Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Triple science have we made the right decision?

41 replies

duvetdaisydo · 05/04/2017 13:07

Ds's school offer triple science, but do not devote extra teaching time to it...so if ds chose it the course would just move quite a bit faster than the double science course.
Ds is in top set - it's a high achieving Comp, he says he is the only kid in top set to take Double instead of Triple.....looking at last years results all the triple science kids passed, roughly 60% A & A* over, the double kids not surprisingly mostly scored B's & C's as they would mostly have been the kids who struggled.
So my concern is the lack of teaching time and the new level of difficulty coming from the new GCSE, ds although in top set is not passionate about science - he's more a good all rounder, he would never consider doing Physics A'level - the one subject I think might drive you to do triple so the jump isn't quite so big. But Ds is concerned that he is the only kids not doing triple science and I think there's an ego thing going on - he doesn't want to be in third set - teacher told me he'd be in Set 1 for Double. I'm concerned that taking triple will drag down his overall GCSE results.
Thoughts please?

OP posts:

TeenAndTween · 05/04/2017 16:50

I have a friend, one of whose DDs opted to do double when she was capable of triple. She got a bit fed up of lower expectations due to 'being in set 3' as it was assumed that all the more able ones had done triple.

Original poster

duvetdaisydo · 05/04/2017 17:03

Clavinova They set all subjects individually.

OP posts:

ChinchillaFur · 05/04/2017 17:15

Could you speak to his current Science teacher/Head of Science, or fire off a quick email?

At my school we have 5 sets. We offer triple as an option. There are 2 triple sets and 3 double sets. Looking at numbers for next year, only 3 pupils from the current set 1 are not doing triple, so in essence, the top double set really will be like a set 3. We have tried to explain this clearly and of course will still have high expectations for these pupils, but it won't be the same as being in set 1 with the really bright, highly motivated pupils they are currently in with.

My advice would be to start with triple and drop down to double if he finds it too much. Far harder to switch the other way.

Acornantics · 05/04/2017 17:17

This is bringing up some interesting insights into how other schools set pupils; DS is in set 4 of 8 at a high achieving state school, and he's predicted A*s and As at GCSE.

It makes me wonder if he was put in the wrong set back in Yr7. We were living overseas for 3 years prior to high school so he didn't do SATs, just CATs once he started Yr7. However, he's happy, is being stretched academically and he's achieving great grades, so does the set really matter? Probably not..

mousymary · 05/04/2017 17:48

Ds was a "top set" person and did double science. He was at a high-achieving comp. He said he preferred being in a "lower" set as they got more help. He got A*s for the science GCSEs. The double science certainly didn't impact on any of his future choices or achievements.

Dd, too, is taking double science.

There seems to be a lot of one-upmanship amongst parents over triple science, as if it indicates a superior brain or something. If you are definitely a sciencey person, then go for it, otherwise it really doesn't matter.

Original poster

duvetdaisydo · 05/04/2017 18:16

mousymary I feel a bit the same about triple science being a bit boast worthy for parents and pupils and indeed ds is showing some signs of this. Dh and I have a science bias to our education - I did science and maths because I found it easy - but I found other subjects like languages to be very challenging. It's hard for ds to disentangle his feelings, he's worried about moving down a set - but why he's worried is the tricky thing for him to understand, I am trying to guide him but this is not about what dh and I did at school - ds has a broader range of talents, I just want him to enjoy his education as far as possible and give himself a good range of options.

OP posts:

SaltyMyDear · 05/04/2017 18:24

You haven't said what he'll gain from only taking double?

GCSEs are stressful whether you take 9, 10 or 11. Dropping one science won't really reduce or increase the stress.

DriftingDreamer · 05/04/2017 18:31

Triple science does seem to be something people get their knickers in a knot over....
I have experience of this with other parents of year 7s re school choices.
My ds in a school where far more children do double rather than triple due to general ability of intake.
DS will very likely be offered triple. School seem to do it as add on in year 10/11? So does not take from another option.
So, all start double and some move to triple I think...
At present lots of mixed ability classes [year 7].
I shall discuss with ds and school nearer the time what best for him....

Mulledwine1 · 05/04/2017 18:37

Some interesting comments on here about how double/triple science is handled in schools.

DS is at a high performing comprehensive and they don't do triple science as an option - if you do it, you have the same teaching time as for double. They expect those doing double science to get as high grades as those doing triple - on the whole. Their ambitions are no lower for those doing double science and it is not considered second best. Even if you are top set, you don't have to do triple (although you may well be encouraged).

DS is in set 2, borderline set 1. He does not want to do triple science and as his main talents lie towards humanities and languages, that's fine.

I think it depends on the school attitude as well as your son's interests. But I can't see the point of doing 3 and getting lower grades when you could have done 2 and got high grades.

I don't believe schools will aim low for their double science students unless they feel that everyone should be doing all three sciences and you are somehow lower achieving if you don't.

Mulledwine1 · 05/04/2017 18:38

GCSEs are stressful whether you take 9, 10 or 11. Dropping one science won't really reduce or increase the stress

And I disagree with this - triple science is much more work.

muttrat · 05/04/2017 18:40

God, definitely do double if you don't want to do science a levels. Make sure you buy the revision guides and do lots at home and he'll be fine grades wise. There's no advantage to triple unless you want to do physics or chemistry a level. Even biology a level is doable with double science.

DriftingDreamer · 05/04/2017 18:41

Interesting that some schools dropping triple.
Despite lots of talk to the contrary, A levels in science can be done from double...
You would think not from the hand wringing I have heard....

muttrat · 05/04/2017 18:41

Triple science is loads more work! Much better to do subjects he enjoys

muttrat · 05/04/2017 18:42

Dds boyfriend did double science, got A and is doing biology and chemistry a level predicted As!

mousymary · 05/04/2017 18:52

The dcs' comp does not make you into a general "bottom set" person if you don't take triple science: it's just one option block. So ds did double science but was still in top sets for Maths, French and (set for GCSE years only) English.

Anchovies12 · 05/04/2017 22:28

Depends also on maths ability, maths content has increased massively.

Flip

1 2