To think entering children early for GCSEs is wrong

[inthepacificocean]

AIBU to be concerned about this practice? It means that children don’t have the same preparation time as their peers. I realise for some very talented individuals it might not make a difference but for the most part it doesn’t seem a positive move to me.

I agree but for different reasons. The schools I know who do this start teaching GCSEs from year 9. They then only do the core subjects in year 11 which is a way to unfairly boost their English and maths results as the children only have to study for two or three if they also do science subjects for a whole year.

In my experience only the brighter students are entered for GCSEs early and even then usually only in 1 or 2 subjects (e.g. short course RE, statistics or a language they are proficient in).

What has made you ask this question?

The school want their students to do well as much as you do. Their jobs and pay depend on it. They also have a huge amount of information available to them that parents aren't privy too. Why not just trust their judgement?

This one doesn’t so - just year 10.

bean, it’s a core subject.

It actually is really good practice not just for high achievers but low achievers too as it can reduce pressure on kids at 16 either by prepping them for the exam or by allowing them to forget about the subjects they won’t necessarily need at university. For example a friend’s child is dyslexic, took English at 14, and passed with a C. She then didn’t really need to worry about it and was able to focus on the subjects she was good at - she ended up with As in all her other subjects. Another friend’s son is Chinese and took Hindi and Mandarin at 13 as GCSEs as he arrived too late in the UK to study French or Spanish, got As, and those are his language options formalised and done / dusted - will probably be his only As

I’m not trotting meekly by if it might adversely impact my child, sorry sam

My DS is in year 10 and is doing Stats this year as an extra subject taught as an after school club - no real issue and it’s something he wanted to do. Predicted a 6-8 in maths so no maths genius, but doesn’t find it massively hard either.

@SoVeryLost
I have never heard of that. All students have to study science, which is 2 or 3 GCSEs. Surely the timetabling for year 11s only studying english, science and maths would be impossible! Or would they have many "free periods".
How has this affected the attainment in non core subjects and in core subjects? If students are doing just as well in non core and even better in core I dont see a problem with this, but it is an unusual choice!

If it's a core subject, is the reason so that they can get it out of the way but if they dont achieve the desired grade they have an opportunity to resit in year 11?

Extra subjects, or subjects where for instance the child speaks the language at home as a first language and does it as a GCSE, are a little bit different though, aren’t they?

As I don’t mean genius children like the one above but your averagely bright sort of child.

I did maths early and got a B, my lowest grade. I took it again in year 11, still got a B.

For some kids one year won't make a difference

It seems unneccessary. DD1 goes to an outstanding super selective grammar, one of the best schools in the country. Everyone does 9 GCSEs, all at the same time.

I think it’s mainly for schools to hit the A-C, (or whatever the equivalent in numbers) targets, and if the children take them early and don’t get them first time, there’s a couple more years to take them again and get the grades. I don’t think it is in a child’s best interest.

It's not uncommon for schools to enter students for English Literature in Y10. This can now count as their English grade (instead of Eng Language) and gets one of the two English subjects out of the way. Other schools enter the very top Mathematicians for Maths in y10, and then start them on AS maths in Y11. Both strategies are potentially problematic but can pay off.

We enter a small number of students for English Language at the end of Year 10, on the understanding that they get a free second go in Y11 if they don't get their grade. These students are from low achieving groups, and typically are the sort who may not complete Y11 for external reasons - stop attending, illness etc. It mean they have something for English if they aren't at school by the end of Y11.

You can’t actually re-sit 9-1 GCSEs multiple times anymore, prior to a terminal year in Year 11. Only the first attempt is entered into the school’s league tables on purpose now and exam boards state in the specifications regarding all modules/papers are to be taken in the same terminal year (so you cannot do paper1 one year and paper2 the next year, anymore, for example).

OP, if you and your DS don’t feel he is ready, I would push against this.

I did my maths GCSE early. I just studied at home. Don't see the problem if child is doing very well in that subject. Will take some of workload off when they have loads of GCSE's to sit.

I don’t see the point. 1 GCSE isn’t exactly an accomplishment, it’s about juggling 10 and getting good grades. I can’t think why future employers or universities would be impressed. Surely it’s better that talented children study greater depth or go off curriculum to challenge themselves rather than get a gcse at 12.

I thought early-sitting was frowned upon these days by universities. As a PP said, only the first sitting counts in the school league tables. And part of the point is to assess the juggling of the workload in Year 11. It’s different if it’s an extra-curricular subject or language learned at home.

From what I've heard Ofsted want to see schools teaching GCSEs over 2 years, taking exams a year early might die out.

A friends son took two GCSES at the end of Y9 and got a 2 and a 3. He'd chosen to take his favourite subjects, which he was likely to get the highest grades in should he have taken them in Y11. But the school now won't let him continue to study those subjects. He was 13 when he took the exams. It's a nonsense.

My own DCs school teach GCSEs over two years (
which does make me a bit nervous when grammar schools are teaching over three years) and no one sits any exams early.

It's definitely a question for prospective parents to ask when looking around secondary schools.

I think that it's a good idea. The brightest kids at my school sat their GCSE maths a year early (a handful of kids). Then they did an A/S level before an A level. Most then went on to Oxbridge. Why hold back the brightest kids if they are already ahead, they want to sit them early (it was their choice) and they go on to do well. The school system should be much more flexible imo.

A lot of schools do this for English and English lit. It's an extremely heavy subject so in year 10 they study for language and in year 11 for literature.

It's not so much as entering them early but rather splitting the curriculum for students advantage. They must pass language and so it also give the opportunity to retake if they fail.

Also some schools offer statistics in year 10. They then go on and do further maths in year 11. It gives those students planning a stem future the edge as these subjects are heavily sought after.

I think it’s stupid. They showed a programme on the BBC followed clever but deprived children and they were all doing GCSEs early and clearly didn’t achieve their full potential. It was a real shame. For essay subjects maturity makes a real difference. Maths a year early for kids that will do further maths is very different to putting the full cohort in for English early.

which does make me a bit nervous when grammar schools are teaching over three years

Bexley grammar schools aren’t.

I completely agree OP. My eldest stepson lived with us and was fairly bright, and after being home schooled for a year due to bullying, he went back miles ahead in year 9 and was pushed to do his maths gcse in year 10. He got a C. Fine, it's a pass. He asked to resit and was told no. At the time he didn't know what he wanted to do. By the time college loomed he wanted to do A levels in economics, maths and politics and they wouldnt take him with a C. We had to have numerous meetings and literally beg them to take him.
He ended up with a first in economics. 🤔

Same as CorBlimey. They take Maths in Yr 10, they then do Further Maths in Yr 11.

The top set also sit PE GCSE as an "extra" in Yr 10 and RE. All well within the capability.