Year 9 - choosing options - how is it going?

[roisin]

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!

Uskgirl - BTECs can be good for students who really struggle with examinations, or are likely to be the wrong side of a C/D borderline in an examined course.

But they are also (currently) a good way of enhancing school results/league tables, so some schools encourage a wider range of pupils to take them.

If your son is likely to want to pursue academic studies in future, it's probably best to stick with straight GCSEs as far as possible.

Happyhev - I have been told that a 6a at the end of Y9 is needed at our school to do triple science - but they don't finalise the classes for this till sometime in Y 10 so still scope for pupils who really want to do it to work hard over the next year & show they are able for it. My dd is also 6b at the mo....

Decorhate that seems fair to me. The problem with my ds's school is that they are saying that even if ds was a high level 7 he wouldn't be allowed to take triple science as he is not in the top pathway.

happhev - I am also finding the 'pathway' system too rigid. At DD's school, the only difference between the top two pathways is triple science. Unfortunately, we have had mixed messages as to the requiremets. From being in top set science, to being in top set everyhing and taking FFT levels into consideration.

I can understand the concern when triple science is done as an extra, in the same timetabled slot that would be used for double. But if it is an option choice, abilities in other subjects should be less of an issue. Except of course if a child is really struggling with other core subjects so needs less options and more time spent on those.

Many thanks for your help Roisin. Parents evening in a week so I'll interrogate them!

Many thanks for your help Roisin. Parents evening in a week so I'll interrogate them!

We had DS's option evening last night and now have a very nice booklet with lots of info about all the subjects.

Everyone has to do the Ebacc unless "it isn't appropriate" so the option blocks have one for language and another for History or Geography and then two more with a free choice.

DS is taking French, History, Drama and Music as well as 7 core subjects (maths, english x 2, science x 3 and RS) so that should keep him busy! The form goes in after half term but I think he's quite happy with his choices.

@Webwiz so your DS couldn't choose both history and geography? I am afraid this will happen to my DD. Oh well, we will find out at half term. :(

He could still choose History and Geography even though it didn't fit in the blocks and the same for two languages, the blocks were "rough" at this stage.

I'm not sure why Music suddenly came to the forefront but DS dragged me to see the Music teacher at parents evening and he seemed to be much more excited by it than the thought of Geography.

He has been learning the guitar for 4 years with a very scary teacher and is around grade 6 standard so I don't think it will be a problem for him.

It's a right nightmare here!

DD is doing a 3 year KS4 and option subjects are taken one a year over the 3 years. DD in year 8 for her yr9 option put: Geography, Geology, History and Psychology. For her yr10 option she wanted to do Geology but that fell foul to EBAC - the Geolgy Teacher will be running another Geography class. DD is going to put Pyschology and reluctantly History down but is worried that as Psychology is popular and History needed for EBAC ( she'll have Geography for EBAC) she'll end up doing her as yet unknown 3rd choice! I have suggested that DD goes and talks to the very nice Psychology Teacher and makes her aware that she wants to do it. I'm hoping the "nice quiet, hard working, no trouble at all" persona DD portrays in School might swing her a place! Well it's worth a try, I'll be making a bee line for her at Options evening. As for DD's yr11 option I can't wait to go throw this all again!

DD's core subjects are: Triple Science - which DD would have opted to do if it wasn't a core subject. Maths and Statistics, English x 2 German, ICT - OCR National in yr9 and BTEC yr10-11, RE - short course and PE - DD blagged herself off the GCSE PE and is actually enjoying the BTEC.

So how is the 3 year KS4 thing going magenta? What non-core subject(s) is she doing this year (yr9)? Do they do GCSE in just a single year? How many lessons do they have in the subject?

Sorry, for all the questions, but my school is switching to this system and I'm intrigued as to how it all works.

Also, given that the GCSE exams are in May/early June, what happens after that? Do they start their new subjects?

magentadreamer that description makes my head spin! DS's school are holding out on the two years of KS4 even though all the schools around us are switching to three years.

Magenta - I am confused just reading about your DD's options! We still have two-year KS4 here. I think the three-year concept sounds interesting though as it clearly gives more able DC a chance to sample more stuff.
We had a postcard this morning from the history teacher suggesting DD choose history for GCSE - the hard sell is starting!
As it happens, she is planning to choose it anyway.

I was looking for this thread last night, but couldn't find it!

My daughter is getting to choose either 3 GCSE subjects, or 2 GCSE's and one BTEC or 2 GCSE's and AS Critical Thinking or AS Citizenship

she did seem keen on the Critical Thinking, but seems to now be going for German and Graphics as a definite and then GCSE Drama, for reserves GCSE Music, and BTEC Dance, and has now gone off Critical Thinking!

ds1 did both history and Geography.He definately found Geogrphy easier,but less interetsing but he is a bit of a history boffin so that was where he was natutrally interested.Geography is apparently very well respected at A level by universities as they see it as a crossover subject.

Also ds hated French but a MFL was compulsory at his school,despite hating it and struggling he eventually managed a B with an A in his aural and is now very pleased that he persevered,especially as some universities including London are making a MFL compulsory when applying

Webwiz it's making mine spin as well!

Roisin, DD's school bands then for core subjects and they do these within their year groups. Optional subjects are done via vertical tutoring and open to any band, therefore DC's in lower bands can still access the more traditional subjects and not be shoe horned into the newer courses as is the case at another local High School. Due to the vertcal tutoring of options it does mean that a more wider range can be offered reflecting the diversity of the DC's attending. Ok so my DD can't find a third subject, but I'm sure other DC's can!

DD has 6 lessons a week for her option, these are split into 3 lessons on two different days. The 3 lessons have either break/tutor time or lunch to split then up. DD actually likes these "super lessons" as she feels they are able to do alot more work then if say they had an lesson one day then another the next day. Her Geography Teacher breaks the lessons up extremely well and has then doing several topics in a session. The downside would be if her Teacher went off sick for a few weeks! Also it does make doing an option you really want to do that bit more important as you're going to have to do 6 lessons a week of it. Hence DD's reluctance to commit to a 3rd choice on her form!

DD will also be doing GCSE Statistics this year, which actually flows nicely as the first Maths Module is Data Handling which they will take in Nov of yr10. She has other exams for Maths and Science in yr10. In English they have a year of what is called GCSE skills in yr9 to help then start the CA's in yr10.

You've raised a very interesting question Roisin regarding what do they do with the little buggers darlings come May/June. I'm not too sure. They do start the new years timetable in July but 6 weeks of dossing of enrichment activities is a bit much.

I'm under no illusion as to why DD's school took this route but for my DD it appears to be working and she is thriving. The only lessons DD misses is Drama and Art but she does sculpture club on a Tuesday and Drama club on a Friday.

Is that 6 lessons out of 25 or 30? (Are the lessons 50 mins or 1 hr?)

So does she do one option subject per year, or two?

I'm pleased it's working out for her - and good point about the importance of extra-curricular clubs in maintaining interest.

I hadn't thought about the impact if a teacher is off sick: that's quite scary, isn't it? Because the curriculum is being delivered in such a short space of time.

Maybe at options evenings they should provide data on individual teacher absence over the past year!

The lessons are one hour so it's 6 out of 25.
They take one option a year but submit an option form with 3 choices on every year. Which is actually rather good as if interest hanges they're not stuck with choices made in yr8. But for DD it's a bit of a nightmare given she only really wants to do 4 subjects, one she's doing now and another has been scrapped so that leaves her in the situation she could end up with her " I put it on the form" choice.

I love the idea of marching up and saying to the subject teacher " Sooooooooooooo tell me about your sick leave!"