More on early GCSEs

[WilfSell]

DS1 has just told me that apparently they are beginning work for their GCSEs in RE and ICT this year. He has just started Y9. I have no idea what I think about this yet, and would really like the opportunity to find out why from the teachers but until parents' evening, there seems to be no chance to talk to them.

DS1 is so underwhelmed by both subjects that the idea of actually putting any work in at this stage is challenging me him and he's got it into his head that RE won't make the slightest bit of difference to his life so it doesn't matter; and that ICT is so pointless and easy, that doesn't matter either, although he like it marginally more than RE.

I really, really WANT to leave him to his own devices and make his own decisions about how to handle this but he's 13 and knows it ALL AREADY . I don't suppose the school think we have a choice either here.

He will almost certainly be on track for other early GCSE next year, and is fairly able but for one thing he is not yet mature enough to realise he needs to improve his general writing and literacy skills to do well in critical, discursive subjects like RE. So, does he HAVE to do it this year or can I he refuse? Is it better to get it out of the way if he doesn't care about it, even if I think he'd benefit from being stretched in 'written' subjects like RE/humanities? Should I just leave him to get on with it and not care that he thinks it is pointless so he doesn't have to bother with it?

I know this approach to early A levels is similar in medicine applications, not that I'm presuming anything about DS1 (on current form, he will be playing in a band while working in McDs if he has his way) but I know what he is capable of and while - being a university lecturer meself - I'm not so fussed about Oxbridge etc, I do want him to have the best shot he can at what he is good at.

Is this one of the things that Gove might actually sort out before DS1 gets to his exams? Not that I'd ever own up to agreeing with the fool of course.

My friend's DS took his Maths GCSE in year 10 and got an A. He then went straight onto AS and it was a bit of a disaster and he needed lots of resits to get to a reasonable A level grade - it was just too difficult to fit make the jump to A level alongside GCSE subjects. He was at a level 8 at the end of year 9 so was a good mathematician. My friend wishes he had just taken it all at the right time as it ended up affecting his university choices.

I was the opposite with DD2 (same age but at a different school) I wanted her to take the GCSE early but her school don't like early entry. She got an A in year 11 and then an A at A level without resitting any modules. With hindsight taking the exams at the right time was the best option.

At my DC's school, the top set take Maths GCSE early. They then spend their time doing free standing bridging units (I have no idea what these are, only that they are from Warwick uni!).

This has improved the grades at AS/A2 significantly. It also means that those kids who do really well up to GCSE in Maths, but can't shift up to A level don't waste an option on something they can't manage,

That's a really tricky question, wilf, I can see why it would be really tempting for a school that doesn't have a sixth form to enter kids for AS because it will make them look pushy and academic without having to worry about picking up the pieces in Y12.

I suppose I might contact the local sixth forms and ask what their opinion is of students who come from your DS's school having sat maths early and whether it disadvantages them either in results or uni applications.

I would also contact the school with concerns about early entry to GCSE affecting results (quoting the DfE guidance) and ask specifically about numbers of A*s in maths and stats compared to FFT targets, and ALPs targets (or whatever system they use to track results against expectations at AS) in Y11. You want guarantees that his ability to access the top grades won't be affected.
I don't know whether you could refuse to enter your DS for the exams if they muff it.

I have a DD age 13 in year 9 who will sit the full RE GCSE at the end of the academic year and also Spanish GCSE - the various components being spread over the year. She will also do more than 50% of English GCSE this year and sit maths and English GCSE terminal exams in January of year 10. Plus two more GCSEs at the end of year 10. It is a comprehensive school.

I used to be totally against early entry, but having seen the stress that DD1 was under, sitting the whole lot at the end of year 11, I am not so sure. She goes to a super selective grammar.

The Headteacher of DD2's school also said that some children only pass English at the second or even third attempt, because frankly some people have better brains than others. He said there are plenty of drivers on the road who only passed their test the third time round, so why not allow the less able to resit exams before they leave school?

It's the 'less able' bit that bothers me about that. If you convert that into 'less mature' which usually means boys, like my son, who are brilliant at maths and science right now, but MUCH slower and always have been at any written subject, then it is unfair to encourage them to do 'worse' than they could with an examination in Y11. If they are very talented and they do wish to go on to a university course which is highly competitive and selective, then their 3 resits in English would count against them. Additionally if even these able students - as noblegiraffe said - are doing worse than they could with other timetables, then it isn't allowing them to achieve their full potential when they are ready to achieve it.

I am fairly sure my son will mature into writing soon, but he won't be ready to do well in RE any time soon. Or English, or History etc..

I can see a case for doing ICT early, as it could get you up to speed with all the IT skills which are then used for studying and presenting your work in the other subjects.