Can anybody help me write a letter to the school PLEASE?

[SuperB0F]

I'm all up in my own grid with being upset about this and I'm finding it hard to articulate this, so I'd really appreciate any help.

I have tried calling on the phone, but I'm waiting for them to get round to ringing me back, and I'm worried I'll get over-emotional talking about it.

It's about sixth form provision.

My daughter hopes to do Maths at university, ideally Oxbridge or somewhere equally super duper, you get the picture. I know all MNers think their progeny are especially gifted, but really really she has a lot of potential.

To achieve this, she needs a top result in Physics as well as Maths.

The school has just converted to an academy, running its own budget etc, which is presumably behind their decision to not employ an extra member of staff...

The A Level physics class has thirty five pupils in it.

There aren't even enough seats!

I'm gutted for the kid- their science results are shit anyway, and of course she is very insistent on not moving.

How do I change their minds?

I've gone from being ecstatic about her straight A* results at GCSE, and thinking she got a chance here to do well in life (God knows her background is poor and challenging in lots of other ways; I'll never be able to help her financially), to being raging furious and upset that the school don't seem to give a shit about supporting their students.

How on earth do I word all this? Please please can somebody help?

oh! Hully! Not seen you for months. How are you?

(sorry BOF)

Hello Loops! Oh all right, you know, struggling on.

I'd go in and see principal. A class of 35 is bound to slow things down.
When she looked at 6th forms did you have a viable second choice? It might be worth ringing them to see whether a move would be possible and do it sooner rather than later.
BOF Your DD sounds like my DS. He's just started 6th form and is doing Maths, FM, Physics Chemistry and Biology.He is aiming for Cambridge. I think his largest class is 20 in Biology but it's a 6th form college,not sure if that makes a difference, none of the local schools have a 6th form.

I have an Oxbridge maths degree. Physics is not a requirement. One of my friends did Latin, another did History as a third subject.
The requirements were to have done Maths and Further maths. Even then if your school hadn't offered further maths, they would consider you, assuming you showed enough potential, in theory, although I knew no one who had done that, entering through the normal system.

I think if you had a good reason to do another science, then they wouldn't bat an eyelid, might ask the reasons at interview, but it wouldn't effect offers unless they said something foolish (like I didn't do Physics because the maths looked hard)

I think a lot of Oxbridge tutors are more likely to look sideways at someone who involved the press over a school issue tbh.

I am so sorry BOF. I don't blame you at all for being so pissed off. She is a brilliantly clever girl, I think there is no way she is going to get dedicated teaching in a class of 35, not for a subject like Physics.

Will she move at all? I know from dd's school that there is a degree of flexibiklity in the first 3 weeks or so. With those results she would be taken in anywhere. Is she absolutely wedded to staying there? Would she be persuaded to start a new school?

One thing I have been really impressed about with dd's school (which, on paper, is a bog standard comp in a grammar school area) is the size of classes - in History and Geog she has about 6 kids, English and photography there are a dozen kids.

It is absolutely not fair that she is in a class of 35. I would be so upset.

I would ask for a meeting with the head, and see how the land lies (or how much bullshit they try on) and then write a letter, copied into the governors.

Thanks, I will copy the governors in, that's a good idea. I wish she would consider moving, but like so many teenagers, she, um, 'knows her own mind'

There's a decent college many of her friends have gone to, but it's a long bus journey away, which she is very vocal about (same for everyone, but hey, what do I know?).

There's another school sixth form which would be a bit of a trek too, but it's science department is excellent- response to that suggestion was "I will NOT be the new kid"

And there's a local private school, which I suppose there's a theoretical possibility she could attend if they offered full scholarships (don't know), but she would be all ra ra socialist about that suggestion.

It really comes across that she wants to stay put, so I'm left with kicking up some kind of slowly-escalating stink really. I could do with speaking to some other parents, but I'm unsure how to go about it as obviously there isn't the same school gate culture at secondary school and I actually don't know any.

I thik that you have to have a Plan B, and sharpish.
If your DD is potentially handicapped by there being 35 in a class then that means that there are 34 others who are in the same position. How would you feel if you found out that you could have moved to an acceptable, alternative sixth form but some of the other 34 beat you to it and there are now no more spaces ...

Boffy,

phone the school sixth form (the other one) and ask them how many new kids they've got. There is usually a lot of movement at sixth form, she may well be one of many new ones.

ask her current school's office for a list of parent emails (they'll say no), then ask that in that case they forward a request asking the parents to contact you and give your email (no need to say why)

if she has to stay put, do the stink thing, but also get all the text books and revision guides so she can work alone too (I'm sure you do this).

FWIW I'm another who studied maths at Oxbridge having not studied physics at A-level (I did maths, further maths, a language and a humanity). That's no help if she wants to study physics, but if she'd actually prefer to do something else, she can. What's the maths teaching like at her current school? As I understand, physics A-level isn't allowed to assume you're also doing maths, so as she's good at maths, she should have a real head start there, regardless of what the physics teaching is like.

I would phone a couple of Oxbridge/ RG admission tutors, they are usually very approachable and helpful.

Tell them the situation and ask them how they would view an application without physics A level. Also ask them if they don't require physics which other subjects do they look favourably on? You then have more options regarding subject choice.

The Maths teaching is excellent, fortunately. She was keen on doing History rather than Chemistry, but they couldn't time table it. I'll suggest looking at that instead of Physics, that's a really good idea and food for thought, thanks.

If it's any comfort I took Physics in 6th form and nearly half my class dropped out by Christmas as it's too hard we didn't really need it so it may work out ok

Where, roughly, do you live? I did a physics degree (well, Astronomy actually, but near enough) so can informally tutor her - either by email or even in person if we're local.

DD very nearly went to the local college to do some BTEC bollocks. I really held my tongue for ages, and in the end she changed her mind and stayed on at her sixth form, which I was delighted about. I think, no matter how sensible dd is, if I had started insisting that she stay at sixth form she, out of a fit of contrariness, would have dug her heels in. Bleeding teenagers.

Re transport, don't kill me, but as you live in a city (and presumably not living on insane rural lanes) would dd ride a moped? This has been a godsend for dd. We live in a city centre but the school tool 2 buses (and nearly an hour what with the chages and waiting around), but is actually only a 10 minute moped ride away. This is all on city streets which is safe (safer than bombing round quiet country lanes). It is also cheaper to run (petrol and insurance) than weekly bus tickets as well.

I know she knows her own mind but try to appeal to her logical and mathematical mind. It is inarguable that 35 kids in a Physics class means that the level of tuition she gets is going to be poorer in comparison with (say) 12 kids at another school. Have a look into (perhaps) physics class sizes at the other schools and colleges and show her the evidence, and perhaps that will tip the balance.

Cinnibar you lovely person.

I rang them back- history looks like a no as its it the same option block as the Further Maths, which she can't drop.

But I've got an appointment to go at lunch tomorrow and look at the timetabling options with dd1 and HoY.

She thinks that at this point it looks very unlikely they can split the Physics into two groups, but they are going to keep looking for a solution. Hmm.

Oooooooh Cinnabar, how nice of you to offer! I'll pm you In a little while, thanks

I'm hopeful that she won't need my help! But if she does, I'll be here.