DD forced to do X number of GCSEs subjects?

[lora200]

DD will enter Year 10 in September and wants to study medicine at university (further down the line).

DD will do 7 'curriculum' GCSEs:

1. English Language
2. English Literature
3. Mathematics
4. Biology
5. Chemistry
6. Physics
7. Religious Education

... and 3 optional:

1. Spanish
2. Geography

10. ICT

School however wants her to choose another optional subject saying the all of the students choose 4 optional. I argue that this could be the case but most students do not take triple sciences hence it makes them for them to study 4 optional.

Surely the school (state comprehensive) can't force my DD to take up a forth optional GCSE? We are talking of subjects here that do not interest DD at all such as Business, Food Technology, Resistant Materials, PE etc.

We are in talks with the headteacher about this but have not heard back yet.

Resistant materials would be a way to demonstrate planning, manual dexterity & research, all useful skills in a dr. Otherwise can't she just do a 2nd language, some unis give lower offers to applicants who have a MFL at a level - ucl or imperial, can't remember which.

If your DD has the capability to study medicine then she can cope with the same number of GCSEs as her peers and achieve A/A. Not that she needs all A/A at GCSE to get a place at medical school.
Is there a 6th form college which requires all A*/A? I find that really hard to believe.
Your DD is 14. Please encourage her not to have all her eggs in the one basket.

I don't think 10 a/a* and one b at GCSEs is going to jeopardise her changes of studying medicine - unless you are trying to get her into private sixth form on a scholarship?

I think business studies is always useful, PE will compliment her science GCSEs and resistant mats teaches good practical skills. If it was me choosing, I'd probably go for food tech as a less academic lesson, but it's down to personal choice.

What would you envision her doing whilst everyone else is in the extra timetable slot? I had to drop graphic design at GCSE as the teacher lost my coursework and it was pretty rotten - I just had to sit in the class where the graphics was taught, doing my own work and not talking to anyone.

I would check the requirements for medical school. Provided your dd obtains A/A* in the most important subjects having 1 or even 2 B grades won't make a difference.
Of the options listed at dds school a high percentage of Business studies students obtain grades A and A* so if that's your main criteria choose that one. The school may allow a pupil to drop a subject at the end of Y10, if they are having difficulty with the workload. However I would not expect potential Medical students to come into this category. At the end of the day. Medicine is a high workload degree course and it would look odd if your dd had fewer GCSEs than other potential students applying from her school.
Any future sixth form (if your child is planning on applying elsewhere) would ask for references from the current school and not complying with the school's GCSE policy may affect her chances more than having an additional subject with a lower grade.

I agree GCSE art is incredibly time-consuming. However, if your DC like it, it can actually be fairly relaxing for them, despite the time!

She could always go on strike, secretly. So choose the subject she finds most interesting, do minimal work on it, and then "be ill" on the day of the exam?

At this age, pupils must have a full timetable. They can't pull out of the school's requirements because they don't feel like it, or their parents don't feel like it.

Hope the Head can get OP to understand this. It's not going to be easy for daugher if she has the same mindset.

All these GCSEs are so daft! They're just not necessary. Far better for able students to go into more breadth in fewer subjects. Also, completely pointless and often counter productive for applications for university. None require reams of qualifications but the most competitive require very good grades!

Thewordfactory
But you have to remember the distortion inherent in these threads.

My DD is doing shed loads of GCSEs - she's also predicted rather good grades.

At the same school there are kids doing 5 GCSEs and a couple of vocational courses.

The schools (well the sensible ones) have a sliding scale of qualifications to get all pupils over the core hurdles and then give the others enough work to keep them stretched and motivated.

The timetabling has been such that she had only one after school lesson per week, which was lucky as she had dancing after school twice a week and music after school twice a week.

Set 2 and 3 kids were doing around 8 or 9 - to give them a decent spread but solid core

Not many posters come to these threads to shout about their average kid doing 8 GCSEs and predicted straight B's and C's - but statistically they are the majority

Not many posters come to these threads to shout about their average kid doing 8 GCSEs and predicted straight B's and C's - but statistically they are the majority

Mine! (almost)

Maybe reading this wrong but a DC getting a mix of 8 Bs and Cs looks like they'd be above the average.

www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/2012/group.pl?qtype=NAT&superview=sec&view=aat&set=2&sort=&ord=&tab=55&no=999&pg=2