Was there any point in picking options?

[reddA]

Sorry, I'm probably over reacting but DS is in year 8 and we chose options from 3 different blocks of subjects earlier in the year.

He chose Geography, Graphic Design and Triple Science. He has received his subjects for September and has been given History instead of Triple Science. The Deputy head has told me that Science now clashes with Graphic Design as they have changed the option blocks.

I asked if he could do Science instead of Graphic Design as it was much more important to him - he's currently amongst the top in the top set and it is his best subject. I was told the class was full so no.

Not sure what to do now, we are happy to change any of the subjects if he could do triple science so it's not like we're being completely obstinant! It's not really a GSCE he could do outside of School either as far as I'm aware - unless anyone knows if he could?

It's annoying that he was never going to get his 3 options anyway as 2 were in the same block without us knowing so would have clashed regardless.

Sorry for the ramble, just a bit pissed off

Make sure all your complaints are in writing. Leave a paper trail on this.

I appreciate that timetabling different GCSE options is complicated, but I think your DS's school could do better.

In my sons' school, there are no option blocks for GCSE. Each pupil writes down the optional subjects they want to study (and a couple of reserves) then the school designs the timetable around that.

I don't know about other year groups, but in DS1's year, DS2's year and DS3's year, the school was able to accommodate the preferred options of all 190 pupils, without having to resort to their reserve subjects.

In my sons' school, there are no option blocks for GCSE. Each pupil writes down the optional subjects they want to study (and a couple of reserves) then the school designs the timetable around that.

Exactly as they do it at my son's school too, except that they don't have reserve options. You just put down which subjects you want to take and they create the timetable accordingly.

(In reality, they create the option blocks after choices are made, and then they create the timetable. My son changed his mind for one subject he originally chose but later decided he didn't want to do it - the deputy head who did the timetabling then gave us a choice of what he could do instead, i.e. which other subjects were in that same timetable block.)

They managed to swap somethings around when DS was in a similar situation. I hope you sort it out. x

Thanks everyone, been hectic here with a birthday tea! No call from the Deputy, I'll put everything in writing as suggested, haven't read through everything - will do once I get 5 minutes to myself

I double checked with DS that he is doing well in Science at the moment (awful to doubt him) and he said in a test last week he scored 39/40 which was highest in the class. I feel like the School is just fobbing me off and I'm worried about being 'that parent', he's not a prodigy by any means but he is a good student and doing well.

It's all making me question whether the School is struggling (an Academy) , looking at other things, such as the turnover of teachers, no school trips and none planned, DS saying that the majority of toilets don't have doors on them, no lockers so they have to carry everything around with them all day including PE kits, coats etc.

Probably overthinking now, but it's so bloody frustrating

Be that parent. I can guarantee you won't be the only one fighting it at the moment. It will help that your ds is doing so well. I'd be furious.
Don't give up. Keep battling. Try head of science too. Be a nuisance.

if they are short of teachers to offer triple science to all that want it (common due to a lack of physics teachers) then they usually award it according to ability.

doing double science instead of triple won't limit his options for the future at all.

And double science and graphic design might even keep doors open that might otherwise be shut.

and as previous posters have said, there are nothing like enough science teachers in the country. Its not specifically physics teachers, it is all science teachers, you don't need to be a physics teacher to teach physics GCSE,

DS1 is going to uni in September to study Law after having a year out and competition is so fierce despite fantastic A Level results he was rejected by a few universities, I think I'm more aware having seen him struggle with the rejections that they will look at a childs whole education and not just A Level results when it comes down to choosing between candidates, that may just be my experience though.

DS is the top 10% in science for his leafy comp - combined is his choice because Universities pay attention to the top 8 GCSE marks. They do not care that you have gone for combined or triple - even for Medicine and Veterinary Science. Ds is doing 9 GCSE's, triple science would make it 10 and he's concerned that given the new GCSE's are so much more challenging - with extra course content, he doesn't need an extra GCSE to bring grades down in the other subjects.
From what I've read, physics is the biggest problem when it comes to the jump from combined to A level... in the event that he wanted to do physics he could catch up quite easily over the summer before he started A Level. It's not a crisis - being happy and content at school with a good positive friendship group is more important, much more important.

And law is often best studied as a post grad....no need to panic over getting into undergraduate law. Law firms often prefer to recruit graduates who have other interests....ie a good idea of the area of law/industry they'd like to pursue.

Bear in mind that it would be outrageous if universities discriminated against people who have double science.......

If he wants to take science further, try to get it in writing that doing double award will not restrict his access to the A level course.

In every school I have taught in, science was just taught as a block, with the top two sets doing triple at a faster pace (in the same number of hours as double award).

Regarding teacher retention. I'm a chemistry teacher. When I left (SAHM now) the department dripped from 10 staff to 5. An ex colleague has left to work a full time office job (compared to part time teaching) and celebrates the extra time she has with her family. Another has just secured an admin job in HE and has been told she won't be replaced - non subject specialists will be covering her timetable.

Budget cuts. Nuff said.

A truly outrageous situation. Science in one form or another is compulsory at my DC's school!

Complain
Complain
Complain

Science is far too important to miss altogether.

The school doesn't have a sixth form so he'll have to do A Levels elsewhere depending on their criteria in 3 years time and who else he is up against for a place.

I wasn't keen on DS1 doing Law after reading many posts on here about the current difficulties getting a job after qualifying, but he's keen and an adult so I'm butting out :)

I think staff shortages may be to blame or maybe just a cock up! His first end of year report last year mentioned how much better he was behaving after detentions etc - he's never had a detention and is a model student (swapped at birth I think!! ;-) ) They had mixed him up with someone else ffs!!

bringOn (and some others upthread)

Although the OP hasn't explicitly said so, her DS will be doing Double Science. It isn't triple or none, it is triple or double she is rightly concerned about.
You can do A level sciences with only double, but why make it harder than necessary. Most students will have done triple, and the teachers will be pacing to the incoming knowledge of most of the class.

no lockers so they have to carry everything around with them all day including PE kits, coats etc.

Sadly, very much the norm. Our son's school has about 100 lockers for nearly 1,000 pupils. Nothing new either, at my comp in the 1980's we had to do the same, there were no cloakrooms and an average of around 10 lockers outside each form room, so that's 20 people out of a form of 30 who'd not have a locker.

God they need to put more money in but I guess that's a whiole other thread I'd fight hard this would be seen as a poor decision by admissions tutors especially if he picks a science based degree.

I spoke to the School yesterday and asked about the number of children who did not get to do triple science and he said there were less than 10 so no chance of creating another group also no science teachers (hmm.. maybe if more children were encouraged to do Science there would be more science teachers - and if they got rid of compulsory RE GCSE that would free up more funding!!)

Anyway, I asked him to check how DS was doing on the system so that I could use his current predictions when contacting other Schools. This was the first time he had actually looked at DS's school record and he then realised, his grades were 'that' good and he was on student council, a peer mentor, no behaviour issues, lates etc. He sounded quite impressed, told me there was still nothing he could do himself but would take the matter higher up the School.

DS came home and said he had spoken to his Science teacher who was astounded that he wasn't doing triple science, said there must be a mistake and even checked the school system! He said he would speak to head of Science.

I received a phonecall late afternoon to say they have created an extra place for DS - so he will be doing Triple Science after all :)

The only problem we now have is which other subject he should do for the other option group, as they are not great. I've looked at Graphic Art IGCSE online so he may do that once he is 14 later this year from home as an extra, he is good at art.

So, moral of the story is to definitely not give up, keep stating your case to the School and hopefully you will get the right result for your child!

Thank you so much for the support on this thread, I obviously can't say anything in real life (not that I know any other parents) as it could cause a problem for the School, so as far as we are concerned another Student dropped out and a place became available.

I think I can see what happened here.

Because his original choices included Graphic Design, they assumed that he was a low achiever and would be happy with double science.

Well done for being assertive.

Am pleased it has worked out for you OP.
At dds school they were very clear what the tiebreaker was for Triple science if oversubscribed and it was the marks achieved over the past year.
dd is taking a Graphic Design A level and you just need a GCSE in a relevant creative subject so moving to this other Art subject should still be OK for the future if needed.

That's great news, red

Well done, sounds as though you played that just right!