Hmm so DD has had her options book and...

[LadyGlencoraPalliser]

I am wondering if it is worth trying to have a fight with the school.
Basically she will be doing
Triple science
English
Maths (with Statistics thrown in as BOGOF)
RE
She can choose two from a group of Humanities/Languages. She has chosen
German
History
She then has to choose two from a group of technology and arts subjects, but one MUST be a technology subject
She had chosen Music but would also like to do Drama. Instead she will have to do Food Tech as her dyspraxia makes all the other tech subjects utter misery for her.
Now as Gove has withdrawn specialist status from schools I can see no reason why she should be forced to take one of a group of subjects in which she has no interest and for which she has no aptitude when there are plenty of other subjects they offer which would suit her very well (Drama, 2nd language).
It's probably not worth making a fuss though, is it?

Well, I would say a tech subject is a pretty central part of any broad education in 2011, not really marginal in its relevance.
PS I am not a tech teacher but I did study Comp Studies a million years ago. I wouldn't have chosen it but by god it has come in flipping useful

I disagree on that one. I don't think a tech subject is hugely important.

And Scotland knows how to do Broad.

LGP - Maybe it's a second child thing. ds1 hasn't particularly enjoyed any of the tech subjects he's done. ds2 has had a variety of accolades for his tech work (learner of the week, very high targets etc.) and spends one lunchtime and one [long] after-school session at a tech club, fiddling with go-kart parts in a workshop!

Our local tech college is our catchment comp, this county aims for catchment schools. There is a specialist MFL school on the other side of the city, I'd personally take MFLs over tech subjects any time, but it's a trek by bus, and it's a church school and we're atheists. So the specialism thing is meaningless around here, my dc (one of whom is definitely good at languages) would have no chance of going to the specialist MFL school. Realistically they have a choice of the comp or the next one along which is media and performing arts.

and my old school, in a small town in the middle of nowhere, is now a specialist sports college. there was no other state school for 10 miles in any direction. it's silly.

However, as my dc are all good at tech subjects and enjoy them I think we're ok, but that's pure chance. nothing to do with parental or student choice or aptitude.