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Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Secondary education

Is RE a mandatory GCSE subject?

84 replies

tougholdbird · 16/10/2013 17:10

Just that really - am trying to find out if I should tackle school or government about this? Thanks.

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ErrolTheDragon · 17/10/2013 10:56

presumably though, thatmum48, you don't have to send him to the Catholic school.....

In some places you might have to.

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friday16 · 17/10/2013 12:15

In some places you might have to.

No choice but to send them to an RC secondary school? That would be extremely unusual, to put it mildly. Could you suggest somewhere that that's true?

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ErrolTheDragon · 17/10/2013 12:36

Yup, I've heard of it happening - not just on MN either. There are areas with a shortage of school places overall but undersubscribed faith schools. Don't know whether thatmum chose the RC school or not, but we can't presume she did.

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secretscwirrels · 17/10/2013 15:14

OP you would be very lucky if a secondary school offers computer science. Most will try to steer you towards ICT which can be very dull and undemanding and is not an academic preparation for computer science (as someone else said the more maths the better).

My DS1 is a fervent atheist but loved the RE GCSE because of it's philosophy content. His school ended up cancelling the RE class to allow the students to use the time for core subjects, but a few including DS carried on at an after school class.

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tougholdbird · 17/10/2013 16:13

From what I have read about the 2014 curriculum, schools should be offering GCSE in computer science. I will ask our school if they will be doing this.

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Talkinpeace · 17/10/2013 16:27

RE is *not compulsory in KS4
neither as a GCSE nor a lesson
unless the school is a faith school

any non faith school will be able to provide you with the 'opt out form' so that your child does not need to attend RE lessons in Year 10 and 11

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Talkinpeace · 17/10/2013 16:36

Information link here ..... www.secularism.org.uk/your-rights--withdrawal-from-re.html

DCs school handed the form to anybody who wanted it - as it frees up their timetable space.
Daft that more schools do not do the same.

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Arisbottle · 17/10/2013 16:45

More schools probably do not do the same because they see the inherent value in the subject, they would struggle to find a way to accommodate the children elsewhere without providing extra teachers and not spending more money. The children removed are also supposed to have an alternative arranged which suits their RE needs.

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EverythingIsSoThrowback · 17/10/2013 16:50

No, but my DD1 tells me it's very interesting.

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friday16 · 17/10/2013 16:53

schools should be offering GCSE in computer science

They can, not should. It'll be interesting to find out how many schools actually offer it. The main problem's staffing.

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Talkinpeace · 17/10/2013 16:57

GCSE computer science is worthless.
Kids need sound maths, good logic and the willingness to try.

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tougholdbird · 17/10/2013 17:06

I have read that all pupils must have the opportunity to study GCSE computer science, but no doubt you are right friday.

talk do you mean the revised curriculum GCSE will be worthless, or are you just talking about what has gone before?

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friday16 · 17/10/2013 17:10

GCSE computer science is worthless.

I think that's a bit harsh. It's O Level Computer Studies circa 1979, and none the worse for that. If well taught, I can't see it would do any harm. The syllabus looks roughly sensible, and if everyone arriving in the first year of a computer science degree had that knowledge the world would be a better place. It would also filter out the people who it turns out don't enjoy programming.

The problem is that it's unlikely to be well-taught, and we'll end up in the position of law or sociology, where it's so badly taught at A Level that they'd actively prefer people to arrive as tabula rasa. We'll see how it all works out over the next few years, I think.

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titchy · 17/10/2013 17:12

OP have you actually looked at university requirements for Computer Science degrees? They don't even require A Level Computer Science, let alone GCSE Comp Sci or ICT! What they want are very very very good Maths skills.

Little Johnny is really not going to be disadvantaged by not doing it at GCSE. He might however be disadvantaged by an inability to debate, discuss and listen to others, all of which can be demonstrated through the RE and Ethics curriculum.

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titchy · 17/10/2013 17:18

Agree good to filter out those that don't actually like programming and think 'doing something with computers' means playing games and apps all day!

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friday16 · 17/10/2013 18:13

What they want are very very very good Maths skills.

Indeed. There's a straightforward correlation between degree classification and A Level Maths grade, far more so than any other qualification.

He might however be disadvantaged by an inability to debate, discuss and listen to others, all of which can be demonstrated through the RE and Ethics curriculum.

Today I saw the panic in the eyes of a bunch of third years when it was suggested they might like to write an essay.

Their competitors at US universities will have done freshman comp. It matters.

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tougholdbird · 17/10/2013 18:36

Really useful to hear all this - thanks all, and I freely admit it sounds like I have been focused on the wrong things.

Off now to hover anxiously over Little Johnny's maths homework and sign him up for debating club.....

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friday16 · 17/10/2013 18:50

I have read that all pupils must have the opportunity to study GCSE computer science

How many secondary schools are there in your area which are still in LEA control and therefore subject to the national curriculum?

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titchy · 17/10/2013 18:54

At maths and debating club!!! Top tip when it comes to it - do NOT put on UCAS personal statement 'I want to do this subject because I am really good at and love computer games'.....

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friday16 · 17/10/2013 19:19

Further top tip: "Computer Games Design" as a degree subject.

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Talkinpeace · 17/10/2013 19:45

Friday16 It most certainly is and a friend of mine is a lecturer in it.
The employment prospects of their graduates are rather excellent.
The entry requirements are minimum 3 Cs at Al level including Maths.

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LaFataMalvagia · 17/10/2013 19:56

YY to what talkinpeace said, my brother did 'Digital Media Development' at Brighton (stupid name but great course) and has never struggled to find website design work, he had various different people offering him work before his course was even over (did lots of good placements)

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suecardiff · 26/06/2014 12:04

Your chance to have your say on the National Curriculum for Wales.

Closes on 30th June so be quick!!!

wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/schoolshome/curriculuminwales/curriculum-for-wales/contact-us/?lang=en

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nevillesfrog · 24/04/2017 18:59

Hello, My names Rachel and I attend secondary school. I am going to have to take RE GCSE next year and honestly it's the worst subject ever, for me anyways. All it does is add to the stress of all the other tests i have to take. I mean i get it, we have respect eachothers culture, and i do! But i just don't get how RE will ever help me in the future. I started losing interest in RE when i was in year 8 and now its just getting ridiculous. I've seen past test papers just to get an some sort of an idea of how a GCSE RE test would be and it's just stressful and annoying. I would rather focus on the subject that i've actually chosen to do for my GCSE like History, Spanish, Photograph. I don't want to do a subject that i have no passion for, that I don't understand, that i dont even care about.

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sashh · 25/04/2017 06:10

If you could share any of your wisdom on how to encourage a child who wants a career in computers, I would be very grateful, since it hadn't occurred to me that choosing RE over ICT was the obvious first step.

Taking any subject over ICT would be a good first step, and unless he is sitting GCSE this year then it isn't even an option. Art would be better (and out of my class of 5 taking computer science A Level many moons ago 3 of us also took art.)

You can study A Level computer science without GCSE. You can study a computing degree without GCSE computing/computer science.

RE HAS to be taught by the school so most chose to make it a GCSE option. You have the right to withdraw him but the school do not need to provide anything in its place.

The problem is that it's unlikely to be well-taught, and we'll end up in the position of law or sociology, where it's so badly taught at A Level that they'd actively prefer people to arrive as tabula rasa.
I actually disagree, schools are now recruiting specialist rather than getting the business studies teachers to teach it.