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Secondary education

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Original poster

Dd in tears over gcse options.

138 replies

VivaLeBeaver · 05/05/2015 15:40

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?

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LIZS · 07/05/2015 16:08

Do you have a deadline to decide by? Tbh I think you need to make a decision Asap as the longer she has the more she will fluctuate and get worked up. Life is a compromise, she needs to keep her options as open as possible for now and put her energy into that. Does she have any exams coming up , could that focus her attention? I think the fact that so few schools offer design at a level should indicate that it is not a requirement for most HE art and design courses

Original poster
VivaLeBeaver · 07/05/2015 17:30

School wanted an answer on Tuesday. Dd refused to give them one but reckons she was pencilled in for computing.

I've rung school twice today and had promises that people would ring back and nobody has.

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Original poster
VivaLeBeaver · 07/05/2015 17:31

She won't be doing computing.

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CamelHump · 07/05/2015 21:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ragged · 07/05/2015 22:02

So... if she does graphics, then she can't do art, and what's more, can't do Art A-level, which shuts down her options badly for 6th form? And if she does graphics and wants to continue graphics to A-level then there are only 2 x 6th forms both of which are inexpensive & inconvenient to OP?

I'd be pushing the Art Hard. Money might be promised.

Original poster
VivaLeBeaver · 07/05/2015 22:35

Dd is adament they do graphic design a level at her school. Which rings a bell with me from a previous parents evening.

So I'm hoping their website is out of date, which doesn't suprise me. Letters home haven't been updated since 2012. Hmm

Dd spoke to head of DT and her graphics teacher today. They've said she can do art a level without art GCSE. As long as she can demonstrate a portfolio. The danger is she may not get as good an a level grade if she doesn't do it for two years at gcse.

Head of dt initially said she ought to do art as he's heard she's good at it. But then the graphics teacher piped up that the head of DT needs to see dds graphics work as its degree level work already.

So she's still none the wiser which to choose.

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Original poster
VivaLeBeaver · 07/05/2015 22:36

Camel, yes she needs to give them an answer. But she needs time to consider it. And I also want to talk to HOY but they're not returning my calls!

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KittiesInsane · 08/05/2015 08:23

Get it confirmed in writing that they do offer graphics A-level, and that DD could do art without having the GCSE, before she decides on graphics. Otherwise she's really heading down a dead end.

Be warned that DS's school used to run 'graphic products' as an A-level but has dropped it as it wasn't popular enough, so her only option might still be art at A-level.

I would think she could submit both photographs and graphic design work as part of her portfolio. DS did. But if she does drop art, she needs to keep it up some drawing and painting in her own time (holiday course, local club?) so she has some techniques under her belt.

Original poster
VivaLeBeaver · 08/05/2015 08:28

Yes, that's the danger that even if graphics is an a level option now it may not be in two years.

Will investigate local art classes.

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Greenrememberedhills · 08/05/2015 08:38

Viva, graphic designers need extensive computer skills.

LIZS · 08/05/2015 08:40

Bear in mind that a levels are about to be reformed and the situation may have change before she gets to 6th form. Also be wary of a teacher's over enthusiasm and insistence on a particular standard of work, perceptions could vary hugely. If art can encompass elements of photography and design that might be the best approach. Our local fe college did art classes for 14-16s at weekends.

HmmAnOxfordComma · 08/05/2015 09:11

Good luck with coming to a decision on this, Viva. So much to feed into that decision.

If she does go with graphics and you want her to keep up some technical art skills, there is a monthly older kids' art group at the city art gallery / museum and also life drawing classes at the independent school (not sure on age limit if there is one).

howabout · 08/05/2015 09:44

Have you asked her why she would be prepared to drop art in favour of graphic design? Seems like an odd decision for someone who started off wanting to do art plus photography and graphic design as ancillary subjects. If this were the choice we were left with then I would be encouraging her to focus on the main goal which seems for her to be pursuing art? Very different from the case if she was just looking for a filler arts subject?

Duckdeamon · 08/05/2015 10:13

V hard to get top grades in art a level. Not having GCSE will be a disadvantage.

If she's sure her future is in art or design she might want to consider a specialist college (eg foundation course) for sixth form.

wouldn't advise dropping computer science if she is really interested in a design career. It's pretty essential to have digital skills.

CultureSucksDownWords · 08/05/2015 10:36

Are people aware the Computing/Computer Science is not like the old ICT courses. There will be no content at all about using applications.

Computing/Computer Science will be about how the computer works, and how to program a computer. So that might mean learning a programming language like Python, Ruby, VB, Java or similar. Plus learning binary, hex, logic, how the CPU works, about different types of computer memory etc. All very useful of course, particularly if you want to go on to do computer science, engineering, physics, etc. But I'm not sure that this would be the kind of "digital skills" that are useful in a wider sense, the sort of thing that would be covered in an ICT course (graphics packages, website design, DTP etc).

Original poster
VivaLeBeaver · 08/05/2015 10:39

The computing course the school offers is all coding and programming, would that be necessary for a graphic design career?

OxfordComma thanks, will check out those art classes.

Maybe she should do art. I just feel so sorry for her having to stop her favourite subject which she's so passionate about.

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ragged · 08/05/2015 10:40

Poor thing has NO Interest in computing.
I'm a wannabe geek, but it's not for everyone.
I can't find words to comment on MN obsession with getting "top" grades.
My gut feeling is that the girl herself will make the best choices for herself.

Original poster
VivaLeBeaver · 08/05/2015 10:40

X post with CultureSucks. Thanks, that's what I was thinking.

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Duckdeamon · 08/05/2015 11:34

Yes, designers absolutely do and will need coding! Eg it is used for designing websites.

ragged · 08/05/2015 11:40

The designers we know can't code for toffee. Okay, a little basic 4th gen language, but that's it. They are whizzes at the graphics software and have a canny sense of what works visually.

CultureSucksDownWords · 08/05/2015 12:57

I code websites... I'm a programmer. I can't design for toffee - no artistic, graphic design skills whatsoever. I create the website as the designer wants it, using their graphics, colour scheme, layout etc etc.

Web designers will need to know HTML, CSS, Javascript and others, but the OPs daughter seems to want to be a graphic designer not a coding web designer, ifyswim. Unless she is really interested in learning to code, the GCSE Computer Science course will be a hard slog.

PiratePanda · 08/05/2015 23:52

Has she even looked at the websites for the universities and art colleges that offer graphic design to see what they suggest as suitable A Levels? if not, why not?

She'd be crazy not to do art.

summerends · 09/05/2015 06:25

It strikes me after reading the experts' advice that if she is already producing very high level graphic design work and is serious about this then she would have more to learn from art GCSE (plus perhaps photography). Would n't improving her art (plus photography) feedback into making her a better creative designer at A level or beyond plus open up her design / art options? (I can't see the point of her doing computer science without some interest in that.)

However if she wants the short term view of the easiest top grade and a relaxing GCSE because in fact she is more likely to pursue academic subjects at A level then she should choose graphic design.

Original poster
VivaLeBeaver · 09/05/2015 06:27

Yes. Most unis say an a level in an art and design subject. Mw high I'm guessing could inc graphic design a level. along with a portfolio.

She's spoken to her art teacher and has decided to drop art and do graphic design. Her art teacher says she's happy to help dd at lunchtimes, Wednesday afternoons (currently no lessons). That she will help dd with an art portfolio, etc.

So she still has to choose an option from block d.

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Original poster
VivaLeBeaver · 09/05/2015 06:30

I've told her that Summerends. I'm getting to a stage where I can only tell her and if she doesn't listen then it's up to her. Drawing is her weakest area and Id have thought she'd benefit from 2 years of lessons on that.

Hopefully if she does some after school stuff with the art teacher that will help.

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