Gcse options in Yr 8

[Roguebludger]

I've started looking at secondary schools in my area and I'm surprised to see that children pick their gcse options in yr8 and specialise in yr9. This seems very early to me and like their missing out on things like an extra year of a language or geography. Is this normal or unique to my area? Are there any benefits to it or is it just cost saving? Should I start looking to move to an area where there's a different system?

you are right it is pointless, and limiting, but who cares? It makes the schools look micro- marginally better in some league tables, and that is what education is all about, isn't it!

It is common practice across the whole country.

My DS school used to do this and I think it's brilliant!! No spending another year doing a subject they really don't enjoy (in our case music) and an extra year of focus on their GCSE subjects. I was really disappointed to find out there changed it now and my younger child will only start GCSE subjects in year 10.

*they not there!

My sons school did this, but they are stopping as ofsted arent keen. I think the current year 9s are the last lot doing the 3 year GCSE.

I have no idea if its good or bad. My son liked dropping some subjects he hated and he said behaviour in the option classes was better as people wanted to be there.

I felt a bit sad that his education narrowed a year early.

OFSTED are very much against this far too early narrowing of the curriculum. I would say I'm surprised that it's still happening but I suspect these days it's as much to do with schools saving money or not being able to recruit enough art/drama/music and humanities teachers as about schools trying to boost their GCSE results.

I think it is too young, my DD would have dropped French if she'd picked in y8, she actually ended up doing 2 MFL for GCSE as it 'clicked' in the summer term of y8.

I would take it into account when picking schools, but wouldn't move home because of it.

DD's school does 'mini options' for going into y9 where they can pick their preferred arts and techs / do an extra language. I think that is quite good. it doesn't prevent them changing their mind and doing eg textiles for GCSE even if they didn't do it in y9.

They do this at my child's school and I like it. Mine is in year 10, they have already completed most of the course so in year 11 they will be going over everything again and revising. Other schools in the area are still struggling to complete the courses in year 11 leaving no time to go over everything again before GCSEs in 2-3 weeks

Ds school did this but thankfully changed it. Adds too much pressure too soon in my opinion

That helps with GCSE results, but to have a year of 'revising' also does mean they have missed a year of learning new things and/or they have gone too fast the first time round. Additionally it could be very boring for some pupils to have to revisit everything.

It's going out of fashion now as it's proven to make so little difference to results. Is it the case in all of your local schools? If not I would look around and see which schools don't do if.

Iagree with it being a waste of time

the other issue is that by the time they sit down in the GCSE exam, some of the material they are expected to know will be 3 years old in their memories - not helpful at all

I agree that it is too young to narrow the curriculum in the schools attempt to get better results.

My children's school doesn't do it thankfully. Many children don't know what to choose for options and not giving them ample time to experience subjects means they could easily not choose something they would have loved.

Thank you, some really interesting responses and good food for thought. Not worth looking at moving, we have a few years and maybe the threat of ofsted will change things by then. Thank you all.

DD's school offered a choice between arts subjects in year 9, and I suspect the main reason is that in a six-form entry school, one lesson per week in KS3 and one option group in each year of KS4 adds up to slightly more than one teacher's teaching time. By cutting from 6 groups to 2 groups in year 9, the problem is solved.

Such a shame though. DS is at a 5 form entry school but in Year 9 still has separate music, art and drama lessons. His (boys only) school has a really good take up for all those subjects at GCSE, drama especially and I think that is due to the school's commitment to providing those subjects for all the boys which in turn attracts excellent teachers of those subjects.

Ironically though, DS is not particularly "arty" and hasn't chosen to continue with them but I do think offering them is very important. An "anti arts mindset" is just as damaging to society as an "anti maths mindset"...

The numbers work better for a 5 form entry school, because there are three fewer classes in KS3.

The quality of the year 7/8 lessons is more important than whether they all take the subject in year 9, I think.

This is an interesting blog from Ofsted about starting in year 9. Everything I’ve seen Ofsted say is that they aren’t automatically against a 2 year KS3/3 year KS4. But they want a broad education so schools have to show they are still delivering that. There’s some good points about how it could work well in this that might help formulate some questions for the school to see if they are making the most of it. https://educationinspection.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/09/making-curriculum-decisions-in-the-best-interests-of-children/

My DC’s make their choices in Y8 to start in Y9. I’m not wild about it but the school seem to encourage maintaining a range of subjects and offer a lot of creative subjects so students can choose something that suits them. My DC hates art with a passion, so being able to leave that behind and concentrate on something like drama instead would suit.

DD's school select in Y8 and start GCSE options in Y9 and for us it is brilliant.

But it depends very much on the child you have.

If you have a child who isn't sure where their interest lie or what they might want to study, or they're pretty good at everything then it's probably better to have the extra year doing everything.

If you are like my DD who has know what she is interested in from a very young age, or who have SEN, then it's great being able to drop the things you really struggle with or just don't enjoy early.

As a child with quite severe SEN it's been very beneficial to reduce the number of subjects, increase the hours per week in those and focus on what she's good at rather than what she hugely struggled with.

From what I can work out, they don't actually start the GCSE course until Y10, but Y9 is spent laying the groundwork and learning how to learn. Also means that if you have made an error in choosing a subject or don't get on with the teacher all those changes can be made before it is too late rather than midway through a course.

I think it’s much better. They have much longer to cover content in year 9 and 10 so year 11 is essentially revision and exam prep without having to be trying to still cover new content. Some GCSE subjects are new subjects they’ve never studied before so gives them time to get used to it and ensure they want to do that course.

It also means they can drop subjects that cause distress such as dance or drama if they aren’t into them. It improves their enjoyment of school when they are studying things of interest.

Ours still do a humanities lesson during year 9 so they don’t drop everything completely.

I agree with this.

My DS is choosing his options to start in Year 9. He is dyslexic and the ability to choose the lessons that he has enjoyment out of will be huge. For him it's less written work and more practical work which is where his strengths lie. I don't see how an extra year of French/geography etc will add more enjoyment to his schooling.

As for my older DC (without SEN) who studied over 2 years - the curriculum doesn't allow them to engage as much with the subject as 3 years would. They have raced through it without the time to really embrace and enjoy the subject.

It's a positive in our house.

I think it's a shame if the last e.g, history, that someone studies is when they are 12 or just 13. They aren't really old enough to appreciate some of the important things they can learn from it.

An intense focus on certain elements of the curriculum can help exam results but bore children to death so that they end up hating the subject. One school I know reads the GCSE novel and Shakespeare in Year 9, sometimes a preview in Year 7 or 8 as well, and then does it yet again in year 10/11, so that the children have barely read or studied anything else in English. They are sick of it by the time of the exam, and have often been put off reading/literature as a result.

I think history is one that can easily be dropped without real issues - the curriculum studied for GCSE can be very narrow. DD took one look at what her school offered (VERY conflict heavy) and said a hard no. There are bits of history she is interested in due to films, museum trips, discussions in other subjects and she's much more motivated to look into it.

Her school also do RE and Citizenship till the end of Y9, you then drop one and take an early GCSE in the other. Citizenship definitely ticks a lot of 'history' type boxes.

Things like MFL are much harder to pick up on your own though. That said, her dyslexia makes subjects in English hard enough and the language department waved us off very cheerfully at the end of Y8!

DD picked a BTEC as one of her options, so that has also reduced the exam load across Y9-11 which is has been very helpful. We've had the space this year to spend time on revision skills and learning how to make cards and use the revision guides effectively, rather than looking at a vast list of subjects and her being totally overwhelmed.

Suspect Ofsted would take a dim view of starting the set texts in Y9 - seems mad... you'd be sick to death of the books by Y11.

It's a shame that the curriculum wasn't attractive to your daughter but I'd definitely disagree that the study of history is unimportant.

History isn't just about learning about past events, although clearly that's important, but studying GCSE History teaches young people how to think critically and analytically which are important life skills and skills which are very attractive to future employers.

That's odd.

My children choose in Y9 and begin their choices in year 10.