YR9 options, 5 GCSE's in YR10 and 6 in YEAR 11, is the way forward.......any experience of this anyone?

[quietlifeplease]

Hi, my year 9 has just taken his options and it looks likely that he is to have split subjects as follows;

Next yr sept 2011 - 2012
English Language
Maths
Science (exam normal end of yr 11 ? 2013)
IT
Geography
German

Following Yr sept 2012 - 2013
English literature
Maths (probably further maths like A level)
Science
Employability
GCSE PE
Resistant Materials

does anybody have any experience of schools doing this currently and does it work? Our school is new to this approach...it is tried and tested or is my DS a guinea pig? I hope not, thanks

Our school don't do this and I haven't come across it elsewhere. So no help, I'm afraid.
I'm curious though - what is Employability? Is it an actual GCSE?
We haven't had DD's options book yet, so I don't know the full details of her offer.

Guinea pig, I'm afraid. Sounds hideous; our GCSE classes have 4 lessons a week of maths. If your child is doing a 2 year course in 1 year and isn't a top set accelerated type, then he'll presumably be doubling the teaching time. 8 lessons of maths is an awful lot in a week, to have to sit through, and to have to teach!

Yes! Its called Enterprise and Employability in its entiraty...very bizzare. here you go..

Subject Content
The Subject Content is divided into seven main sections:

What is Enterprise Capability?
The Enterprise Process
Enterprise and the World Wide Web
Promoting Personal Employability
Understanding and Planning Personal Finance
Understanding Finance for Enterprise
Rights, Responsibilities and Ethical Considerations of Enterprise Activities

I would be interested to hear from anyone whos school currently adopt this approach currently.

Noblegiraffe, he is top set Maths and is taking first module GCSE on March 9th. Core subjects stay the same ie 4 lessons a week. but the optional subjects I.E German and Geography double, so it gives them the best chance at passing, with an option to retake in yr 11 if necessary. But its a lot to take on when you are still only 14.

Anybody else's school operate similarly?

I know schools that do Maths and English Language in yr 10, and sometimes a first MFL - the idea is top set is accelerated through year 9 and finishes the syllabus in time in year 10. IT should be a doddle too. But science + geog too sounds a bit much.

But are they really doing only 6 subjects in year 11, or will they be expected to take on an extra subject or start AS courses or what?

At DS school some do maths in yr10, and the majority of the rest sit it in the Nov of yr 11. Those who fail or want higher grade resit in the summer.

DS5 will be in yr 10 next year and he will sit english language in yr 10 and lit in year 11. Any that don't get a C in year 10 will resit in year 11. Some of these will still be entred for english lit in year 11 some may just repeat language.

Some top sets start GCSEs in year 9 and then start AS levels early.

If he's taking his first maths module in March of Y9 then I assume he'll do the next in November and the final one of June Y10? That's not as bad as trying to squeeze it all in one year and is fine for a top set.

When our school were looking into it, it seems that starting maths A-level in Y11 isn't the best option for accelerated kids, they don't do very well on the modules and usually end up resitting in Y12, so our bright kids do Statisics GCSE in Y10 and maths GCSE in Y11 instead. Is Stats an option at your DS's school?

DDs school accelerates KS3 to finish at the end of y8. They then do 11-13 GCSEs at the end of y10, some do maths at the end of y9, I believe some might do an mfl at the end of y9 too. They then have a 3 year sixth form, some do additional GCSEs in y11. They have been doing this for at least 3 years. It works well. Superselective GS, though.

DDs school do stats in yr10 for too set as an extra. No opportunity to retake it. Then maths as normal in yr10/11. Also ICT GCSE equiv in yr9, and I believe top set science are about to start 1st GCSE module in yr9.

I would be cautious as this could all change a bit. As GCSEs have to finish with 40% of the marks coming from the final set of exams, when the subject is certified.

I am also puzzled as DCs school does English Lit first then language, because it is English Language which is the crucial GCSE, so its best if pupils are as mature as possible.

The year 11 seems a bit light IMHO.

Noblegiraffe.....Yes the top maths certainly does satistics, and some do accountancy too.

Thank you for all your replies. Noblegiraffe.... if all goes well DS will do furthermaths (?) yr 11. I think they do English language yr 10, so there is max opportunity to resit if necessary. Science is a standard 2 year course. It doesn't seem as unusual as I first thought and they have said yr11 is provisional atm...so we will have to wait and see!

'ek. but the optional subjects I.E German and Geography double, so it gives them the best chance at passing,.'

This makes me mad. Schools do this to try and make sure their tables look right. I think exams should all be taken in year 11, in one sitting. What is the point of people retaking and retaking? It's not a real test of brilliance? (This isn't aimed at the OP's son, btw).

If he's bright why is the school letting him take employability and resistant materials and PE? That is three 'soft' exams. If he's bright, does he really have to use up three options with those?

I don't understand the logic of OP's school. If a child wanted to take, say, Geography and German at A Level would they be taking the GCSE in Y10 (in a rush, under-prepared and a year too young), ignoring the subjects for Y11 while they do other GCSE and then take up the subjects again from cold in Y12?

I agree with Abr1de, that part of the test of GCSE is 'how many subjects can you juggle in your head at the same time'. Five GCSE in one year and six the next is not as impressive as eleven taken all at the same time. This information will be on the record forever - Universities and employers always ask the date when qualifications were obtained so they will see the Y10/Y11 split.

Depth and breadth in education is far more valuable than acceleration. It's fine for strong mathematicians to do GCSE early and then go on to further maths, or for good language students to do GCSE early as long as they then keep practising so they do not lose the skills, but I don't like the sound of this approach which appears to deny children the chance to mature in a subject.

I am not trying to justify OP school, but if an employer/uni sees 2 student's grades and then has one with all A and A* but taken in 2 years as opposed to the 10 gcse's taken in one year where there are say 2 or 3 B's
who would they favour?

QuietLife - i've not heard of this happening at DD's school as far as I know.

Re. English Language/Literature, I thought Lit needed a more mature mind than Lang and that's presumably why it's done later than Lang at your school but I could be very wrong! I'm a case in point: I did A'level English (lit)and got an E grade. Some years later I went to Birkbeck to do English (lit) as a mature student and came out with a good Upper Second! sorry a bit off topic.

I think one of the main reasons for doing Eng Lang in Year 10 and Eng Lit in Year 11 is to boost the schools stats. Those who do well in Yr 10 go on to do Eng Lit Yr 11, while those who flunk it have another go in Yr 11. Possibly this works well for lower ability and higher ability students, but I wonder if it means that middle ability pupils end up with lower English grades than if they were taking both subjects over two years.

I really can't understand this taking GCSEs so early now, especially as some pupils will only be 15 and some still 14 when they take them in Y10. Also, as some other posters have said above, universities look when the exams have been taken, whether all in one go or resits. Also, English language needs maturity, so I don't know why schools take it early.

In my town, some of the grammar schools started some pupils taking some GCSEs early. This has spread to nearly all schools taking all GCSEs early (not my DC's school, thank goodness).

The downside of this, as explained to me by someone whose child goes to a comprehensive that takes the subjects early, is that the pupil has taken GCSE, wants to move on, maybe to 6th form college, but can't, because they are too young and so have to almost waste a year, because it puts them out of sync with other pupils.

Back to the good old days of everyone taking them at the end of Y11, I say!

Gove wants to get rid of modular exams, so that may well happen.

DS's school has recently been paired with an outstanding school, slightly out of our area and they have adopted this approach successfully. I think it is more about moving the school from satisfactory to good (ofsted) But I sincerely hope that it is also best for the students.

I was a little worried about his 'easier' year 11, bit I think this means they will have time to resit if need be. Also DS was going to take French but having dropped it for a yr he was worried that he would have lost the flow.

Gove needs to have a good look inside some of our comprehensive schools and start investing money in them, never mind messing around with exams. If schools had more investment the kids would work harder.

DS's school does this split GCSE thing and he finds it okay. Gives them time to spread them out and not stress out!!

DS is at a Top State Grammar, and they don't sit ANY GCSE's in Yr10. In fact, no Maths or Science modules are sat either - they take them ALL at the end of Yr 11.

This way they thoroughly cover all topics and have plenty of revision time. DS has already covered a fair bit of the Maths A level syllabus i Yr 11 so the GCSE should seem easy.

I thought this was very strange, but it works! They were the Sunday Times No1 state school this year. They also think the Un's approve more if all exams done in one sitting (but I don't know if that is true at all, but they do have c.26 Oxbridge offers this year from 120 boys).