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Secondary education

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Original poster

If your DC is thinking of taking more than 8 or 9 subjects.

28 replies

yourlittlesecret · 02/02/2014 17:06

DS2 in year 11 is doing 11 subjects.
He also did his Maths last year.
This includes the long course RE which he knew would require after school lessons as it couldn't be fitted in.
Since September he has stayed behind at school on average 4 nights a week until after 5pm. This is not revision or remedial classes, he's predicted all A*/As.
It's because the useless school apparently can't fit it all in the timetable. No one told us this when he was choosing his options Hmm.

He has to do;
I night RE which is what he was expecting.
1 night of science as they can't fit the curriculum in for all three sciences.
1 night Geography, planning or some sort of coursework.
1 or 2 sessions of history.
The revision lessons haven't even started yet.

He is worn out.

DS1 is in Y13 at a sixth form and doing 4 A levels but has more free time than DS2.

OP posts:
titchy · 02/02/2014 17:17

Sounds poor. Dd is doing 11 in the normal day (5 x 1 hour lessons) plus one as an after school optional extra. She only has three lessons a week for most subjects though.

Original poster
yourlittlesecret · 02/02/2014 17:31

His timetable shows 8 lessons a day. They must be wasting time somewhere.
I'm annoyed on his behalf but I can hardly not let him go.
It must be difficult for some parents as we are rural and have to collect if he doesn't get the school bus.

OP posts:
creamteas · 02/02/2014 18:07

Sounds a punishing regime.

At DCs school they do 10, but they all seem to fit into the timetable. There are after school sessions, but optional revision only

HSMMaCM · 02/02/2014 19:33

DD is doing 12, but they only stay after school to catch up on lessons which they have missed (which I always thank the teachers for).

Picturesinthefirelight · 02/02/2014 19:36

That's not on

At dds school they do 9 subjects & that's accounting for a daily double period morning ballet class as well.

Academic hours are 9-4

BirdintheWings · 02/02/2014 20:47

DS2 appears to be doing 12, god knows how.

DS1 did 8.5 (if you count the ICT) which seemed plenty.

pointythings · 02/02/2014 20:52

DD2 is doing 12, but is not doing full course RE (thank goodness) and is doing maths and English in Yr10 so it should be workable, if tough. The school are bending over backwards to timetable everything during normal school hours.

Original poster
yourlittlesecret · 02/02/2014 21:39

I believe the Y10s were allowed fewer subjects in their options as the school recognise the problem.
They really don't need 12 GCSEs. 8 is enough IMO.
DS1 did 12 but only one was after school.

OP posts:
longingforsomesleep · 02/02/2014 22:32

They end up with a ridiculous amount at DS's school. He is currently in year 10 and by the end of year 11 he will have done:

English Language
English Literature
Maths (already done)
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
German
Music
DT (finishes end year 10)
RE (finishes end year 10)
IT (already done)
Computing AS
Maths AS
One other course in year 11 (to fill gap left by DT and RE)

So by the end of year 11 he will have sat 12 GCSEs and 2 ASs. All fits into the timetable though!

pointythings · 02/02/2014 22:47

The 2 ASs would make me unhappy, the 12 GCSEs worry me although according to DD1 she will be able to take Art and Drama included in those. I have told her those are not easy art subjects but she reckons she can cope. To be fair, her Art and Drama teachers rate her highly so who knows?

She's ambitious and a hard worker, she is also very bright and picks things up early - her Yr8 top set are working ahead of the current Yr10 top set, they are just a very bright bunch. It helps that they all seem to like each other a lot and support each other too.

My best case scenario is that she will end up doing maths and English early - she loves them and is very very good at them - and that will give her more time for a wider range of subjects running up to Yr11.

longing she will be doing French instead of German and is unlikely to be doing As maths in Yr10 - I am in awe of your DS, he must be a real mathemagician!

longingforsomesleep · 02/02/2014 23:01

I'm normally anti doing early GCSEs and ASs. DS2 did his maths gcse at the start of year 10 and, having got an A, had to start AS straight afterwards - I felt before he had consolidated his understanding of GCSE maths.

DS3 on the other hand finds maths a doddle - got an A* at GCSE and so far is doing really well with AS. He's also really into computing - wants to do it for a career and has sorted out a related work experience placement for himself. He loves the AS.

MillyMollyMama · 02/02/2014 23:18

Why does anyone need more than 10 GCSEs? Why can they not all be done in year 11? Why is it acceptable to get an A in Maths GCSE, early, when by waiting, the student would get an A*. It just means they will need, and get, more teaching at A level. Is it not just as good to do A level Maths and Further Maths A level in 2 years, having consolidated the learning at GCSE level? No brilliant mathematician only gets an A at GCSE.

No wonder children are tired and parents should not agree to such a skewed teaching programme. I would have asked what the timetable would look like before agreeing to this. If children need 2 years to do their A2 courses, they are not as bright as everyone thinks.

longingforsomesleep · 02/02/2014 23:43

Milly - the thinking behind doing maths gcse early at our school is that there is such a big leap from gcse to a level maths, if the gcse can be got out of the way early then longer can be spent on the AS. Works fine for the brightest kids but not for all.

bigTillyMint · 03/02/2014 06:52

OP, your poor DS. I fear DD will be similarly burned out as she is currently in Y10 doing 14/15 GCSE's as are the vast majority of her cohort in their state comp. Madness. However, they seem to fit it all into the normal teaching hoursConfused

titchy · 03/02/2014 07:54

Am shocked at 14, or 12 plus ASs. Ridiculous. What happens at sixth form? Do they do AL early - and this risk university offers?

Roisin · 03/02/2014 07:58

Yes, if your school is suggesting they do a dozen or more, do your research on uni (and other) applications: no-one wants them. Far netter to have some free time to pursue some hobbies, develop some interests, do some part-time or voluntary work...

ds1 did 9 subjects only - all in one sitting - A* in all with some extremely high marks. This puts him in a great position for uni applications; far better than if he had a dozen, but less consistent marks and grades.

pointythings · 03/02/2014 08:24

I have a sneaking suspicion that DD's school are worried about Michael Gove's unpiloted and hastily introduced new GCSEs - I believe that English and Maths are supposed to start from 2015 so that would have been DDs's cohort had the school done GCSEs to schedule. I wonder whether by 'skipping' a year they are giving themselves a year to see how these new style exams play out so that they can learn from where they will inevitably go horribly wrong. That would make sense.

BirdintheWings · 03/02/2014 11:13

DS chose 10 subjects including one 'twilight' extra, but because he's top set, he then found himself doing triple science (within the timetable slot for double) and double maths (in the slot for single), so 12 in all.

He wants to do drama and English A-level, so mega-science and maths is not his favoured option!

Original poster
yourlittlesecret · 03/02/2014 11:56

I completely agree with everyone who says 12 is too many. I also think Maths early entry is a bad idea for all pupils. Those who are less able would get a better grade in Y11 and those who can achieve A* in Y10 are very likely to take A level Maths and having a year without Maths (DS is doing Statistics) is not helpful.
Starting AS early is also dubious. Universities prefer all A levels to be done in one sitting. They are also as Roisin says, not interested in huge numbers of GCSEs. Nor do they demand more than 3 A levels.

OP posts:
pointythings · 03/02/2014 12:25

I like the idea of doing Statistics though - even if you don't end up taking a full GCSE, it's a hugely useful subject at Uni and will give you a head start - as well as keeping the maths muscles flexed.

Original poster
yourlittlesecret · 03/02/2014 12:48

I think additional maths would do a better job of keeping the maths muscles flexed, a lot of schools seem to choose statistics though.

DS1 is doing Maths and Further Maths A levels and he also did GCSE Stats in Y11. In retrospect he reckons it was a waste of time as they covered all the material in the early part of AS statistics 1 module and he would far rather have done maths extension work after the GCSE. To be fair DS1 didn't find it a problem but then he is a genuine mathematician and DS2 is not.

OP posts:
pointythings · 03/02/2014 13:36

I'm not sure DD1's school offers further maths - and if Statistics is covered in AS then I agree it is a waste of time. Mind you, I'm not at all sure that DD1 will want to do a maths A-level. She's a good mathematician but isn't passionate about it the way she is about other subjects. I know she wants to do English Lit at A-level and possibly Biology and History, but at the moment it's all subject to change without notice - she's only just 13 after all...

Original poster
yourlittlesecret · 03/02/2014 13:52

it's all subject to change without notice Haha. DS2 has changed his mind so many times about A level choices my head is spinning and he will be starting them in September.....

OP posts:
longingforsomesleep · 03/02/2014 15:53

That's one advantage of doing more than the bear minimum - it gives kids a taste of subjects they may want to do at A level so helps the decision making process.

I do think there is a case for some kids doing maths early. DS3 is a very able mathematician and is old for his year (October birth) so I honestly can't see any problems with him doing his A level early.

But doing statistics between GCSE and A level maths is an absolute no no. DS1 did his GCSE maths early but due to a particular option combination he wanted, couldn't start A level maths early. He ended up doing statistics GCSE in year 11 which was disastrous for him as it meant he effectively had a year with no maths - and it showed in his AS result.

Roisin · 03/02/2014 18:09

ds1 did maths in yr11 - no early entry, no extension at his school.

In sixth form now he's in the Further Maths class: they have slightly more teaching time than a single A level and they do A level Maths in a year, then A Level Further Maths in a year.

Some of the students did early entry yr10 maths, then FSMQ or other extension. I thought he would be at a disadvantage, but he is apparently "top" of the further maths class.