Dd in tears over gcse options.

[VivaLeBeaver]

Aggh.

She's been told she can't do art and graphic design as they're in the same option block. Which is a bit shit when you want to be a graphic designer for a career and have been told you're amazingly talented at both subjects.

She's got to pick an option from a different block, so drama, music, computer sciences, history or geography. None of which she wants to do.

When the bloody forms came out the subjects weren't in blocks. I can't understand why they don't do options forms with the subjects in blocks and tell the kids months ago they need to pick one from each block.

Dd asked if she could carry her second language on rather that do something from block D but was told that's not possible as all the languages are in one block as well. Which for a language specialist academy seems stupid. Surely they should put similar subject areas in different blocks?

Anyway, what do you think my chances of arguing it with the school are. Apparantly head of yr 10 told dd he'd try and sort something but he doubted he'd be able to do it. I want to tell the school that unless they're taught at the same time on the same day I want her to be able to do both. Is that unreasonable?

DS is doing computing & BTEC iMedia (I guess iMedia and DT graphics not possible for OP's DD?).

Geography can involve a lot of DT & graphic design, from what I see in DD's project work. Computing will always be helpful for graphics though, I'd be trying to sell that aspect to her.

She really should consider computer science if she may want a career in graphic design: digital skills are going to become even more important.

There might be other options in creative industries, eg visual effects industry want computer science, art and physics/maths.

I wouldn't not do triple science - combined sciences aren't as good.

I wouldn't not do triple science - combined sciences aren't as good

Double science is just like triple science - except it only covers 2/3 of the content for each subject. So it is only not as good in as much as you don't learn so much science. My DD is y11. imo There is still a substantial science content in double, perfectly sufficient for any non scientist, and for everyday life.

She hates chemistry but is very good at physics and biology. So it was a toss up between double science and not having to do as much chemistry but risking her averaged grade been dragged down. Or doing triple and having to do more chemistry and scraping a pass but then having higher grades for physics and biology.

Has she thought about how her choices now translate to A levels. If you are concerned about keeping breadth, she doesn't have an interest in maths / science and you are concerned about overall academic course load then I am struggling to see why triple science would be a good option.
Even at this stage my 2 dd have already decided they are maths / science "types" despite being good at everything. I don't expect this to change and if they were not of that mind set I would also not expect that to change.
Caveat all this with the fact that mine are in Scotland and I find the English set up baffling and overly biased towards science at GCSE and I say that as someone who did 3 science highers very successfully.

I'd be surprised if any school would allow art, photography and graphic design, that skews her timetable much too much and doesn't allow for any real breadth of education. I understand what you say about her strengths, but I still think she needs more balance at GCSE.

She'll calm down in a few days. Also, I expect it probably was explained in school about limitations and option blocks, she just heard what she wanted to hear and tuned out the rest.

She currently reckons she wants to do art, photography and graphics at a level. Or possibly physics instead of photography. She's good at physics and enjoys it but I'm not sure she'll enjoy it enough to want to do a-level.

Have you tried getting her to google some Uni courses in Art and design to guide her perspective. I have done this with DD (aged 14) and DD (aged almost 13) and it did inform their thinking without them feeling like I was directing them.

Yes, I got her some Uni prospectuses to look through a few months ago.

In that case I think you are doing it right and I am sure georgethesecond is right about her calming. Sometimes mine just have to rage against the machine at the unfairness of the World for a while and once they calm down they miraculously have it all sorted and can't see what I was so worked up about! TEENAGERS grrrrr

It is not a bad option. Do they reach programming as well in it? All design now is either all done or final outputs are done on computers. If she wants to be a gd, she. Might also need or want to do some animation or we design which require good computing skills. Alternatively, if she really hates the thought if it, designers (I am one) are required to think very very broadly, have excellent knowledge if and interest in the wider world, including science (biology?), languages and social science / philosophy type of things. She can use some of the programmes for gd maybe for her arts stream for presentations etc. so she can teach herself. In design, it's the creative process which is massively important, not it skills per se, though they can't hurt. So I would def. choose art as this will give a great foundation and then maybe do geography as you said or a language / biology. I say biology because as a designer I find the field hugely inspirational and interesting because you work with living systems, design is also about systems (the composition the gallery the magazine, the computer programme) iyswim.

It is? * ict is not a bad option. Sorry for typos, too early"

I had similar.
Dd1 was sure she wanted to do geography and music.
The about a month before they had to hand options in she was approached by a history teacher who told her he thought (surprise) she should do history. He went through the syllabus with her, and she came back saying she was't sure.
She wasn't sure even up to the last day and put after a lot of tears and decisions history and music, wth geography and business as back ups.

Then they came back organised them in blocks and found that she couldn't do history and music. That irritated me somewhat as it would have been an easy decision before if they'd given us the blocks.

However now she had decided to do history she didn't want to change, so she's dropped the music* and is doing history and business.

As I said to her, it won't matter in the long run, and she can always do music GCSE alongside A-levels if she wants. But the heartache we had over the original decision would have been so much easier if we'd known this from the beginning.

*at the same time they announced that those who wanted to do Btech music had been put into the GCSE group. Now the issue there is a lot of the btech music are "wanna-be pop stars" so the music department to soften that blow said they would do a more popular music option than the usual classics (which dd1 likes), so she wasn't too upset at leaving music behind in that case.

Photography, Graphics and and Art at A level will be total Murder!!! She may well rant, but she will really struggle to do all of this. My DD did Art and Photography at A level and went straight onto a degree course at UAL so it did side step the foundation year because she had two art A levels under her belt, but no-one does three! I cannot begin to tell you how much work is involved in doing two Art A levels, let alone three. My DD had to have her Photography portfolio ready for March, not June, and Art was not much later. These subjects are not exams in June. Your DD will also have to do a massive portfolio for university application and, guess what, no university wants the same thing so you have to keep tweaking it. Often they will want photos of it sent in - in January! Before she makes very silly choices, you and she need to know exactly what this means. Most schools would never allow this combination of A levels. Your DD needs to calm down and it would really be a good idea to talk through with her what is actually needed, instead of her imagining what is needed. Nearly every university that offers Graphic Design will tell you what the student should have in their portfolio and what skills they are looking for. Many students will produce work above and beyond the A level syllabus, so time for this needs to be factored in too.

Geography tends to be less essay based than History, so I would choose Geography to keep her GCSEs broad. Also, a good Graphic Design course will probably ask for high grade A levels and some of them may want to see a written subject in there too. No degree is just about practical work. A levels onwards are about writing up research, inspiration and about your work too.

If there's any chance she'll want to do architecture rather than graphic design later, the physics would be a really good one to keep for A-level.

Thanks everyone. Looks like I will have to convince her to drop photography for a level then. And tell her she really ought to do art and graphics at a level and one other subject. I talked and talked to her about the workload for three project heavy GCSEs and she just keeps saying she can do it and I went with her to the HOY who said she should choose what makes her happy. Which of course was a big green light to her to stick all three down and I gave up arguing.

Haven't got to speak to anyone at school yet but will ring tomorrow and tell them to stick her down for geography.

It's a shame she can't do art and graphics instead of art and photography, but timetable won't allow it. I keep telling her she could do photography within art as well as just for general enjoyment but she's not having it.

And yes she does sometimes talk about architecture instead of graphic design so physics would be good for that.

My son is just finishing bastard GCSE art. For each of his projects he has taken his own photos. I know it isn't the same, but there will at least be some element of photography. And she could teach herself photography skills via the internet over the summer if she is a self starter.

ok, she's still in tears. Aaggh.

She's now thinking about dropping art and doing graphics instead. Which frustrates me as Id have thought that Art is the broader subject and more useful for either a graphics or architecture degree.

She reckons she enjoys graphics more and is better at it than art. She reckons she's not very good at drawing or painting. I must admit I look at some of her art stuff and it doesn't look good to me. However her art teacher has always raved about her and says she's good.....

Hugs & biscuits time, I think.
Either one will be fine, I'm sure. But doesn't solve her problem of which to choose from "drama, music, computer sciences, history or geography. " , does it?

Has she considered higher apprenticeships post A-level, instead of Uni? Some of them are very much graphic design.

Human geography gives excellent scope for interior or landscape design...

One thing I've told her is that she can go and do the art foundation course for a year after a levels if she wants. So this will give her a year to get a portfolio up to scratch for either architecture or graphic design gcse.

I think she is better at graphic design than art so maybe she should do that, and she enjoys it more.

Her current graphic design teacher says she's producing work of a commercially viable standard already. Stuff that she would expect final year degree students to be producing and pitching to businesses.

Her art teacher said last year that her work was already of a GCSE grade B standard.

The best architecture courses like maths, physics and art A level and possibly a humanity instead of art if skill in Art can be demonstrated elsewhere. 3D graphic design is also good. Not every course requires a portfolio. Art foundation courses are really tasters of a broad spectrum of Art to allow the student to decide if they wish to pursue fine art, photography, ceramics degrees etc. I would be inclined to research all possible degrees and work back to A levels required and GCSEs. I do think she is being done a great disservice by not being allowed to take graphic design and art. I would look at course requirements - University of Bath School of Architecture is a great place to start - and argue your case with the school based on fact.