different s4 subject numbers at different schools-confused about what's best

[Swallowedbyasnake]

I have one son in p5 and another in p2. Have opportunity to move within Ayrshire/East Ren so am looking at high school options. Both my kids are quite academic and will probably go to uni. So as far as I can see South Ayrshire schools do 6 nationals in s4 with option to do 6 in s5 (not sure if this means 6 highers or mixed with more nat 5s) East Ayrshire do 7 in s4 then 5 in s5 and east ren do 8 nationals across s3 and 4 then 5 highers. I'm not sure which of these arrangements would be the best. Does having more nat5s make a difference for uni admission? (I am pretty sure when I studied medicine no one was concerned how many standard grades I had) but does only doing 6 close down future options too much? Why is this not standardised across Scotland, it just doesn't seem fair!

In my kids school, lots do 8 and some do 9 because you can do PE within the same timetable as core PE which everyone does until CFE.

But lots of kids do fewer subjects. Those who have specific learning diffulties DO get extra lessons, typically in maths and English in the learning support base.

Others have extra supported study sessions, where they can catch up on classwork or do their homework .

Each national 5 contains around 160 teaching hours. The typical school week is 27 hours and the typical school year is about 38 weeks giving roughly 1026 teaching hours. If you divide that by 160 you get 6.4 but as that doesn't include core PE and RME then that brings you down to 6.

given that the system is designed so that S1-3 is supposed to be BGE, then the only way that any more than 6 is possible is to steal time from BGE which is how schools do it. Technically you need to steal 6 weeks for each extra subject. Starting the subjects at the end of S2 gives a lot more than that so although it allows teachers to finish off stuff from BGE as well as do the Nat5 curriculum, it gives pupils doing 8 over two years an advantage and it's probably a lot less pressured though clearly they do have more exams to study for as they sit them all at the same time (no early presentations allowed anymore).

It's interesting and I'd love to sit with all the data from all the different systems and see, on balance, taking into account previous exam stats for schools, which system seems to work best for schools, teachers and pupils.....not all of those groups will necessarily be better off in the same system.

YY our kids school saves time by starting 3rd year on 1 June of 2nd year. And by having mostly double periods in 5th and 6th year .