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Original poster

Language GCSEs replaced by mini-GCSEs

54 replies

swedishmum · 22/04/2008 10:56

Dd came home yesterday saying that they will start a mini (half?) GCSE in 2 languages next year - Y8. The reason? Lots of girls lose interest in languages by Y10/11 so don't do as well as they should.
It's a grammar school ffs - surely good teachers can motivate allegedly able girls to get a decent language GCSE. I'm appalled by the dumbing down. It's bad enough that they don't teach Latin.
Am I being a mad reactionary old bat or am I right to think this is a lame excuse at a selective school?

OP posts:
Anna8888 · 22/04/2008 10:58

No you are not being remotely reactionary.

Goodness knows how the poor language teachers can bear their job if these are the standards they have to work to.

Hallgerda · 22/04/2008 11:00

If you're a mad reactionary old bat, so am I. I agree it's a lame excuse.

SSSandy2 · 22/04/2008 11:01

I don't really understand this mini GCSE concept. Is it a UK-wide thing or just an idea from your school?

southeastastra · 22/04/2008 11:03

my ds(14) had the option of a half gcse in french though he only goes to a bog standard comp where i imagine it's acceptable

castille · 22/04/2008 11:04

It'd be pretty poor at a comprehensive school, but at a selective school it's pathetic.

Will you complain? What do other parents think?

Anna8888 · 22/04/2008 11:04

Here in France the really good schools now get the children to do the language exams of the national language institutes - eg the children sit the Cambridge English as a Foreign Language exams at the British Council for English, and the Spanish, Italian and German equivalents.

Original poster
swedishmum · 22/04/2008 11:05

I think it's ntionwide. Dd's year will all do a half GCSE in RE in Y10 that they can increase to a full one if they wish to continue in Y11. All take a half GCSE in IT as well though it looks pretty boring to me - databases.
Dd1 gets frustrated at school - I think she imagined grammar school to be more challenging.

OP posts:
Original poster
swedishmum · 22/04/2008 11:09

I will complain. There certainly hasn't been any parent consultation. This year in Y7 they rotate doing a few weeks each of French, German and Spanish. After that they choose a subject to drop. It's a new initiative by the new head...
We're so close to Europe here that you can see France from the local primary school playing field! I think for children to stop MFL before GCSE is far too early to make a decision that could affect future education plans.

OP posts:
SSSandy2 · 22/04/2008 11:09

we live in Germany swedishmum so perhaps the whole language issue is very different, German not having quite the same international profile as English. There is a lot of talk here about the increasing need for dc to master foreign languages - and not just one. So I find the idea of lowering standards quite odd.

I suppose in the English speaking world people are still quite comfortable with the concept that you can get by quite well with English a lot of the time. However I'm not sure when our dc are in their 30s/40s what the situation will be. I think reasonable mastery of one foreign language must be possible for most dc though, given the right exposure and interesting materials

Anna8888 · 22/04/2008 11:11

Yes, definitely raise it with the school. I think this is a terrible idea. Maybe you can raise some parent protest?

Anna8888 · 22/04/2008 11:13

I'm not good on the English year thing - is year 7 the first year of secondary school?

fortyplus · 22/04/2008 11:15

I wonder if it's a bit of a red herring? Full GCSE courses usually start in yr10, so maybe by offering a half GCSE starting in yr8 they'll actually be empowering the children and making it more likely that they'll go on to take the full GCSE. Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

SSSandy2 · 22/04/2008 11:16

yes Anna I'm wondering too how much language instruction they will have had by the time they do this half GCSE in year 8. Will he have been learning two foreign languages then and for how many years swedishmum?

southeastastra · 22/04/2008 11:16

it sounds like that to me too fortyplus, the half gcse at my son's school starts along with the gcse course, it's an option

Original poster
swedishmum · 22/04/2008 11:24

Yes Y7 is the start of secondary Anna8888 - 11/12yo.
Maybe I'm being too cynical and it designed to empower.... But that is the reason dd said she was told by the teacher yesterday. I know there have been some behaviour issues with one of dd1's teachers in language subjects and that has hindered their progress. Languages have such a low profile in schools these days.
Dd2 likes German but has only done a few weeks of Spanish. Her decision seems based entirely on her view of the teacher! She's just started German again having last done it before Christmas.
A bit more information from the school wouldn't hurt.

OP posts:
SSSandy2 · 22/04/2008 11:27

could you request some more information from the school so the whole thing is clearer to you?

Original poster
swedishmum · 22/04/2008 11:35

Yes, I'm definitely investigating further!

OP posts:
marina · 22/04/2008 11:39

Lame excuse and am a reactionary old bat if you are
High level language provision, including Latin, is pretty much our main incentive for wanting grammar provision for the dcs at 11 plus. None of the decent non-selectives locally offer specialist language provision.
Dh and I are both good at and value MFL and the Classics and the dcs seem to have inherited our knack and interest.
I think I will lose the will to live if their languages teachers are useless
Swedishmum, I'm a bit alarmed about this development. Are you willing to hint whereabouts you are in the UK? I have a feeling it is SE...

marina · 22/04/2008 11:40

oh, but I missed fortyplus' glimmer of hope there...

PortAndLemon · 22/04/2008 11:51

My mother did a mini-GCSE in French a couple of years ago. She got an A and was horrified -- she'd been to an evening class once a week for about six months, hadn't done any work outside that and had very little grasp of grammar (she did have a French O-level from forty years previously, admittedly, but it was as rusty as yu'd expect after forty years).

marina · 22/04/2008 11:55
PortAndLemon · 22/04/2008 12:02

It could just be that all members of my family are naturally gifted geniuses, of course. I have no objection to your holding that opinion, especially if you spread it around a bit .

PortAndLemon · 22/04/2008 12:03
PeachyHas4BoysAndLovesIt · 22/04/2008 12:09

If this was to be offered only to kids who otherwise would ditch languages I'd be up for it, but there must be a full GCSE available that kids are encouraged to take.

Last year i mentored in a good local Comp amongst the GCSE kids (arranged by Uni). The kids just didnt want to know with the languages. Now, its slightly different here as they have all got to do Welsh which probably is enough for those who are not gifted that way, but even those doing well hated it. why? When we were doing french it ws a generally liked subject, and unless you were in teh bottom 2 / 8 groups languages were compulsory anyway (French or German).

Sciolist · 22/04/2008 12:51

My first thought was that OP's dd would do 1 or 2 mini-GCSEs early, then go on to do the full GCSEs encouraged by the early success.

My English nephew is applying for a position in a Norwegian bank in Spain, interpreting between Norwegian and Spanish. I'm impressed, even if he does not get the job.