How many GCSEs does your child's school allow them to take?

[ArcherQueen]

My son's non-selective independent school is restricting all pupils to 9 GCSEs. My son is very bright and while I do not have an issue with the number, it does mean he has to give up French, which is is really good at and is likely to get a top grade in. I don't want to list all the subjects he wants to take but French will have to go as it is the only one he is definitely not going to take at A'level. He has a pretty good idea what he wants to do but wants to keep his options open in case he changes his plans.My son takes his options at the end of this academic year (9) and is gutted at the prospect of not studying French after that. I know the GCSEs are going to be more rigorous and "harder" than in recent years but I also know he is more than capable of this type of study. I certainly don't think adding an extra one is necessarily going to adversely affect his grades.Basically his only option would be to take it outside of school which quite frankly is not going to appeal to him and I don't blame him.

I don't really want a debate on whether 9 is enough, that may or may not be the case for a very bright child, but what I would like to know from other parents is: does your child's secondary school restrict the number of GCSEs in the same way? Our school insists that all schools do this but I cannot find any information on websites. I guess with the changes they are all still deciding what to do.I feel the school may be doing this for their own convenience, i.e. timetabling, as it meets the needs of the majority of their students, and there are not enough outliers to justify having to accomodate them. I would really like to know if other schools are doing the same.

[Balletgirlmum]

It surprises me hiw man schools expect children to do triple science in the time allocated to double.

At both my children's school triple is available as one of the option blocks. So they still keep the same total number of GCSE's.

[Stickerrocks]

Ours covers triple science over 11 periods per fortnight, whereas double only gets 9 with the other 2 periods allocated to ICT still. Further or additional maths has been completely abandoned, as so much of the old AS syllabus has dropped into the new maths GCSE Higher paper and a grade 9 will be so difficult to achieve anyway. I don't know if extra maths papers still exist.

I did question only taking 9 or 10 initially (I got 13 O' levels) but the local colleges all seemed to think this was more than adequate for those currently in year 10 taking all of the new style GCSEs with them all being taken at the end of year 11.

[Balletgirlmum]

That's similar to dds school sticker. 6 periods per week for double science & 9 & a half periods for triple (the half is because they have extended form time/phse on that day!

[troutsprout]

Dd yr 9 state school. 11 GCSEs if doing double or 12 if doing triple science
There is possibility of 13 if they stay behind and do extra language
These are spread out at her school though...they take some and do them in 1 year, others in 2 years and others in 3..so it's not 12 all at once.
They take 1 exam in year 9 .. 2 in year 10...9 in year 11
I think that is how it works

[titchy]

7 IS too low for progress 8... progress 8 is actually out of 10, with maths and English double weighted so counting as two. Taking 7 means there'll be 9 out of 10 grades.

Besides it's far to narrow a curriculum. Hell we specialise too early in the uk as it is.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Ballet - its because science is difficult for some kids and really not that hard for others. Same with maths/ further maths (is fm a separate thing under the new scheme?). One size doesn't fit all.

Anyway - my DDs school (girls GS, not superselective) has dropped from 11 as standard to 10. Shes glad she is in yr 13 now and so was able to do Electronic products, comp sci and Drama in addition to the mandatory (3 sci, 2 english, maths, mfl and humanity. Plus fm).

[Balletgirlmum]

I would expect that to change trout as taking GCSE's early is now frowned upon & don't count for the league tables.

At both my children's schools the only ones who take them early are very high flights so they can start a level work early eg a boy who spent 2 years living in France took GCSE in year 9 & will take AS level in Year 10.

[Balletgirlmum]

But isn't that system unfair on kids who may be top set but not interested in science if they are expected to take triple in the same time allocation & vice versa.

[BackforGood]

It's not unfair BalletMum - they just work at a faster pace.
My ds did it. He's not in the least mathsy / sciency, but he has got 3 sep. sciences at GCSE because the set he was in was able to cover all the work in the same time allocation that other pupils had for doing a double science.

I agree things are different under the new spec though. dd1 went through same school as dd2, and got 12. dd2's cohort can't take more than 10
My dd (in Yr10 now) does go to one 'afterschool lesson' a fortnight to give an extra space for one of her subjects can't remember which one.

[NicknameUsed]

"At both my children's school triple is available as one of the option blocks. So they still keep the same total number of GCSE's."

Same at DD's school. I don't understand why some schools still view more than 10 GCSEs as a good thing. Any more than 10 is entirely unnecessary for A levels and university. Once you have achieved the next step (A levels usually) then GCSEs take a back seat anyway.

[yeOldeTrout]

DD (yr10) will do total= 12; I think DS currently in yr8 will have same number. DD is struggling to choose more than 11, so is hoping she can do special project instead of 1 of them. I think school is what folk call a bog standard comp.

I think kids in lower sets may take as few as 7 or 8 (incuding some BTECs).

[Cocolepew]

DD1 did 7 and went on to do A levels, and has just started at uni.
I have no idea what progress 8 is or if it applies to us (NI).

[Badbadbunny]

12.5 here, 11.5 that includes further maths and "projects" which is apparently half a gcse, all in the normal timetable. The extra is mandarin which is taught outside school time (payable). 3 separate sciences are compulsory.

[drummersmum]

10 + 1 extra language outside timetable. Includes triple science. Selective independent.

[BakewellTartAgain]

In Scotland here. At the equivalent age level our school does 6 subjects to examination level in one year. This includes Maths and English by the way.

The previous year the pupils will have been studying 11 or 12 subjects.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

I would encourage your DS to take a language though Archer. One of DD's Uni choices makes a language GCSE a requisite (admittedly non UK, but you never know who else might).

[RaskolnikovsGarret]

11 in one go, grammar

[RaskolnikovsGarret]

7 seems very low, I've never seen that before.

[Cocolepew]

DDs school is a High School, probably equivalent to a comp?
DD 1 had to go to a grammar school for A levels because the school didn't have a 6th form.
She's now at a RG uni.

[Ta1kinpeece]

DD did 13
DS did 11
With the new system the school is restricting to 10

Remember that state schools will normally do more as they attach a GCSE to every timetable slot
whereas private schools can have non examined subjects

[chocolateworshipper]

Just a thought - could he do French at college alongside A levels if it is important to him? At DD's college, they can do a language as an "enrichment" alongside A levels.

[TheDrsDocMartens]

Dd1 did 10.5, dd2 is doing same combination with 9.5 in school plus one at home due to school timetabling changes. She's v capable in the home one or I wouldn't consider it.

[16augustholiday]

Ds currently in yr11 will be doing 9 at a state comprehensive. The only people to add one are those who do additional maths.

[NicknameUsed]

"Remember that state schools will normally do more as they attach a GCSE to every timetable slot"

But how on earth did they fit 13 GCSEs into the curriculum? DD did 10 GCSEs and had a full on timetable.