GCSE Options Mix-up

[Buck3t]

Hi
Can anyone give me advice and opinions on how I go about dealing with this problem.

We received information from the school giving us our son's Options. He chose his options but what he has been given are quite right. So I queried it with the teacher in charge and he said that my son chose

1st - Geography
2nd - Product Design
3rd - Creative iMedia
Reserve 1 - Drama
Reserve 2 - No choice given

However, as far as we were concerned, he chose Computing, and Creative IMedia is his reserve. The teacher suggested that my DS was confused and mixed them up on his form.

Computing is something he really wants to do because of what he wants to study later, but we know that it may have been hard for him to get in as it was so popular.

Now it appears that there has been a mix-up and being the kind of people we are we photocopied his options paper. which clearly shows that he chose

Compulsory Option - Geography
Option 1 - Computing
Option 2 - Product Design
Reserve Option 3 - Creative IMedia
Reserve Option 4 - Drama

On each he had to give his reasoning as to why HE wanted to do them.

I have this morning forwarded the form to the teacher responsible for Options, asking to see a copy of the form he has received, i.e. to make sure we're talking about the same child. As Computing is full, I am not sure what we can do at this stage, but it seems a little unfair (and I know life isn't fair), that he does all that he was supposed to do but has been stopped at this point by a mix-up, not of his making.

Just any thoughts if something similar has happened or if anyone has fought to get their child onto the options they desperately want.

Thanks
B

DB didn't have a single qualification in Computing before he began studying it at university. He now has a degree in it and two post-graduate qualifications in it, and earns a shedload in the City working in ICT. I think, like Law, it's one of those subjects where GCSEs and A Levels in it are really not necessary.

DS isn't going to pick it as one of his options but has chosen instead to go to all the extra-curricular clubs linked to it instead - is that an option?

I think, like Law, it's one of those subjects where GCSEs and A Levels in it are really not necessary.

That was true, but may not be in the future. Most selective departments, including my own, now strongly recommend A Level Computing, and I can't believe we are the only one considering making it compulsory. It's very easy to see who has and hasn't got A Level amongst first and second years (the cohorts for whom it's much more likely they have it).

Fair enough. DB was at uni a number of years ago!

Our school doesn't even offer Computing as a subject though so am interested to see how that develops.

Phew: looking online, I can only find that Maths is an essential requirement for entry onto a degree course, so our school is OK after all!

(Our school = the school I teach at, not the school DS goes to, btw, which does offer Computing.)

We were at a uni day recently, in a dept which covers my DDs subject but also one of the best for CS in the country. The talk admissions talk covered both ... The required subjects were maths and physics, with a comment that if people had done A level CS they'd unlearn their bad habits in the first term. It's one of those subjects which because of the severe shortage of proper CS teachers either isn't offered or may be poorly taught (non specialist teacher gamely self teaching and doing their best type of thing ).

If your DS doesn't get a place in the class ( and if he's first reserve there's a reasonable chance he will) then support him to learn at home (raspberry pi/Python for instance) or see if there are any relevant clubs. TBH from what you describe I'd be more concerned that he now gets some good maths teaching.

(Uni open day that should have started)

They clearly have a teacher who can teach computing though. You wouldn't have though it impossible to schedule the time table so that the one teacher teaches two different classes.

DDs school has one excellent CS teacher now. He has to teach GCSEs, a levels, but also knows it's important for the younger age groups to have some proper CS teaching. He has the heaviest teaching timetable and it would be totally impossible to schedule another set, there are simply not enough hours in the week. This is a very good school, many won't have even one CS teacher like that. Schools can't just add extra sets for this sort of subject.

redhat that teacher may teach other shortage subjects as well e.g. physics, or work part time etc. I'm sure there's a valid reason why they only run one GCSE class. There is a shortage of IT professionals in the country, not just in education so it doesn't surprise me there is a shortage of computing teachers.
I'm a programmer and I didn't start learning programming until my mid twenties. If he is interested in computing then, as pp said, tell him maths is really important.

Thanks all.

School holidays had begun and I never new this thread was still going. You've all made valid points.

Ta