subjects schools provide

[dancemom]

Dd is in primary school but have started thinking ahead...
I'm assuming it's mandatory that all schools provide certain subjects such as maths, English etc

However if a school doesn't provide the subject you want to (I'm im Scotland so ie Nat 4 or 5 or Higher) do pupils have the option to go to another school to do this or is it just tough??

Eg if they offer French but you want Spanish? Or you want to take dance but it's not on their curriculum?

Would you look into this before selecting a school? Would a school change the subjects it offers without consultation?

They provide what they can get teachers for, where I am. There's a lot more high schools teach Spanish than German, because they find it easier to recruit teachers who can speak Spanish, for example.

We did look at what subjects schools offered, and one school did say that they weren't offering dance as an option subject in that academic year because the teacher was leaving and they weren't sure that they would be able to get a replacement. I would be reluctant to base my entire school choice on a specific non-core subject, especially in early yr6 when making applications, because the child might not even be interested in a couple of years, and you can never predict what might happen with staff.

The option to take subjects at another school doesn't happen here, it would take far too much co-ordination, and I imagine it is hard enough to timetable stuff for one school, without trying to accommodate pupils from other schools and their availability.

Thing is OP it can and will change.

My school is offering dance to the current yr 9s but I don't think yr 10s/11s had it as an option.

Current year 11s had to do a tech subject but they are the last year for that.

Current yr 7s all do French but in previous years we had split the year French/German. Next year's yr 7 will all do German.

I wouldn't base your choice of school on this unless there was something very important. For example a school that didn't offer MFL at KS4 (there are some local to me!) would be off the list. But then I am an MFL teacher!

But yes, if you are there and don't like what's on offer, then you have to lump it or move schools, I would imagine.

It's just unfortunate. It can also change. My ds had a year of German, then the German teacher left and they couldn't replace him, so they didn't have it any more. Also, the Government keeps changing policies (well, in England, I know in Scotland some things in education are different), so, what you think you are signing up to when they are 10, looks very different when they are 15/16 and doing exams.

Most schools do a lot of different PE nowadays though - 1/2 a term on one sport then try another, type thing so all will do dance at some point (as in your example). Some, however, will do a shed load of Outdoor Ed or might have a 'fitness suite' or access to a swimming pool, which others don't, so in those terms it will just depend on which school they are at.

Same with things like drama or music - it will depend on the staff they have and both their enthusiasm and expertise.

For some subjects it may be linked to the facilities the school has so if the school has a dance studio they are likely to offer dance, a theatre and they are likely to offer drama etc. There is no guarantee that all subjects will be available all the way through the school though.
There will be some sort of consultation with the school governors if subjects offered change significantly. dds school have a system where the first MFL alternates so in one year Y7s take French as their MFL and then add German in Y9 whereas the following year Y7s take German as their MFL and then can add French in Y9. Other schools may give parents a choice about which MFL to study.
For some rare subjects it may be possible for pupils to travel to another school or college (it does happen) but it takes a lot of organisation so doesn't happen often.

Schools do not have to consult on curriculum changes, and it is very often led by availability of teachers and cost of running options.