S3 Choices for Nat 5 - Having to do Tech?!

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DD goes to a school that allows you to take 6 subjects in addition to compulsory English and Maths. We got a form home in the New Year and quite quickly (and painlessly) selected the subjects. There were 4 columns for the four curricular areas (Expressive Arts, Sciences, Social Studies and Technologies). Stripped across all four of those columns were our language options (French and Spanish). So we selected one subject from each of those 4 columns, as instructed, and then a further two subjects from an 'Additional Options' Column. The subjects chosen were Art & Design, Music, History, French, Chemistry and Physics.

Cut to today when these choices were being signed off and confirmed, and we've been informed that he HAD to choose a subject from Technologies. So his Pastoral Care Teacher has sent him home with a new form that says he's chosen Design & Manufacture with an asterix against it saying 'X wishes to study Chemistry instead of Design and Manufacture' and that we need to send in a parental letter to request this change.

The teacher didn't seem to hold out much hope that we would be able to get round it. I'm annoyed because I think it's ridiculous that we have been presented with a completely different form. We chose French from the original form because we were following the instruction to pick a subject from all 4 subject areas, and French was sat right there in theTechnologies column.

Is this right? Does my child have to do a Technology subject? Is this a CfE thing or a school thing? The Tech choices are Computer Games Development, Engineering Science, HFT, Admin & IT, Computing and Design Manufacture. He'll be going 'design' within his Art & Design choices and will be using computers and technology in his Music choice (he's already a whizz on GarageBand)

I don't want to drop any of the other subjects to accommodate Design and Manufacture.

Sorry it's a long one but I needed to ask otherwise I'll be fretting over it all weekend!

It’s a school choice nothing to do with CfE. Seems a shame that your DC would need to drop Chemistry, Engineering Science would be my recommendation from that mix!! I would say that there is very little computing and technology in music, a tiny element when recording composition which only accounts for 15 or 20% (can’t remember which). I’d also question the ‘design’ in art and design - a lot depends on how the ‘brief’ is interpreted- though my DC really liked the course overall.

Each school implements differently. At my DCs school although you are encouraged to pick one from each area, they do allow you to skip one area. My boys didn't do any expressive arts and my DD didn't do a technology. I remember having to sign off that I was okay with this.

Could you say that your DD really fancies a career in chemical engineering so really needs the chemistry (and physics and maths).

My DD has done art and design this year and there has been a fair bit of design ranging from jewellery, textiles and clothing, models of buildings/ furniture. They tried out things in S3 and then worked on one project for their portfolio. However DDs school offers AH Design.

It's the way the school is implementing it. Ds' school also chooses at the end of S2 and takes great pride in the fact that its pupils can choose all 3 sciences. It meant that ds, because he also wanted to do PE, had to drop Art (so didn't do an "Expressive Art" to the end of S3) and had to do Computing Science instead. (subjects he ended up doing were English, Maths, French, Geography, Physics, PE, Computing Science and Chemistry). School still passes its BGE (Broad General Education) audit - I presume because it offers the choice of doing all 8 areas to the end of S3.

This is similar to the subject columns he had to make his choices from - just to illustrate how all the schools do it differently.

Thanks all. At least I know it's not a compulsory CfE thing. I will send in a letter saying to reinstate chemistry please! I was only bigging up the technology aspects of Music and Art in case I had to defend a position where taking a technology subject was an absolute requirement. Although I do agree that Art & Design can have quite a technology/design element if you choose to do more 3D work.

If they are not going to budge on this (I will be firm in my resolve though!) I will have to think about her dropping something other than Chemistry. The most likely candidate would be Art & Design and that grieves me but that's only because the Art Department is really lacklustre and understaffed to the extent they've reduced it down to 1 period a week. I can't see it improving in the near future unfortunately I really want her to do History and I want her to have a language. And I want her to do Music because it's a big part of her life. I will report back when I have spoken to them on Monday. Hopefully it will all work out.

Oh and special thanks to prettybird for sharing your options form

That was from a couple of years ago (a year or two after ds made his choices: he's in S6 now) but that was the most recent one I could find as it's not included in the School Handbook any more. But from talking to parents of current S2s, the columns are much the same.

As far as I am aware, the three non-negotiables (reflected in the columns) are English, Maths and a MFL. Plus a Science.

While those that are capable will go on to do 8 Nat 5s, there will be some that are allowed to drop subjects at the end of S3, as not everyone does that many.

Every school does it differently, depending on their resources, number of children and so on.

I have a child in S3 and the requirements for him were

Maths
English
French
at least one Science
one of Geography / History / Modern Studies
one "arty" subject - Music, Drama, Art, Graphics.

He's doing 9 in total in S3 and will drop 2 for S4 and National 5. For S4 there doesn't seem to be any core requirements beyond Maths and English. They're strongly encouraged to maintain a balance and continue doing at least one Science but it's not compulsory.

www.bearsdenacademy.e-dunbarton.sch.uk/media/1145/17-18-handbook.pdf

That's the school handbook for our school, scroll to page 38 for the S3 choices sheet.

Thanks Fleurdelacoeur The form for your S3 choices is fab. Very clear and well laid out. My DD would be able to pick all the subjects they wanted from that. I also note with interest how Physics is located within the Technologies subject circle. Might use that as ammunition if our school insist they have to take a Technolgy subject (just broaden its definition then 😄). Bearsden has an excellent reputation doesn’t it? On the presentation of its handbook alone it’s impressive!

Interesting that in the Bearsden Academy choices form, PE counts as an "expressive art" Shows how broadly the subjects can be categorised Going by that definition, ds didn't drop all Expressive Arts subjects at the end of S2 as I had thought

Neither of my DSs have ever got what they wanted on the options form. One just about to leave and the other about to go into S6. Sometimes it's just the way it is. I would guess that it is to do with CfE and it's because they aren't really following his it's supposed to work. If you were making choices at the end of S3 then BGE doesn't apply and then you just have the reinstalling issues to contend with. Hopefully you do get what you want but if possible is be trying to think what highers she might be wanting to do and prioritise those.

For reinstalling read time-tabling.

Focusing on looking at options for Higher is good advice as is not closing down future paths. My DC's school options form is similar. Seems odd the Guidance Teacher is suggesting dropping the 2nd science rather than the 2nd expressive art.

Our school allows off timetable music as an extra subject for DC with musical ability as performance makes up so much of the exam, so that would be the obvious route in this case. (The ABRSM exams also cover off quite a lot of the syllabus and count for UCAS at grade 6 upwards. My 2 both play instruments and take part in choir / orchestra / school show etc but they wanted to do Art so dropped music. One is picking up for crash Advanced Higher in 6th year).

PE counts as an "expressive art" And Home Ec as a Technology! I think the reasoning is that they offer Dance as a Nat 5 course in S4 which is probably more expressive art than anything else. There does appear to be quite a lot of wriggle room in the subjects which are offered in which classifications.

The kids do get a wide choice but it's a big school - intake each year of 210. Other local schools can't offer things like Computing as they can't get a teacher.

We’re not in Scotland but PE was listed as an expressive art for DD3. When DD2 had her options it was a science. 🤔

This was dd's option sheet for S3. She took Spanish, history, art and design, computing and the 3 sciences as well as English and maths. She needs to drop 2 for S4 and wants to keep 3 sciences and art and wants to drop Spanish and history.

I agree Fleur - size does make such a difference. Ds' school has an intake of c250 a year and an overall capacity of over 1200 (in fact, technically, it is now above its agreed capacity of 1250 ). Hence it is able to offer Nat 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers in pretty much any normal subject you want (except Latin as the teacher retired the year before ds started there and it's not a subject you can recruit for any more )

When I was at Bearsden Academy (many many moons ago ) I (along with most of my class) was able to do 6 Highers - although I then went to Uni so didn't do CSYS/A levels (they used to allow us to choose which was more suitable). (Although I'd argue that back then it wasn't actually a good school as it only cared about the "clever" pupils and pretty much left those that struggled on the scrap heap ) I'm sure it is a more rounded school now

DSs school has an intake of 5 or sometimes 6 classes and they are not always able to offer the variety we might like or timetable more flexibly. It's not like they can suddenly decide they's rather have an extra PE teacher and one less maths teacher. They just have to wait til one leaves

If you can also try to get a copy of the form for S4 as the column choices may restrict which subjects you can drop and the ones you take forward to Nat 5.

DS's choices attached, he would have liked to have dropped French and Graphic Comms, but his S4 columns do not allow it.