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.

What is the maths teaching like at the school? If she wants to do A-level maths, the current higher paper for GCSE is rubbish, barely any of it covers A-A* grade material because they've changed from having higher, intermediate and foundation papers to just higher and foundation. You need to make sure that as a more able pupil she will be stretched otherwise she will struggle to cope with the transition to A-level.

I've been following this thread with interest as we are going through the Options process with my Y8 DD.

GOML, just wanted to say that I'm really pleased that it's all worked out well in the end for your DD, and enjoy your wine tonight!

I have been following this as well! Glad it all worked out, that sounds fab.

As a tiny aside, could I just say that do not think of Art as an easy option. There is an awful lot of ooursework and they have to be very self motivated. A language might be the easier option in the long run in terms of extra work piled onto other academic choices.

GOML - don't want to worry you but are you aware that some Universities insist that to apply you have to have at least a Grade C in a foreign language. Edinburgh is one such. I know because I accompanied my niece there to an Open Day about a year ago. DN had actually done GCSE French but only got a D. I asked the Admissions Tutor if there was any way round it, she says no, 'Do you let schools know this is your policy?' I asked. No, apparently..... (!)

A few other unis may be the same, so beware of giving up language options if at all possible.

Grade C at GCSE I mean.

To NobleGiraffe; very few people doing A-level maths will have done anything other than GSCE higher level papers.

Are you just panicking the OP?

Oh, to the OP, if your dd is academic, she will find the traditional subjects far less time consuming than Art - so much coursework to do! It sounds like your school options are absolutely fine and well thought through.

I agree with Builde my DD is doing Maths and Further Maths A level after taking the Maths GCSE higher paper last year and she isn't having any problems at all in fact she did comment at the beginning that her maths just carried on from the GCSE. The gap is bigger between the science GCSEs and A level than in maths but that's another story.