GCSE

[Highlandfling80]

Just wondering how many subjects are taken at GCSE on average for a fairly academic child. Looking at secondary schools at the moment and I am getting very different answers
Thank you

DS is at a high performing independent selective school & most children take 9 GCSEs. Some take 10 if they choose to do an extra curricular one.

Thank you. This us new for me

My DC are at a standard state comp and the brighter ones who do triple science do 10; those who do double science do 9; students who may need extra support just do 8.

I teach at another state comp and students there do the same, except everyone also does RE either as a half or full GCSE, so quite a few of the brighter students will do 11.

Thing being, it's all changing this year, so what might have been happening for last few years may well be very different from this current year, which may (once it's had time to be guinea pigs on this year's Yr11s) change again when your dc goes through.
So my dds (ordinary state comp), both equally capable I'd say, but 3 school years apart. The older one got 12 in 2015, but the younger one is only able {quite rightly IMO} to take 9. New spec is all on final exams - no coursework, no retaking modules, no point in taking any a year early.

Just saying, so you make sure you compare like with like.... is the answer "over the last few years" or "this cohort about to take them in May/June 2017" ?

At our local comprehensive they mainly do 10-
English language, English Lit, Maths, two or three sciences, three options, one language. Those doing two science do RE as well (so same number as those doing triple science).
I think schools have cut back on numbers of subjects studied as they have been further cajoled into EBacc subjects (because of Progress 8).
That school does pretty well, both in terms of attainment and progress.

My answer relates to DS who is in year 8. Dd is in year 10 at a different school & she also will take 9 GCSEs.

Neither school are changing the number to be taken in the light of 9:1 & progress 8. The only chsnges at dds school relate to some subjects offered for example ICT GCSE has been dropped & so has a Cambridge ICT certificate.

Thank you for replies.

Academic DDs at a failing school:

DD1
Maths, Statistics, Eng Lang, German & French, History, 3 sciences, RE 1/2 GCSE

so 9 1/2 GCSEs

DD2
Maths, Further Maths, Eng Lang & Lit, French, History, 3 sciences, Drama, RE full course (twilight)

so 11 GCSEs

10

Though the very best mathematicians do FM as well, and those who speak another language outside school can take a GCSE in that as well using the school essentially just as exam centre.

12 at DC school.

DS at good comp, top sets, doing 12: 3 science, 3 maths, 2 English + 4 options. They were going to have them doing re as well but have pulled back on that. For some reason state schools seem to do more than privates. Can anyone enlighten me why??

11, state grammar

My dd very academic and now in year 9 will be doing 8 gcse over 3 years. She is in a free school and all students are doing the Ebac. She could probably do another as extra curricular but hasn't wanted too. She had predicted grades of As and A*

Current year 12 did 10.5 , current year 10 doing 9.5

Kit - how can you do 3 maths? GCSE & further maths I understand - what's the third?

Private schools (according to the one ds goes to snyway) seems to value quality over quantity. They tend to keep more room for sport & stuff too I think.

statistics, maybe BalletGM.
DC school is short on math teachers, anyway, so just the one math GCSE for them.

At ds's school currently I think Further Maths is offered to the top set only. It's a selective school & they do IGCSE.

At dd's school they say the new maths GCSE is so much harder that they will struggle to cover all the content to begin with until the curriculum chsnges filter down do definatly no further maths.

DD (yr 10, bilingual school in Wales) will do Eng lang & lit, Welsh lang only, 2 x maths (maths here split into 'mathematics: numeracy' and 'mathematics'), 3 x science, plus 2 options. That gives her 10, but she's withdrawn from RS & not taking Welsh lit, so could have done up to 12.

Its too many IMO, but I guess the maths is really equivalent to 1 x maths in England, just divided so those less mathsy can focus on the basic numeracy qualification, and obviously lots of overlap in skills between language (& literature) exams in English and in Welsh.