All schools to move to 2-year KS3; ie options at end of yr8 (age 12-13)

[roisin]

Apparently there are government proposals to move to a two-year KS3 nationally. Are you aware of this?

Can anyone link a media or govt report on this for me?

(I want to write to Gove to complain/object, but I need some hard facts rather than rumour!)

I've located the report - it's here.

Its not a 2 years KS3 then options like we have now though is it. It seems to be suggesting a wider subject base throughour KS4. Compulsory Geography, History, MFL, Arts and D&T.

Have to say this this model would probably suit my very academic Y9 DS, who is having to drop History and D & T at the end if this year.

Oh please! Let the children have a choice. They don't want to be treated like primary school children and made to study everything.
Believe it or not they are individuals!

Presumably academies and free schools can opt out of this.

I was reassured to see that they would couple this with discouraging schools entering students early for GCSE by only counting Y11 entries towards the league tables. The current 3 year KS3 which seems to be run in the schools of some posters on MN where they end up doing tonnes of GCSEs over 3 years would be terrible.

3 year KS4 I meant!

Oh FFS. Making D&T compulsory is just ridiculous.

At DD1s school they have a 2 year KS3, a 2 year KS4 and a 3 year 6th form. It's one of the top state schools in the country (and gets considerably better results than the independent schools in this part of the world). I can't see them wanting to change the way they do things.

I would happily chain myself to the railings outside Downing Street to protest against D&T being made compulsory.

Just sounds like the way it used to be?

D&T was compulsory for GCSE at my comprehensive school when I took my exams 12 years ago! So was R.E, either French or German and either History or Georgraphy. One of music, drama or art was strongly encouraged though not toally compulsory.

I think breadth of curriculum is a good thing.

They might need to stop changing GCSE and BTEC courses that have already been started then...

I don't think D&T was ever compulsory unless individual schools deemed it so. Making it compulsory robs academic kids of a GCSE choice, and basically ensures that kids with dyspraxia will have one less GCSE. It's discriminatory. And it's not like D&T isn't popular with most kids anyway (DS will certainly want to do one of the D&T options when the time comes, as will most of his mates, I reckon). I don't think it needs the push. But some kids need protecting from it. I woukd have done. My DDs would.

The report seems to suggest that subjects like D&T, while being compulsory through KS4 would not be compulsory as a GCSE. It wouldn't be robbing academic students of a GCSE choice because it would be in addition to their academic choices rather than instead of one of them. This would be possible due to KS4 being stretched over 3 years instead of 2, without suggesting that the number of GCSEs taken should be increased (or increased substantially, at least, as they would expect them all to be taken at the end of Y11).

I'm one of those posters who's Dc is already doing a 3 yr KS4 with the lunatic amounts of GCSE/BTEC being taken. DD now year 10 already has Two GCSE and another dubious worth a GCSE qualification. I haven't waded throw the report but one thing that strikes me is that KS4 doesn't give much room for a bit of choice in what a DC will study it seems IMO to be an extension of KS3 ie nothing is dropped! I do like the idea of only exams sat in yr11 counting towards league tables. Also a 3 year KS4 does make Triple Science more doable without losing an option DD has been able to Triple Science, plus History, Geography and her "soft" option of Psychology. MFL are compulsary for the top stream at her school.

theta even at our school D&T was compulsory for cohorts up until that leaving after Y13 in 2008. It was dropped after that.

yellowstone Really? That is outrageous. And, as I said, discriminatory.

This world, honestly, sometimes I despair. If they want to make something that lots of people can't do compulsory why not make it art or music? At least those subjects enrich even those who will never be any good at them. Prioritising DT at the same time as performing arts are being destroyed is just Gradgrindism.

Why is art enriching to the unartistic if D&T isn't enriching to the impractical?

Because people who can't play music can still enjoy it and most do. People who can't paint (like me) can still like looking at a painting or can enjoy slapping paint around. We can even oretend we are avant garde experimental artistes and nobody can argue with us! People with SEN who may not be covered by insurance to actually use the tools, and who often lack the muscle tone to do so anyway, let alone the coordination, can't get anything from the process except a feeling of failure and stigmatisation. And possibly injuries.

You were joking when you dismissed dyspraxia as being 'impractical', right?

Actually, I'm not going to let this worry me. It's not an issue for DD1 since she is already doing KS4 and it might not be an issue for DD2 since (a) it might never happen and (b) even if it does, it might be reversed again before 5 years are up.

They are suggesting that the arts (including music) also be compulsory through KS4.

They want the arts, D&T, ICT and Citizenship to continue in some form in KS4, to be decided by schools.

They want History, Geography, MFL and PE to continue throughout KS4 with a basic specified programme of study.

See the table on page 29 of the report.

The blind or seriously visually impaired don't get much from music. The deaf and hearing impaired don't get much from music. Those with any SEN which precludes involvement in a particular subject do need special arrangements.

That is a separate issue from what goes into the general curriculum.

Sorry - I meant "art" in terms of visually impaired. And for both I mean within the confines of a mainstream school.

At dd1's school they have been doing a 3 year KS4 for ages.
Each child has to decide at the end of year 8 which tech subject and which MFL they are going to do for gcse.
Then they make more choices at the end of year 9 having sat a science gcse at the end of year 9.
The tech subjects are art, textiles, food technology, materials and one other that I can't remember.
They do a rotation of these during the first two years so they get a taste of them all.
For gcse, history or geography is compulsory and then there is a choice of a further subject. Dd1 chose Psychology because her first choice of RE long course didn't have enough takers.