Scotland: S3 Options time for National 5s

[myotherusernameisbetter]

Just looking at the timetable we've been given for the Options programme and it says that parents attend the S3 senior Phase Options Interviews but at this point it doesn't say if that's during the day or evening. We've still to have an information evening in a couple of weeks time so I am sure we will find that out then but it would be handy to know earlier so I can try to arrange time of work if I need to - anyone had any experience? I realise I can phone and ask but feel that they will just have me badged as problem parent :o

Anyone else in the same boat with a child about to make their options who wants to share their hopes, fears and issues? :)

Meeting was vey useful, we have the options form but don't get the report until today. It is meant to have some indication from the teachers on the level that your child would be expected to go for - DH thought that might be a narrative, I did initially but looking at the slides, I think it may just be an extra collumn next to each subject that they simply put 3, 4 or 5 next to. I hope there is a narrative too.

Speaking to him briefly after looking at the options form he does have a bit better idea of what he would like to pick but the combination isn't possible :( They said at the meeting that there was no wriggle room although also said at one point that they would accommodate the needs of those on staged intervention as far as possible - DS1 is in on stage 1 so I could try to pull strings but I think we will definitely wait until we see the report and read through all the documentation.

He'd like to do, in addition to Maths and English, either Chemistry or Physics, Art, Computing Science, Graphic Communications and Engineering Science. Computing Science and Graph Comm are in the same collumn and in no others. One collumn only contains Social Subjects and Business management -he is not averse to doing one of those but it wouldn't be on his choice list. he'd also like to continue to do French but it's offered in 2 collumns, the same one as Art or the same one as Computing and Graph comm.

Oh well - it wont kill him. :) A quick look at the sheet says he could do Graph Comm as a higher without the Nat 5 if he got an A in Art - so, depending on his Art teachers view, he could park that for 6th year.

You're lucky you even get that amount of feedback. Our interim report (which we got in the first week back) just says 3 columns: Effort, Behaviour and Homework (he got an Excellent in everything ).

Apparently Glasgow City Council didn't agree with CfE and so refuses to allow the school to report against the 3 categories of CfE: developing, consolidating or secure and the level . Instead, we'll have to get that from the Parents Night next week.

It's very frustrating for the schools (I know the primary schools are equally frustrated )

We do get a "proper" report with narrative later in the year.

Ours don't say anything about the CfE levels either but i don't know the reason and the interim reports only mark on Effort & Homework. i genuinely have very little idea of how they are doing academically which is a bit weird!

We are getting the final BGE report today which does have narrative - previous narratives have been marginally more useful than the tick box interim one :) It's all go this months as we have parents night next week too - all timetabled I presume so that we all have the best info available for the choices to be made.

They said last night that just because a tecaher recommends a 4 for example and you feel you want your child to do a 5. They wont go against what the parent requests but asked people to keep in mind that the teachers are the ones that have a better view of the childs work rate as opposed to how clever they are as brains aren't all that's required.

Well I have the report and it's not quite as helpful as I'd hoped :)

He has been recommended for Nat 5 in everything except PE (nat 4) and Social Subjects (4 or 5) though the commentary says that he should be aiming for National 5 in whichever of the Social Subjects he decides to study next session. Given that he is not interested in studying any of them but isn't being given a choice not to on the form it's not great. He has to choose one of his worse performing subjects rather than others that he does enjoy, is intending using (we think) and has a greater chance of success in. Though I guess that may give a wee bit of leverage to see if there are any other options :)

He told me beforehand that the science report would give him an indication of which would be best to take and it's said any of them :)

A few subjects haven't added anything re levels or likely success in the narrative at all.

I'm a bit annoyed that his RME report, which was provided by his PST goes into detail about his lack of confidence etc given the fact that I waited a month to see him to talk about that very subject, he basically brushed me off as DS wasn't a girl and therefore he didn't have anything to suggest and said he'd follow up in two months and has never got back to me!!! This is the same person I then have to speak to about any issues with the options form - that might be a conversation where i need to bite my tongue for the greater good....

So, I've taken a copy of the options form, we'll get him to score out everything he definitely doesn't want to do - PE and RMPS for a start and then rate the others in order and see where we get to.

Apparently Glasgow City Council didn't agree with CfE and so refuses to allow the school to report against the 3 categories of CfE: developing, consolidating or secure and the level shock. Instead, we'll have to get that from the Parents Night next week.

I teach in GCC and this is untrue. Our reports always show developing, consolidating or secure. Not that that's any help to a parent anyway

Xiomara - I've had two different headteachers at two different schools tell me that (and the one primary feeds to a different secondary). They both expressed the same frustration. Indeed at the primary school, they would show the 3 intersecting circles but without any indication where your child was.

Now some schools may have chosen or are going to choose to ignore the edict......

Along the same lines, I know that some headteachers have already said that if Cordia get their way and stop allowing children to bring food into the school , they are going to choose not to enforce it.

I'm not sure what will happen with Dd. She is in a school which was early presentation under standard grades so did them in S2/3 instead of S3/4.

She made her options at the start for S2, but will need to re goose this year.

Parents night in March. Last year's was very positive.

Ds is the new set doing the S1-3 course they are doing now. So it's all change and little info from the school