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Secondary education

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

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Original poster

Options evening in year 8 anyone?

23 replies

kazzawazzawoo · 21/01/2014 20:49

For the first time this year dd's school has decided to make the GCSE course 3 years long instead of 2, meaning they are choosing their options now in year 8. This is to give them more time, as the qualifications will be more exam based rather than coursework. No other schools in the area seem to be doing this. Anyone else picking options at this age?

We had our options evening tonight. My dd is pathway A and getting mostly As with 3 Bs in her tracker report. She's quite creative and wants to take art.

My eldest dd was very academic, so chose triple science, geography, 2 languages etc. Younger dd not so into these subjects, wants to take - on top of english, english literature, maths and double science that they have to take - history, French, art, digital art, media studies (this as her GCSE in one year choice that they have to do).

I'm worried we should be encouraging her to more academic subjects, e.g triple science, geography, Spanish ... But she wants to do something with computer design or art, so probably is making a good choice.

How's the choice going for all of you?

OP posts:

TeenAndTween · 21/01/2014 20:58

hate hate hate this idea!

This time in y8 my DD would have only been 12.5 - far too early to be cutting down choices in my opinion! It was bad enough selecting in y9!

FirConesAtXmas · 21/01/2014 21:30

My dd is in Y8, but luckily doesn't choose until next year.
Interesting to hear that some schools are allowing 3 years because of the new exam style. I am hoping that DDs school will reduce the number of GCSEs from 11 to 9. But tbh I'm not very hopeful.

From your list, it looks as though your dd will be taking 8 strong academic subjects, plus the additional art & media that will help her achieve her ambitions. So good choices x

steview · 21/01/2014 21:40

GCSE options are really about keeping options open for later on - so very many students state "I definitely want to be a ..." and yet a few years later have changed tack completely.

The options suggested look to be a pretty broad base and would appear to keep options open for later life - other than I'd question the value/wisdom of doing art and digital art.

In terms of value some colleges/Unis/employers will effectively disregard one of the art GCSEs as they appear, by title, as too similar. The DfE actually have discounting tables of qualifications that they consider to be too similar and therefore disregard when calculating the performance of schools.

In terms of workload art GCSEs require a huge level of commitment outside of lessons to achieve the very highest grades. Certainly our GCSE artists complain a lot about their workload. Doing 2 GCSEs with such high levels of workload might be too much for some students.

Travelledtheworld · 21/01/2014 23:35

They will be bored sick after three years......

Original poster

kazzawazzawoo · 22/01/2014 07:46

It isn't two art gcses, sorry, my mistake it's Fine Art and Certificate of digital application, which is basically a form of ICT.

OP posts:

Sheldonswhiteboard · 22/01/2014 13:50

We have a yr 8 options evening coming up in a couple of months time. I have to say I'm not completely sold on the idea of a 3 year GSCE course but we have been assured that in addition to the GSCE's that are opted for they will get the chance to carry on study some of the other subjects as interest subjects.
I think Art over 3 years is actually better though, it will spread the load. My DD wants to do Art and if this was over 2 years I would have tried to dissuade her to be honest.

I hear conflicting info about double and triple science. I had always thought you needed triple to continue to A level, apparently not necessarily and I was advised that in some cases weaker students benefit more from triple science as they have more time. The problem is with my DD I suspect she will be advised to do triple when she doesn't really enjoy science. I'm not sure what the certificate you have referenced, if it is instead of a GSCE I would say try and swap for something more academic. If your DD is anything like mine she is probably a whizz at digital art anyway with the apps you can get these days. Apart from that I think her choices look pretty balanced.

mummymeister · 22/01/2014 15:52

my DC's schools all do this - 3 year GCSE courses. eldest is currently yr 11 and has really enjoyed it. it has given extra time for the subjects and she has got a lot more out of it I think than a 2 yr rushed one. it is tough for them to choose at 12 so we got ours to go for a really broad range of academic subjects and a couple of non academics thrown in. hard to make the choice but honestly DS hates geography now and has only had a year or it so he definitely knows.

purpleroses · 22/01/2014 16:25

DS's school start their GCSE courses during Y9 in a few subjects (maths, science and tech - even though many drop tech at end of y9) but they don't take their options until Y9.

Choosing early like your school's doing gives them longer to study their options, but it also means they drop subjects such as history, geography or even languages at the age of 13 - which has got to be a bad thing for the overall breadth of their education.

DS is Y9 now - he's changed hugely in the last 12 months. A year ago he wouldn never have considered RE or economics - both of which are now on his shortlist, because he's developed an interest in philosophy and how the world works that he just didn't have when he was 12/13 - I do feel sorry for kids who end up dropping things that young that they never really get a chance to develop the maturity to have an interest in.

littledrummergirl · 22/01/2014 19:05

Ds1 is summer baby. He chose options in yr 8. He chose subjects he enjoyed plus one new one which he loves. He already had a good idea on those he didn't like or wasn't so good at.
He changed one he wasn't happy in after christmas and now appears to be loving school.

lljkk · 22/01/2014 19:40

Most schools around here used to do 3 yrs but have moved towards 2 yrs, actually.

I'm sure you'll be fine, OP. Going thru this right now with y9 DS (who probably would have chosen exact same things a yr ago).

Audilover · 22/01/2014 19:44

My DD2 picked her options last school year when she was in year 8 for a school she hadn't even started at. She was in her last year at a middle school and the options were for this school year ( year 9 ) when she had transferred to an upper secondary.

Pennybe · 29/01/2014 21:30

DS had to choose his options in Yr 8, but his school has now changed back to students selecting options in Yr 9.

DD is now choosing her options in Yr 8 (she's at a different school to her brother), but the staff emphasise the need for a broad and balanced curriculum, to keep options open for A' Levels and other pathways.

Most students at both schools are expected to study a Modern Foreign Language and one of the Humanities, in addition to the compulsory English Lang & Lit, Maths and Science. The decision whether that will be double or triple science is made during Yr 9.

Overall, I like the idea that they have the opportunity to spend more time on the subjects that they enjoy and are more likely to want to take further, and drop those that are unlikely to ever appeal to them, e.g. DS was glad to drop Dance!

Original poster

kazzawazzawoo · 29/01/2014 21:38

Thanks for the opinions

Dd has chosen triple science, history, French, fine art, cert. of digital application and of course maths, English and English lit.

OP posts:

DeWe · 29/01/2014 21:40

Mine has to make some choices in year 8. Not convinced myself, but there's some subjects she's looking forward to dropping-as I would have been too.

MillyMollyMama · 30/01/2014 13:23

I am amazed Gove has not stopped schools doing this. It will clearly help schools get better results but the best schools and children will still do a 2 year course. It also greatly reduced the general knowledge and breadth of education on offer. Surely bright children should do GCSE's in 2 years and that should be the countrywide standard by which attainment is measured. Will they take 3 years to do A levels?

OneMoreMum · 31/01/2014 12:05

Our school does this, the only real downside was that it meant that my DS 1 missed the chance to choose the new computer science course that was introduced this year but was not available when he made his choices.

All the core subjects are taught exactly as they are in schools with 2 year GCSE courses, so there's no unfair advantage there, it's really just dropping a few subjects they're not interested in to give them a bit more time to build up their skills in arts subjects in advance of starting the GCSE course (which is still taught over 2 years).

By the way our school and another that also runs the 3-year options are among the best in the area.

MillyMollyMama · 31/01/2014 14:42

Yes, they would be better results because they DO spend more time on each subject and have dropped other subjects to concentrate on fewer. It still seems unfair that other children have to do about 14 subjects until the end of year 9 and only then do they get the chance to reduce. Maybe the number of subjects studied in year 9 should be declared on UCAS forms? I wonder if continuing with a broad education in year 9 accounts for the top independent schools taking up so many places at the very best universities? They do not reduce the number of subjects in year 9 as many of the children have only just started at the schools! I am glad my DDs had a traditional education in year 9.

purpleroses · 31/01/2014 14:53

Not sure you're right MillyMolly - the indenpendent (v academic) school that my DSC attend do make them cut down in Y9 - those that start in Y9 have to make choices to drop subjects that they've never studied at that school. My DSD has dropped art, music and German already (she's Y9 and only started the school this year). They do make a few more subjects Core though in Y9 -so noone drops history or geography until Y10. A bit more of a compromise than simply taking all your options in Y8.

bigTillyMint · 31/01/2014 18:00

The DC's school do this. DD(Y10) is taking about 14 subjects to GCSE (as do all the students AFAIK), so it is not a narrow curriculum

wordfactory · 31/01/2014 18:07

Apart from triple science, I really can't see that many of the subjects need three years!

FirConesAtXmas · 31/01/2014 18:32

Presumably the GCSE syllabus is designed to be taught over 2 years, and assumes a certain level of knowledge in the subject before the GCSE kicks in?
Don't think my dd would be ready at the end of year 8 to start GCSE syllabi as she wouldn't have enough knowledge!

lambfam · 02/02/2014 21:32

DS school takes option in Y8. It is a grammar school and apparently many grammar and selective schools are taking this route as KS3 is not very challenging academically and kids can get more out of doing an extra year of KS4. For example, in geography there are 8 options that schools can teach and they only have to teach 5 - DD school will study all 8 GCSE topics, whereas schools that only have 2years will only have time to study 5. So there are good reasons for this. I would advise that you speak to your school and ask them their reasons. At DD school, girls have to do 7 set subjects and then have 4 choices but have to chose a language and either history or geog, so they end up with a broad range of subjects.
HTH

bigTillyMint · 03/02/2014 06:46

wordfactory, I think they did follow "foundation" courses in many subjects in Y9. And they could swap one of their options at the end of Y9 if they wanted.

I don't really know what happens if they take subjects at the end of Y10 - DD says they will have free periods, but AFAIK the students taking early maths continue with additional maths or something like that.

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