Possibly not sitting National 5 but Highers instead? (scotland)

[Groovee]

Dd is at the end of S2, she changes to S3 next week.

Last night was parents night. Her report was excellent in every area, mentioning in a few subjects that she was highest mark in the whole year group.

But a number of her teachers said she was already at National 5 Level and they have been in talks about recommending her not sitting National 5 but for a 2 year higher instead.

The school used to do early presentation at the end of S3 for standard grades, but under the Nationals, this isn't allowed.

But all I could think, was I had read a thread somewhere, where an employer said they would not take someone who didn't have National 5. I'm wondering how it would look if she doesn't have National 5's but highers instead?

Because everything is still all up in the air with everything with regards to the new exam system, it's hard to know what will be the right thing to do.

Has anyone else heard of this?

In my day (a few years ago), this happened at my school, although not with Nationals! I have 2 'O' Grades and 6 Highers. It meant the Higher course was taught over 2 years (for us 4th & 5th year - not a year early). It has never disadvantaged me (or any of my peer group).

My one concern would be if all subjects would be taken in one sitting. Particularly if she is planning uni, because there are some that insist on all highers are taken in one sitting.

I think because everything is still in the infancy with National's I'm just concerned as to how employers or even uni's would see her results.

Dh only has a few O'grades while I have 7 standard grades (didn't do music, art or drama and did an abundance of short courses). So it has sort of all come back to how it used to be.

If Highers followed by University is the expected progression I don't think this would be a problem.

I was looking at Hutcheson Grammar website recently and "bypass" as they called it of SG and Int2 was an established route for their most able pupils.

Any employer who said they wouldn't take someone because they didn't have a national 5 probably doesn't understand the system. Our year was the first year of the higher still when it came in so everyone before us has A grades and O grades. Colleges and Uni's work out what your qualification is equal to in todays classifications, for example if I wanted to go to college (and I did a few years ago) they relate my old style qualifications to their equivalent now. It worked out better for me because I was able to skip a lot of the core skills things that the younger ones had to do because my Higher levels were valued more than the modern day qualifications in some subjects

Are they meaning she should do Highers in S4 instead of S5? The fact that the new qualifications allow children to study for different levels in different subjects at the same time in S4 was one of the selling points for CfE in the presentation given to us before dd chose her subjects for Nat 5. The fact that the new Higher was not going to exist and be available for dd to sit at the end of S4 didn't seem to have occurred to them.... . In reality the jump to Nat 5 has been quite large, and I am now glad that dd's school was only letting them do 6 and that dd has had the experience of sitting these national exams before her Highers. I think she will have a better idea next year of how to organise her study time and revise effectively when it really matters.

I don't know how Universities will look on a range of Highers done over 4th and 5th year. A number do still want a good batch of 4 or 5 Highers done in the same year. At present there is not enough information on any of the Scottish Universities' websites - I haven't seen any with information past entry for 2015, and these doesn't seem to have changed from entry for 2014.

The option of doing Highers in dribs and drabs is to be avoided if you want the widest choice of University and course.

TeacakeEater - are you advising University after S5?

No, I meant the scenario of doing National 5 and a couple of Highers at S5, then more highers in S6.

At my (private) school we started the sg syllabus in s2 and the higher syllabus in jan of s4 but we still sat 7/8 sg exams at the end of s4 and did 4/5/6 higher exams at the end of s5. Everyone went to Uni.

I don't think skipping the exam is a good idea.
Illness/ teen pg/rebellion all sorts could get in the way and she could be left with nothing.

Good unis want to know if she can handle the pressure of multiple exams at once. It's not just the individual grades that count.

Dd's school used to do early presentation for Standard Grades, but they have been told this is no longer allowed. So really if they were still doing early presentation she would sit Nat 5's next summer! Then start her highers over 2 years in S4!

I'm just worried for the fact everything is so new but what if we as parents and the school get it wrong for her? She's bright girl who has already completed some Nat 5 stuff for her teachers to see what level she was at and a few said she could have sat them now really as she is so advanced and they're trying to challenge her.

I do think some employers don't get the system but then I as a parent am struggling with it as all I've ever known is standard grade!

Not unusual in private schools to bypass lower exams and sit six highers in 5th year in my day.

I am not clear whether she would be sitting highers in S4 or S5. I would have thought if she was still sitting them all in S5 then it would be fine for her to skip Nat 5s - surely employers / universities look at the highest qualification someone has first? I know that at my private school practically everyone skipped o grade English and started the Higher course instead - but this was decided well through 3rd year, not at the end of 2nd. I think originally that's how Highers were designed - to be a 2 year course sat by the most able pupils - but schools started to male all pupils sit o grades first.

Highers in S5 but no exams at the end of S4, hence bypassing National 5 exams.

Before there were O grades there were "lowers" - hence "highers". But that was back in the 40s, when loads of people left school without taking any exams at all. You had to pass all the individual exams (in one sitting) to get either the qualification, but as far as I'm aware, you still did lowers even if you were a top performer. Btw - all of the above is from my mother (born 1926) and not from personal experience so I apologise if some details aren't correct.

I've always thought that if you have an O grade and a Higher in the same subject, then once you've got the Higher the O grade is redundant. I've never had any employer query the fact I haven't got any O Grades - I sat "straight" highers - i.e. went into the Higher class at the end of 3rd year and bypassed sitting O Grade exams.

If the school thinks she's capable and they can accommodate her doing the new Highers in S4 then it's worth considering. Some Uni courses are still asking for a number of Highers be taken in a single sitting (medicine and possibly law?) which is unlikely to change as it demonstrates coping with the volume and depth of work required.

The Scottish Government website says that you can take Nat 5s early in exceptional circumstances so that might be something to follow up?

Thank you everyone, lots of things to consider and can speak to her head of house with regards to it all. Thanks again x

My Dd has just finished sitting 8 Nat 5s. When I attended info nights at the school before the CforE started we were told about the plan to have some kids bypass Nat 5s and do a 2 yr higher. I asked what would happen if they flunked or missed their Higher - would they be given a Nat 5 credit to fall back on? The answer was no, or at least that they hadn't worked that out.

In the absence of a crystal ball, I would definitely have your Dd sit her Nat 5 exams at the end of 4th year, if for nothing other than the exam practice.

I wouldn’t worry, the recruitment officers always know that Highers or A Levels are of a much better standard than Nat 5s or standard grades or (O grades as they used to be known..)
To bypass Nat5 straight into Higher is ok...exam results are what matters!!