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Secondary education

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Original poster

Year 9 - choosing options - how is it going?

143 replies

roisin · 20/01/2011 02:32

I was looking back at an old thread and wondering how everyone is?

MaryAnnSingleton
LadyGlencoraSnape
bellavita
OrmIrian
Polgara2

magentadreamer

deaddei

cocolepew

GrapefruitMoon
stleger

cory

.. and I'm sure lots of others I can't recall!

Are you all into the swing of options choosing?

Ds1 has to do Maths, Science (2), English (2), IT (2); the has thre options.
He has very high end of yr9 targets (mostly L8), but is on/above target for almost all, so has plenty of choice.
His current thoughts are triple science, German and History. He would have liked to do Spanish or Latin as well, but I think that will be plenty to keep him busy!

OP posts:
oldbeforetime · 25/01/2011 18:01

My "options" were certainly carried out in a different manner to this.

At my school we had to go to each subject teacher and ask to do their subject resulting in

Please may i do your subject? No
Please may I do your subject? Do you really think that's a good idea old.
Please may I do your subject? Laughing I don't think so.

Me to HeadTeacher - no teacher will have me.
Headteacher - leave it to me I'll sort it out.

God knows what bribery had to take place in the staff room, but I got to sit 10 GCSEs in the end Grin

Original poster
roisin · 25/01/2011 18:07

ROFL! Grin

OP posts:
webwiz · 25/01/2011 21:13

There is a copy of the letter to parents about options on the school website but DS denies any knowledge of it. Either a) scatty form teacher forgot to give out letter or b) letter is screwed up at the bottom of DS's bag and he will find it when he packs his stuff for tomorrow.

Anyway a language is compulsory, how much science you do depends on your science set and history and geography are just in the general options choice. No blocks - you just list your choices.

bellavita · 25/01/2011 21:22

Hello, how did I miss this thread?

Options evening on the 9th Feb, reports home on the 18th Feb, parent cons day on 3rd March, option forms have to be in end of March.

DS1 says he wants to do

Music
IT
Business studies
Media

Decorhate · 26/01/2011 17:05

Dd now says it won't be compulsory to do either history or geography after all. And they won't put the subjects into groups. So they will get to state which 3 options they want & the school tries to accomodate them.

At the moment she is planning on History, Drama and either Latin or French (she will do German as her compulsory MFL)

bellavita · 26/01/2011 17:21

DS1 says he has to do Maths, English, Science and half RE whatever that means... He doesn't want to do a language.

Ormirian · 26/01/2011 17:23

I think DS1 will want to do science and science and science and science. And maybe maths and DT. And art. And German because he likes going to the Christmas market and eating bratwurst Grin

Decorhate · 26/01/2011 17:30

Bella does he appreciate that he won't qualify for the English bacc if he doesn't?

bellavita · 26/01/2011 17:40

I have asked him if he knew about the Bacc, but he doesn't - he has just screwed his face up at me when I suggested it to him and that he could gain recognition for doing a language.

When they complete their options forms, they have to go through an interview process (so the school website informs me). it says they will do their best to accommodate the wishes of the pupils, but sometimes this is not guaranteed.

Decorhate · 26/01/2011 17:45

Any views on doing French v Latin as her extra language? At the moment she is wanting to do science at A level but of course that might change...

bellavita · 26/01/2011 18:55

DH thinks that DS should be doing a language - Spanish or French (these are the only languages they do at his school) (he currently does Spanish). DS disagrees. He said the business studies counts as two options. Should he not get the BS then he will have to have a back up plan of a language and perhaps another science.

Is she going to specialise in languages Decor? If so, then Latin would be the way to go.

nagynolonger · 26/01/2011 19:45

How important is this english bacc?

I think DS5 has chosen a good mix but it doesn't include history or geography. He only has 3 options. He is using one for science, one for french and one for music. So he will do the following GCSEs,

Maths
Statistics
English x 2
French
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
PE
Music
ICT (Btec which they all have to do)
RE (short course which they all do).

As far as I know the school are not insisting on a MFL or a Humanity subject. Will he really find his future options limited with the above list. If DS had 4 options he would gladly chose history but he loves music and has been looking foreward to doing GCSE with others who are as keen as he is.

Ormirian · 26/01/2011 19:47

Oh lord! You are all taking this very seriously ] I suppose I had better start talking to DS about it. I think he's got a handle on it

nagynolonger · 26/01/2011 19:53

It's just this english bacc thing that's appeared from nowhere that's bothering me.

I've seen his 5 older sibs through this stage and thought I knew it all!

RatherBeOnThePiste · 26/01/2011 21:00

Decorhate. At the mo our DD wants to do three sciences at A level plus Latin! I sort of feel maybe Latin could be useful.

DD won't get the English bacc because they do IGCSEs in 4 of the subjects but not in hist or geog. So although the subjects are there, they don't count cit doesn't worry me at all.

Original poster
roisin · 26/01/2011 21:35

Ormirian - I have barely discussed it with ds1; we have loads of time and I don't want him to stress about it.

We haven't had any formal information from school on the subject yet either.

I don't think Ebacc is something to worry about either. If ds1 were artistic or musical as well as wanting to do triple sciences, then he wouldn't get the ebacc: wouldn't worry me.

ds2 is only in yr7, but his favourite subjects currently are music, tech and science. So I can't see he'll do ebacc!

OP posts:
oldbeforetime · 27/01/2011 07:59

Well the good news is history didn't repeat itself with my dd.

All the teachers want her in their subject.

Although I've just realised that she is at a very pressured school.

English is her weakest subject, and the English teacher was saying he was very worried about her English examination mark, and that she was great in class but couldn't write it.

I asked what we had to do to get her a C.

C Shock I'm worried she'll get a B.

I said I'm not worried then! Hmm

Very proud of her, but am worried about the pressure the school is putting on her, and can see why she thinks she's not very good if teachers are saying 'worried/concerned' at grades like this.

verybored · 27/01/2011 11:41

Had the very useful and informative (not!) options evening. DS1 is now changing his mind about French and tbh he does hate it so I think it would be a pretty miserable two years if he took it.

So he definitely wants History and Geography but we are struggling for a third option and a reserve. He wants to put Sociology, but I don't think they will allow 3 humanities. So then he is left with the crative arts - art, drama, dance, music - none of which interest him. Business studies, construction, product design, hair and beauty, child development, P.E and media studies.

So he's not very good at sport and the others are just not him - apart from possibly media studies but there's only a handful of places.

I thought it would be difficult to whittle it down to 3 plus a reserve, but then I didn't realise what the choices would be!

webwiz · 27/01/2011 15:37

Does he has any idea what direction your DS might want to go in verybored? DS is making choices a bit difficult as he doesn't seem bothered about any subjects really. He doesn't know whether to take French or German - he likes both equally, is equally good at them and no he doesn't want to take both. The same for History or Geography grrr. We have parents evening tonight so that may be helpful.

verybored · 27/01/2011 18:25

He's very into science and wants to do history and geography. They only offer one language, French. Yesterday he wasn't going to do it, today he is. I think we will have to wait to see what his teacher says at parents evening.

Webwiz, have you looked at the syllabus for History & Geography? Ds's looks very intersesting and I think if he was only going to do one, History would have won hands down!

webwiz · 28/01/2011 10:22

verybored the history is medicine through time and germany which I think DS will enjoy. DD2 who's in year 13 did History GCSE and AS and I don't think its changed much from then.

We had parents evening last night - DS told me off for sighing too loudly in the huge slow moving queue for the Science teacherHmm. We are none the wiser as to what he should choose for his last choice but next week is the actual options evening when you can see whats involved in each subject.

summer111 · 28/01/2011 11:20

This is my first time going through GCSE options and need some opinions please. DD is very bright but as yet, doesn't know what she might like to do in the future. She loves her music, is very literate (English level 8 at xmas exams) and does well in Maths and Science. Amongst her compulsary subjects is Core Science and of her 3 options, she wants to take French, Music and Psychology.
However I'm concerned that if she doesn't take Additional Science, she will then not be able to take a science subject (ie Biology, Physics or Chemistyr)for A levels. DH doesn't seem to think this is an issue and I don't want to push her into taking additional science thus dropping either music or psychology, which she may enjoy more and thus get better results in them.

Any thoughts?

webwiz · 28/01/2011 11:33

summer111 she MUST take additional science or she will be seriously stuffed at A level choice time. There is no way that a child who is good at science should only do the Core science, Psychology at GCSE would probably be fun but not at the expense of the extra science. Has she not been offered triple science?

mummytime · 28/01/2011 11:50

She is really only doing core science?

Most schools do Core and Additional for all pupils but the very bottom sets. Then brighter pupils raise this to triple science (GCSES in all three sciences).

Psychology is fun but not really worth anything at GCSE, if she wanted to do it at Uni she would need Science A'levels (probably not Psychology).

how many GCSEs do they do? My DS is doing 2 English, Maths, a MFL equivalanet, 1/2 RE, 1/2 ICT, 3 Sciences, then his 3 options.

summer111 · 28/01/2011 12:41

Webwiz, this is my thinking entirely. Yes, triple science is an option too but don't think she'd go for that.
Mummytime, they do 9 1/2 - core are English (2) maths, core science, RE, PE 1/2 and IT 1/2. They do a short course in PRE too. They then choose 3 options.

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