To move year 9 DD due to GCSE options?

[MojoDojoCasaHouse]

Current school pulled one of her favourite subjects due to lack of staff and now there is a timetable clash between two other subjects. All her subjects are quite normal and not unusual combination.

She is very quiet and shy but school want to keep her due to how good her grades are. School trying to improve local reputation with DC like ours. She is well liked and nurtured by current teachers and is reasonably happy at school.

Alternative school has a place in current year 9 and can accommodate all subject choices. It’s a bigger school and I fear she will be lost and less valued.

So should we stick with current school with less optimal GCSEs but a track record of support and good grades? Or risk a change for desired subjects?

She can do desired A-levels at either school.

YABU stay put
YANBU move schools

Thank you this is helpful. A-level
college isn’t really a thing here. Most people go to school sixth form only moving to alternative school sixth form if they can’t get the subjects they want at current setting. College is for technical/advance diploma subjects.

RS is not an essential. Other humanities or mfl would develop similar writing skills.

Would the school let her study the subject on her own? Is she motivated enough to do this? Or with your support?

Slightly older students, but I have a Y13 student who didn't want to study the optional module that the school chose, so has taught himself another option.

I went to school when languages were compulsory so most the class doing GCSE were hopeless. The teacher let 3 of us sit on a desk elsewhere and work through the syllabus faster. We all got grade A!

There are SO many online resources and access to a syllabus, text books etc... so this would means she doesn't have to move schools.

I would only move her as a last resort. Being settled and reasonably happy and well known by staff is soo important, particularly for a less confident child.

They can’t offer an MFL either. Clashes with another subject. School seems to have very ltd GCSE options.

Year 9 is a horrible year friendship wise - they all seem to turn into hormone ravaged nightmares. Both my DCs suffered with friendship issues throughout this year, friendship groups splintered and it was a real struggle. If she's happy I'd leave her, going into a new school and trying to make new friendships especially if she's prone to anxiety could be really difficult.

What's RS? Religious studies?

No MFL offer is poor :( is it a small school?

I agree tho, other things being equal I wouldn’t move for RS GCSE. That’s deffo attainable at A level from scratch, esp if strong in Eng lit and history.

Does the other school offer MFL GCSE? Is that something she’d like to do? If really not (fair enough!) then I think I’d be inclined to stay if she likes the school

If she's anxious by nature don't risk the move. She's happy so leave well alone as long as she get maths English and science it really doesn't matter too much anyway

This would be a bigger problem for me than the RS.

I'd seriously consider doing it privately. She could start it now too to spread the workload. Even discussing it might help your DD consider how serious she is about doing RS.

As pp says just help her study to take it privately. It's not a difficult GCSE, she could take it in year 10 and get it out of the way.

Would the school enter her for the exam anyway if you could show that she’s studied it privately? I’m a deputy head - we have some students sitting exams in subjects we don’t offer but they’ve been doing outside of school.

If she's happy, settled, with a friend group then I'd definitely leave her (unless it's a critical GCSE like triple science for medicine!) At this age it's harder to make new friends as groups are established, and social life becomes a bit more important. Having no friends or being a bit ostracised is really hard to manage for teen girls. You don't want her unhappy and losing focus because of that.

Is it a very small school as the lack of MFL point would concern me more

Dd is year 10 doing a mfl not available at school privately. She has a tutor online 2 hours a week and practices with Dh (his language). Shes a good girl but not a massively devoted student as very social but she enjoys this never complains about the sessions. So a language privately is doable.

Also you could definitely do RS a level without the gcse as the skill set surely v similar to eng lit / history.

Also agree how important the social side is if she’s unhappy and friendless she’ll not thrive academically or be happy. Does she have a friendship group? The shyness would worry me with starting again. It’s different to moving 6th form as lots move then

You said she is “reasonably happy” at current school, can you elaborate? Does she have a good group of friends?

Sounds like she’s not that averse to moving if she’s writing pros and cons… ?

Does she know anyone at the other school in her year?

See pretty much nobody here moves for sixth form unless the school doesn’t have one it’s your schools sixth form, a specialist sixth form or college. Nobody moves from say schoolBee to schoolHey just because.

Most of ours all offer the same or you go specialist say stem school sixth form but that school takes on from year 7 so full anyway with their own or move to the college.

Lots of churn here about half of kids move 6th form. Small city. There’s a real shake up socially which is good.

That’s strange, RS is compulsory in most schools.
I teach GCSE RS. I think if your DD is motivated then she could learn the content herself. There are so many resources online now.

@Pomegranatecarnage “That’s strange, RS is compulsory in most schools.”

There are elements of it that are compulsory at KS4 and just slotted into PSHE / citizenship type classes at many schools. Not compulsory GCSE.

There is a timetable clash in option blocks due to lack of staff, French only offered in same block as another subject she wants to take.

She seems happy enough with friends at school but doesn't make an effort to see them outside of school. Her closest friends are from an outside of school activity. Her current school has lots of nice reward activities where she can bond with the other motivated kids.

She has friends in the year below at the other school. She is late August birthday and has lots of friends in year below as she has more in common with them than her own year group. She is academically very mature but socially seems rather young.

You don't need triple science at GCSE to study medicine. Where has this myth come from? You don't need any specific GCSEs to do medicine other than the core English maths and double science