To have done a nutty over GCSE options

[chorltonwheelies]

This is going to sound terrible, but here goes. Probably outing and long so as not to drip feed.

DD at an independent school. One of the reasons we chose it & she liked it, above other schools was that it offered lots of language options. Her primary school had 4 languages on the curriculum (it got swallowed up by a big chain when she was in Reception who introduced them) and fortunately she had excelled in them all, despite my thinking it was too heavy. She's got a natural aptitude for language.

School said that it offered French and Latin in Year 7, then they could chose to pick up an additional language of Spanish or German in Year 8. Cool beans thinks DD, having already studied French, Latin & Spanish.

Midway through Year 7, school informs us that they are changing policy and for Year 8, they all have to keep on with the Latin, but choose between either keeping on French or dropping it for German or Spanish.

DD disappointed, but chose to keep on with French. School says that they will have the option to pick up Spanish or German in Year 9.

This time last year, school then informs us that they are effecting a change and that pupils will need to pick their options for Year 9, before then choosing their options for GCSE.

As part of this process they get taster lessons in Spanish and German. DD decides that she really wants to try German, much to my surprise, I thought she'd resume Spanish as she'd enjoyed it before, but hey ho, her choice.

She was a bit disappointed at having to drop some subjects she really enjoyed, (drama, ICT, art) but realised that you can't do everything. I let her make her own choices.

They've then had to choose their GCSE options and DD really wanted to do French, German and Latin, amongst other options. Spoke to all the teachers at Parent's Evening a few weeks back and they were all delighted she was plumping for their subjects, because she is so naturally good at languages and has really hit the ground running with her German. No indication that she couldn't do both. They don't have option blocks.

Anyway, she comes home today, angry and upset because deputy head has informed her and other pupils, that due to low pupil uptake, they can't do either French & German, or French and Spanish.

They can only do 1 core language. Reason given is that there will only be 4 people in her German class and that's not conducive to learning, however she can swap French for German which will put her in the core German class. Currently there's only 2 people in the core German. She doesn't want to swap, but also doesn't understand why they won't run it. I'm not sure I do either.

Apparently the German and Spanish teachers had no idea about this, and only found out from their students today, about not being able to do a 2nd language. They then went back to Head of Department who didn't know either.

It all sounds like a disorganised cock-up. I've written a sharp letter to the Head of Year and cced in the deputy, pointing out that we feel disappointed and misled and that actually the pages on their website are misleading because they state that students do 2 modern languages from early on, and it clearly lays out that students can choose 2 modern languages for GCSE.

I understand that it's sometimes not viable for schools to run small classes etc, but another part of me thinks feck it, why are we paying school fees? If it's a change of policy also think it's a bit shit to spring it on her without telling parents first. Apparently deputy tried to ring me a few times today, but she tried my landline instead of my mobile.

I'm not sure I understand it and I'm really peeved on behalf of my daughter who feels she has been lied to and wouldn't have dropped other subjects, to start German if she'd known that she wouldn't be able to continue it.

I know that it's not going to be career ending or anything for her, but she'd really set her heart on languages.

Written a pissy letter. I've probably been completely unreasonable haven't I?

Can't learn with only 4 in the class? Sounds like a lame excuse to me.
At my (state) school Russian was a new option in the pre O Level Year. You were only allowed to do it if you were already considered good at languages.
There were just a handful of us, and we did O level in the ONE year. And all passed, mostly pretty well.
Mind you we were given the textbook and told to do the first 5 lessons on our own in the previous summer holidays, but still...

Is it possible teachers are leaving and new recruits have not yet been found? There is a shortage and it is getting worse and worse.

The are feeding you a line there is no way teaching a language in a small focussed group is less effective then teaching it to a full class. They just don’t want to pay someone to teach it. At a state school with budget cuts they might have no choice and you’d have to suck this up but you are paying fees for a reason and should kick up a fuss.

It sounds annoying & maybe I've got my 'state' hat on here but timetabling is a bitch and ultimately paying fees doesn't mean you get what you want. Paying money doesn't suddenly solve staffing issues, shortage of teachers, thr logistical issue of fitting option combinations together

It will be down to timetables and staffing. The options must be in some sort of block in order to timetable, just instead of giving them in blocks they've taken everyone's preferences and tried to make it fit. (Most likely because fewer students offers some flexibility unlike my 10 form entry secondary)

At the end of the day, if student numbers and staffing mean a combination isn't viable then it's not viable.

It's annoying and frustrating and it's worth a conversation but i don't see the value in getting shitty.

Rubbish! Surely a class of 4 students is going to be far more conductive to learning than 30 in a class at the local school!

If German is a no go I would insist on them letting her pick drama up again. But definitely push for the German, private schools don't like passing parents off.

How many student are are there a year? Is there a risk the school might be forced to close? If there is a viable alternative I’d consider moving her, I know you don’t have much time before the end of term (to give notice) but it sounds like a tiny school.

Well I had 4 pupils in my A level French class and we all did very well! Sounds ridiculous, YANBU.

katniss
Same at all the state 6th forns i've worked at. MFL classes seem to be quite small.

When i did my GCSE's (granted it was 23 years ago) I took German and there were 4 in the class. Our teacher was an older German lady and she was excellent. She took us on fieldtrips to coffee shops and musuems and we had to order and speak in German. I loved it. We all got A's and B's. They really need to sort themselves out. Good luck!

My dd had two in her German GCSE class at a GDST school. Worked for her.....

To be honest, I would be discussing all the promises made over the years, in their literature and on their website. I would write a firmly worded letter and follow up with a meeting with the Director of Studies.... feel free to copy in governors.

I did a Latin GCSE and there were 4 of us in the class. The school would have run it if anyone wanted to do it as it was a 'prestige' subject.
Definitely complain!

Sounds to me like it is more to do with money than timetabling.

The only way to normally get this sorted is to make noise and if possible get the other parents to make noise as well.

My friend did German A Level and there were only 3 of them in the class. I thought Independent schools were all about small class sizes anyway?

Surely the school just wants to save costs?

My friend wanted to do home ec a-level (an odd choice with her maths, chemistry and physics, but she loved it!!), but the school said she couldn't be the only pupil in the class.

They gave in when her parents said they'd find somewhere else for her a-levels at £XXX a year - and guess what, being the only pupil meant she got an A pretty easily (no A stars then because we are so old!).

I did Latin in a class of 3 and funnily enough that was fine too.

So I think push back - they can't keep changing the policy when pupils are basing major decisions on it.

Annoying yes but as another pp said and being a teacher myself, it will be timetabling. We are starting to look at classes for September and it is not a fun job.

By all means write a letter, I think you have every right to but if you really want her to do more languages you could do it privately??? Not ideal I know but it's an option. My DDs do French and Spanish at school and Arabic once a week with a private tutor.

Sounds to me like it is more to do with money than timetabling
Which could be legitimate.
If they only have say a need for 5 hours extra teaching on current staffing to make it fit, then they will be having to try and advertise a 20% contract to cover it. Who's going to take a 20% contract over 3 or 4 days so go into work for 5 hours over different days?

There's a shortage of MFL staff. People who work part time will want whole or half days.
That means needing to employ someone for more hours than you have for them to teach, which doesn't make sense.

If they have the hours in their currebt staffing but at the wrong time, employing someone else would mean existing staff being under their teaching allocation because of how the timetable is drawn up. So you're paying potentially 2 people to do less teaching than you're paying them to.

School could have any reason they like (and some could be bad reasons), bu not all the reasons why this situation has happened could be solved by people getting arsey with the school.

Sounds like a fair complaint.

The argument that "4 in a class is not conducive to learning" is bollocks. What they mean is it's too expensive for them.

i would mover her
why pay for a school that are so limited in what they are offering?

my son is studying latin and french at a state school.

It's an independent school which you chose because it offered the subjects your DD is good at. It's absolutely reasonable to be very pissed off indeed that they are unapologetically withdrawing the opportunity.

Of course you can learn a foreign language in a group of 4, that's an amazing luxury! Group work and pair work are both still possible with 4 students.

Anyone who says "trust me" is untrustworthy.

YANBU. You chose the school because of it's language provision, now they're not providing it.

I was pissed off when I had to choose between Greek and German, because of a timetabling clash. I chose German, and have regretted it ever since. If I'd continued with the Greek, I could have gone on and studied classics at uni.

I'd be kicking up a stink.

YANBU. The protection of languages and the arts is one of the very few reasons why I would ever consider private schooling for my DC.

As a wider point, and to agree with PP who recognise that this is a value for money issue, this would give me cause for concern about the school's financial position, frankly.

YANBU to complain. They need to use the freedom of their sector to get creative. Can they run GCSE language classes as an after-school or Saturday enrichment programme? Can they teach GCSE languages 'vertically' (i.e. with mixed year groups) rather than horizontally?

I would also look at the local state options. You might be pleasantly surprised at the MFL provision.

I am very good friends with their chair of governors who told me to follow procedure which is to make first contact with HOY. He said if I get no joy to go to head. When I texted him he thought it was very off, but said not to write an email in anger but to speak to HOY.

I emailed letter in order to get my points in (mis-selling, parents should have been told first, which was Governor point) and because I am not very assertive in RL. I wanted them to know why I was peeved. My parents were MFL teachers but they were also saying ‘don’t go in with sleeves rolled up’. There was a change of head last year when DD started Yr 8 and the new deputy this year when former one retired.Deputy worked with head at their old school so I expect them to be thick as thieves. Timetabling may not be their fault but they should also know what we were promised.

It’s a smallish school. 100 per year. Thank you for not giving me responses about being entitled. I know DD is privileged but she’s really good at & enjoys languages so we wanted to play to her strengths. Just like I guess you’d choose a school like Millfield if your child was very sporty. (It isn’t Millfield btw.)

Our fully comprehensive school offers Chinese (Mandarin) as a GCSE and there are 7 students who picked it, we also offer Latin as a Twilight and there are 4 who do that. Your school is talking BS and as it's a fee paying school I'd kick off.