AIBU to want my son to take 11 GCSEs?

[mamaliv]

He's currently in year 9 and is having to finalise his GCSE choices. At his school it is normal/expected to have 10 or 11 GCSEs- the normal 7 plus either 3 or 4 electives. DS1 is very very bright and would definitely be able to cope with 11, but has always preferred to coast as much as possible and is insisting he only wants to take 3 electives (so a total of 10). I'm not worried about how this will look to universities etc (he's a bit young for that) but I do think it's not good for him always to take the easy way out! DH is "not going to interfere" which doesn't help...
AIBU?!

As an employer, 10 impressive grades, and non-easy electives, trumps 11 with a few lower grades or coasting-subjects.

So what would you say is a coasting-subject then nameless?

Excuse me. Dd is at the k

Excuse me. Dd is at the moment at the prep department if the school. The decision for her not to go to seniors is because she has been offered a place elsewhere. Dh has taught in higher ed and 6th form Several friends are uni tutors /deal with admissions

Most private schools offer approx 9-10 gcse's.

Oh ok Pictures my apologies.

Many selective state schools offer 11 as standard and many of their students achieve a straight run of A*/A. Is all I'm saying. And all results are contextualised.

But yeah, sorry.

Yellow - Maths.

DRAMA IS NOT AN 'extracurricular' GCSE

FFS

At the school dd was going to go to drama gcse was offered as an extra curricular at lunchtime/after school.

She's now going to a full time vocational performing arts scho where it is most defiantly not extra curricular :)

I'm going to ignore that Russians.

Most defiantly? Wow. Attitude!

Lol. I'm rubbish at typing on my phone. But I guess defiantly also works.

picture I'd love to know the school name so I could write to the CofG about their unenlightened policy.

I really, really hate academic snobbery- can you tell?

I guess it's up to them what subjects they offer. What happened with the club is an English teacher who ran a drama club decided to offer the kids the chance to do an extra gcse

They don't offer dance at all. Bit if a contrast to where dd is now going.

And they don't offer theatre studies a level either.

Yellow - I was making the point that one person's super difficult subject is another person's coasting subject. And I was concerned that nameless was going to mention arts subjects (which any fule kno are way more difficult to do well, even for the mega talented, than anything other than French)

To return to the OPs dilemma - I think the GCSEs suggested are too narrow. But the addition or otherwise of RS isn't going to change that.

You lot scare me.

Quite. But it's just that in this house we would like to be able to coast at Maths Russians, even if only for a brief moment in time. Like between exam and results day, that sort of time.

But if you're resolutely not arty, what then?

They wouldn't be able to get a competent A Level drama teacher with their attitude towards arts education!

It is up to them what they offer, but it is ridiculous in the extreme to refuse to offer arts education. Failing to recognise drama is failing to recognise culture. Drama has existed in every known civilisation and holds the key to the way all societies function. It's importance in the curriculum cannot be overstated.

If you're resolutely not arty there are other options. Well respected ones at that, so I won't feel too sorry for the non arty ones.

Back to the OP. It matters not whether your DS does 10 or 11 GCSEs, but please do encourage him to consider depth in his choices.

It's a very musical school. and they apparently go some fabulous drama productions but I guess it's of no concern to dd now.

Yellow- so would Dd1 - but that's mainly because the 'easy mark' questions are designed to be impossible for dyspraxics!thus she usually gets a solid A with maximum marks from the A* type questions (proper maths) and no marks from the 'measure this line' 'draw this thing' questions. It would be hilarious if it was, you know, real rather than some satire on making exams 'accessible'.

As to what you do if you're not remotely arty - well, you don't get recruited by me (although I do accept a clearly genuine interest in literature as a substitute for interesting exam qualifications). But there are other employers. I know for a fact that many kids, forced to do triple science, aren't remotely 'sciencey'. And some schools, heaven forbid, force kids to do PE GCSE. There's no concerted outcry against this, is there? So why is it acceptable to force kids to do way more science than they need or want to do, but it's fine to avoid all Arts Ed?

Bloody iPad. wasn't. Not was.

That's really interesting what you say about science and I totally agree. Triple science is seen as for the clever kids but really it should be for the science interested kids.

I would never ever have pushed dd into triple science (old school did single subject) even though she's intelligent because that would cut down her arty options.

Her one disappointment is new school doesn't offer philosophy or sociology.

Apparently RS is well regarded as its more about critical thinking and ethics.