelhorn acheived whilst teaching basketball in the slums of wherever. In all honesty we have no time to read them."

I have been given 5 offers from there with no reference and I decided not to take the undergraduate Masters I was offered as a year abroad would lose me my rental property. As for my personal statement, I screwed up my edited one and put in the priginal which consisted of me mostly twittering on about my family and other animals. I never mentioned a 'passion' for what I wanted to study. In fact I never even mentioned the subjects I applied for.It was supposed to be about me not a fawning piece.
I also have no foreign language whatsoever. No MFL required yet I will be studying Arabic and as part of TESOL, possibly Turkish or Persian depending in how the timetable goes.

Is he planning to do it as a career I know they are crying out for males to go into childcare / special needs support staff I think it's a great idea and if he shows interest in Washington n ting to do it you should be encouraging him not condemning it as a girls only subject or a wasted choice