To steer DS away from doing GCSE Child Development?

[dson2]

DS wants to do GCSE Child Development.

WIBU to steer him away from this?

The PE definitely isn't sports science.

It's very heavily PE involved. Was told this on options eve. He is in bottom set PE. He hates it. There's no way he will do it.

The music you have to have an instrument or vocals. They have a mini assessment before to be told of it will be suited if they have picked it, as you have to be able to play. He can't. So that's also a no.

The current Y10 are the last able to do GCSE Child Dev so it can't be a GCSE.

There are new Child Dev qualifications that are equivalent to GCSE but won't be called a GCSE.

As for its worth it really is a very scientific and quite full on subject that although not needed to progress into a career in a medical / child related industry if a child is interested in that field it will be enjoyable for them and could result in a very high graded outcome as they are so interested in it.

I think many parents do think back to when it was childcare for girls. The new Child Dev qualifications are not at all like this.

Oh could have sworn it was a GCSE? Must be a BTEC then, I think that sounds even worse imo. Really not keen.

The PE spec is changing (or has changed? I've rather list track of the roll-out times) and there is much more human biology than before.

And the number of sports allowed for the performance assessments has been reduced, and the permitted combinations of (similar) sports have been clamped down on too.

What insancerre said as well. Really nafs me off when the sniffy 'childcare is for less academic children' gets rolled out. I'm not sure why anyone would dismiss the people who could be looking after their children to be less intelligent - is that really desirable?

Plus if I said that childcare is better for more compassionate and empathic students I'd rightly get my arse handed to me.

Oh? They definitely said sports is involved though at option eve (the presentation was ran by PE department) and said about the current pupils who are G&T will be expected to take it, so it clearly involves sports.

Does he play an instrument? If he's grade 5 level in year 11 that'll be fine.

PE has a wide range of sports which can be examined but they need an individual and team sport.

BTEC childcare tgat we offer if basically 0-5 years and is interesting. There is one exam which our students sit in year 10 the rest is coursework.

What's in the option blocks with the ict?

PE has a theory component to it.

He's very good at languages. Then it's a no brainer - he takes one.

GCSE childcare is a ridiculous option for someone interested in the sciences & academically able.

He can babysit, work for kids clubs in the home,days, volunteer etc to get his baby/toddler/child fix. I would say the same whether it was your DS or DD.

If he has all the main subjects covered by his options and enough to progress into the next stage of education and this is a free choice then really doing a subject they want to is quite motivating as they have chosen it.

The number of students who have chosen subjects that parents have would rather they do is usually quite high and more often than not results in effort issues as their heart may not be fully in it. I say this as some one who also has a child who has chosen options as well

The new Child Dev course may not be BTEC as there are 2 other new really excellent courses out the called CAMNAT and TECH AWARD which are accepted by colleges as a level 2 GCSE equivalent.

In my opinion the boys have done really well in the past and most are now nurses or in an education based career.

I absolutely don't want staff educating children who are considered less academic

Again, how insulting! Some of the best teachers I know weren't the most academic at school. They understand the struggles children go through and how best to teach them.

Maybe he wants to be a good dad one day. I did that at age 16, was I wasting my time?

Then it's a no brainer - he takes one

I've seen countless students who were good at something but hated it and forced to do it (usually languages!) - they tend to not do very well in the exams

PS not read the whole thread so maybe this has been covered.

Mine chose for themselves after discussion with us, they are the ones doing it day in day out not me. One hates languages so hasn't done one. The EBACC is purely for schools not the children.

Very few at 14 will have picked a career, most will change their minds several times.

Absolutely cricketballs I see this on a daily basis.

Option decisions are hard to reverse 2-3 months in and carrying on for another 1-2 years depending on year options are taken is not in a students interests.

If it's the most suitable choice in the column for them then great. A happy student is usually a productive and motivated student.

If he is academic then yanbu, steer him away!

My DH is a CTO of a very successful software company. We have lots of friends who are software developers too and most of them went to Oxford, Cambridge and Warwick unis. They would all recommend GCSE computer science.

Programming is just applied maths so goes well with maths and science subjects. If he likes it and wants to go down that route (there is a massive shortage of very talented programmers so if he's any good he'd never have any problem getting a job or having opportunities to progress so in terms of job security it's a great field to go into!) then the fact he has experience thanks to his GCSE really will help.

Sorry, but I have to agree that art isn't an academic subject. I'd go so far as to say it is incredibly soft and squishy!! It's not the number of hours you have to put in that determines how 'hard' or 'soft' a subject is. You barely need a brain to be able to get the highest marks. This is talking from experience (I used to be a (successful) professional artist immediately after my totally unrelated degree and coasted through art GCSE, barely even turned up to my A level art lessons and still only lost one mark overall, not that I'm suggesting that's the best way to do it!!! I went to a grammar school where coasting and getting high grades was the norm so my perception may be a bit warped!)

What other subjects are in the same block as child development, OP?

Beingatwat
Insulting?
To whom?
Having minimum standards is hardly insulting

I would let him do it.

There is a case to be made out for it joining the list of compulsory subjects - so much of the stuff we learn at GCSE is never used/remembered - this is the only subject that stands a good chance of being relevant to one's life whatever your career choice.

insancerre

It's insulting to the children who are less academic. It's insulting to the adults who were less academic as children.

Being academic doesn't mean you will be a good teacher. My cousin is incredibly academic (think PHD in physics) and can't teach for shit because he doesn't understand how people don't understand things straight away.

BTEC s are very common nowadays and how many get into University. But if he is wanting to get down the science route it is not going to make a difference is it? His A levels will be in that, if that is what is worrying you.
My youngest son's A levels are in Chemistry,Physics,Maths and Further Maths. The BTEC in PE he was made forced to do, by school, in GCSE year have no bearing on his plans other than give him the necessary points he needs (He hated PE with a passion, but managed to get a merit!)
Just let him do it! -on the proviso he works as hard on this as his other subjects, and doesn't use it as a 'relaxing' part of his timetable.

I did it at GCSE and went on to do English literature at Oxford. I don't think it matters that much.

I did Gcse Child Development because at the time I wanted to be a primary school teacher. Others in the class were going on to work in midwifery, child social work etc. We all loosely had plans to do something around working with children, not specifically child care.

I'm not sure I would advise someone to do it if they had no intention of working with children. What would be the point? I see it as a wasted option really. But then I do feel that about art too. unless you're planning to go on to study art further or work in the arts then I'm not sure why you would do it unless you were super talented at art. A few kids at the school I work in seem to have taken art because they thought it was a soft option. They are of average ability and put minimal work in. Completely pointless qualification for them.

Options aren't what they used to be when we were at school, nor when I was teaching and going through similar discussions with my y9s at this time of year. ( I'm retired now)

Schools are now judged on their progress 8 points. An overly complex scheme of awarding points for gcse passes obtained in which some subjects carry more weight than others. Children tend to get lost and forgotten in some of this. This is why geography, history, an mfl, computer studies etc. figure on so many options lists.

Schools cannot afford to have pupil centred options as some did in the past, they all have to have an eye on results 2 years in the future.

Your son is a bright lad - he's doing triple science. All being well he'll get enough points from the GCSEs he's selected to go onto A level etc etc.

He wants to do this - let him. It'll be useful in life. But neither will it bar him from other areas of future study. Universities tend to be more concerned with A level subjects than GCSE ones.

He's a lot of academic/bookish subjects and a more practical one, which is his choice, will give him a good balance.

True is traditionally a 'girls' subject. And.....

I often had to sort out y10 problems pupils who had fallen out of love withn options choice. "So why did you pick it then?" "My parents made me" was a common response.

I suspect he'll be happier doing this subject as.... A: he's chosen it, B: you've supported him in this. ( given that you do)

This happiness will likely result in a pupils that will do better all round.

CP

( personally I think this is one of the things that they should all do as well as first aid, financial education etc - but that my hobby horse)