Crap School Options - dd's school's options only JUST been given out and they are rotten

[GetOrfMoiLand]

Really just crap.

Single (single!) science with double as an option.

Loads of crappy BTEC and diploma stuff - Health and Social Care, Child Development, Bricklaying. FINE, but one of her option bands has ALL vocational/BTEC type subjects.

She has just emailed me the options list - there is a meeting Thursday night to discuss. I am pissed off. What a load of crap.

sorry......pressed post before finishing..

I wouldnt worry about the number of GCSEs. I did 8 (max my school would allow- did English lang, lit, maths, french, german, geog, chemistry and biology). I went to Cambridge Uni and my relatively low GCSE count was never raised. They appreciate that some schools will limit the number taken and they wont therefore discriminate on that basis.

Universities view grades and academic vigour of the subjects taken as more important than the number.

Box C is a bitch. I think Art (if she can get a good grade) or ICT (definitely NOT photography for Bristol).

Their admissions people are usually helpful, so you could call them and ask.

Looking hugely ahead here (the poor child hasn't even taken her GCSEs yet!!!), when she does apply to university, the school will write an academic reference and they will be able to mention the fact that she changed schools to a different type of school, and hence the options she was given to take at GCSE etc etc. Universities do look at the schools attended and so realise some children do not have the same 'choice' as others.

(If it's any help aswell, these days Bristol University is notorious for not liking grammar school pupils!!!! Certainly this year, and other years, there have been many GS pupils rejected by Bristol, whilst having offers from other v.g. universities, but that is another discussion, I am sure they have perfectly valid reasons for doing so, i.e wanting to encourage students from all backgrounds....)

Oh thank you again. Mmeblueberry - that is very interesting what you say re science. Yes it is definitely single combined science, to double it up is an option. So if it is effectively a 1 year course spread across 2 years that is not on. I have spoken to friends and none of the schools that theri children go to only offer single science.

Thanks Arctic for that info re Bristol. DD is adamant that is where she wants to go as they have a really good aeronautical engineering department with strong links to Airbus (I am an aeronautical engineer myself, so she knows it's a great career) but I have said consider UWE or other unis and she is adamant that she wants Bristol. I am just worried that the education which she will recieve at this school in maths and science will not be robust enough for her to take A level in Maths and physics with confidence. She will have to need extra tutoring.

Yes Lounge I did hear that, my DP's nephew was admitted to Bristol and he went to an absolute stinker of a school (Kingsmead in Cheltenham followed by Cleeve at A level, so it does show that it can be done).

You are very right when you say the poor child has not even done her GCSEs yet. I should chill out.

please don't feel you've let her down! If she was miserable and scared at the old school you couldn't possibly make her stay there. ((hug))

The options are crap though (but as you can probably tell from my nickname I'm rather academically minded!) am I right in thinking that they don't even choose individual subjects and just have to choose a group? That sucks.

Is there a 6th form college near you? Or do you know what A levels are available at school? I know it seems a bit early for all that but GCSEs are just a stepping stone in the long run, as long as she gets good enough grades (5 A*-C) she can carry on and hopefully get some decent A level subjects.

You're not overreacting at the choices IMHO, but please don't beat yourself up about it.

Thanks Maths.

No, you have to chose one option from each of the option blocks. And option block c is a bit crap. I am going to request that she is able to chose a language for that option (you have to opt for doiuble science in oprion block D).

Poor your dd. This makes a stressful time even worse for her. I think you really need to go in and speak to as many people in the school as you can - the head of science, tutor, head of year, head of house, head teacher, governers etc.
Plan A: Push for them to make double science normal for one science class (probably top set but it should be optional). I think it's also worth pushing them to offer seperate sciences as an option. Use all the stuff which has been in the media recently which says about seperate sciences being the most useful. If that requires a bit more homework or a lunchtime / after school lesson then ask them to provide that. If the students are happy to do that then they're likely to put the work in and make sure they're not going to reduce the leauge table place either.
Plan B: If the school wont do that then it would probably be better for your dd to do double science in school (possibly "topping-up" at home if she is naturally good / you could hire a tutor and she is very enthusiastic). The language can always be learned as evening course. There are loads of adult education classes which offer languages. Prehaps you and dd could enroll on Spanish or a slightly more unusual language (Russian or something like that would stand out on a UCAS form) together and do that to GCSE standard over the next couple of years.
Good luck to you both. Remember all she really needs is 8 GCSEs. There is a selective state International Baccalaureate course at a college near me which accepts students based on their top 8 GCSEs.

Riven - that is really interesting. So your ds said (effectively) sod that for a game of soldiers and had free periods and the school was happy with that?

That is certainly something to ponder on.

Thanks Teddy - some really good advice there. To be honest I am rather doubtful that the school will be responsive, as I don't know how much parental opposition to teh options there will be. I don't know any of the other parents so will just have to see how it goesat the options evening tomorrow. Thanks for your suggestions re a language at home as an extra as something we could do together, that's a really great idea. Tbh dd is not that enamoured of French anyway, so think we could have a look at doing German (DP speaks German fluently, dd also learnt it at her old school). Yes will have a look at extra tuition in maths and sciences asI think that will be the best way to go.

Thanks again for reassurance.

Your school sounds really sensible and flexible.

I was speaking to a colleague about schools in Bristol - she has 2 sons, one of them goes to a South Glos school, one of them to a school the other side of Bristol. She said the admissions was an nightmare. One of her sons is doing 12 GCSEs (the other one is just choosing his options, he has far more choice than dd). Seems like schools are a nightmare wherever you go.

I was ctually looking at moving to Bristol because both DP and I work in Filton. But speaking to people who I work with put me off - seems as if I would have no chance getting her into a decent school, and the bad ones are really bad.

Having seen the options, they sound quite standard. And seriously, as stated before, Universities understand about GCSE options and really don't expect from applicants what can't be offered.

There are a few people on this site who think that Oxbridge wants Latin but I never met a single person at Cambridge who had done latin. And our GCSEs - though we all had high grades - were very random. Most people had only done 8 or 9 GCSEs.

Don't worry either about the IB. It's an incredibly hard option to take (lots of schools round us now offer it and my teaching friends think that there are too many subjects without enough depth) and though I am Cambridge educated and expect that my dds are also academic, I would not want them to do IB.

For example, if you want to do a Natural Sciences at Cambridge, they are not interested in any of the IB subjects other than the science one.

As an aside, this was what most of contemps. at Cambridge had done who were studying engineering. (In early 1990s)

1. 2. Double science (very few people did three sciences in those days - we had only just moved on from people doing just physics of just chemistry.

2. English (again, few people had English lit)

3. Maths

4. Geog or History

5. Art or cooking or photography or something random

6. Design Technology

7. Modern language

8. Second modern language or Music or Art

Again, if you want to do science A-levels it is better to have done three sciences but most people at my sixth form hadn't done three sciences and found it ok.

I went to school in a v. good school in Stroud..long time ago, O Levels not GCSEs. However i underperformed as i hated it due to bullying...left at 16, went to the tech college where i did BTEC. Did well and got a job i loved. Ended up going back to college at 22 as a mature student did BSc in Geography...1st class hons, then did a PhD and now have a job in soil science.

Hard to appreciate now but her school options are not eh be all and end all...she will do so much better being happy than unhappy.

Also not having science A levels (or in her case GCSEs) does not preclude a career in science at a high level!

If she is into science than she can focus on htat side of geography rather than the human geog angle which would lead her into a Bsc Geography rather than a BA which may help longer term.

Actually looking at myself I did a very roundabout route to getting my degree, my a levels were arts based, I did maths and physics and ended up doing a degree PT whislt working as an engineering apprentice.

Took me ages - I didn;t actually get my degree until I was nearly 30 - however I got there in the end and now work in aerospace composites.

However, I think because my education was so long winded I want by dd to have something different and to go down the conventional route.

What you are saying is very reassuring and reminds me that GCSEs are not the be all and end all. I am still worried that what she does learn will not be robust enough for further study though. I will just have to keep an eye on it.

DP thinks I am nuts. I was crying last night saying she should never have left her old school - he said that I have a short memory and she would have ended up ill if she stayed there. He reminded me that at least she is sunny, happy and confident now. Not crying every day and scared.

Builde - that is interesting what ou say about IB - the IB is held up at her old school as the thing to go for.

Riven - you must be very proud of your dd.

I know what you mean about it taking so much longer doing study the unconventional way...i was 30 when finished studying too.

However being happy makes such a difference. She would not have performed well at the other school if she was so miserable and so would therefore be more liekly to go down the mature student route i reckon.

If you really are worried can she have some science tuition??

Also do speak to the school to see if anything can be changed to make the options better.

Try and remember the bigger picture...'she is happy'!!!

Just thought I'd chip in and say that I went to Bristol Uni from a fairly ropey comprehensive school - I know this was a long time ago but I only did double science as my school didn't offer triple.

I went on to do science A levels and a science degree.

She should definitely take the double science option, as this allows science A levels but the single won't.

lol mitochondria - I never would've guessed what type of degree you did from your name!!!

bet you can't guess what subject I'm doing!

...soap opera studies, obviously...

If she's set on engineering and the RAF, then Welbeck (the Defence Sixth Form College) may be the place to do her A levels. They teach subjects that will leas to an engineering degree, and will help the students towards a commission and hopefully sponsorship through Uni, which at current prices is worth having.

Oi - nowt wrong with Brockworth!! lol, I went there before it changed though and did pretty well as did others in my year, although I'm not sure what it's like now (was a while ago), I think Churchdown is preferred.

UPDATE

I went to the options evening last night and am so reassured.

Science - they do have to do double science as an option, however the top set are 'encouraged' to take this option, and they will then do triple science (if you choose double science and are not in the top set you will just do double). I huffed and puffed about double not just being standard, they wxplained (quite reasonably) that it is not a very acadmiec school so if a student is not likely to do a level science they do not want to force all the students down this route as a matter of course.

So, fair enough, dd will do triple science as she is in top set yay.

They DO do Eng Lit - just wasn't detailed on the form as it is not an option as such - just the higher ability students will do eng lit in addition to lang.

Maths - again she is top set so she will be entered for teh higher paper which will be robust enough for A level study.

Met Geog and History teachers who really impressed, really excellent teachers it seems. Was also a blast from the past as the history GCSE course is exactly the same as I took in the nineties! (history of medicine and the Amercian West, I had a look at the textbooks and laughed at the same gory pictures as I did when I was 14!).

The crappy third block - the head of KS4 said in an aside that 'I didn't officially tell you this but...if you really really want dd to do French don't choose an option here and say that you want a language in this option group. This request will be strongly considered as it has been raised by a lot of parents'. So that's all good.

Actually, though, I have had a rethink. DD will be doing quite an academic group of subjects (3 sciences, 2 humanities which will be a lot of work, english lang and lit), she would actually like to do art so I think this might be a nice distraction from the more academic subjects. So she won't do a a language - however we can consider doing this at night school if she has the spare time.

ANYWAY am hugely reassured now and actually pleased with the school - it is far far better than I thought I would be, and dd is actually quite excited at what she will be studying next year.

So thanks everyone again for helping when I had a major strop the other night.

I am so going to get the wine out tonight