GCSE options/timings

[stubiff]

DS is starting Secondary in 2 years. Our local school is in special measures and an Academy has recently taken over.
Was looking at the website and came across a GCSE options doc which, assuming I was reading it correctly, said:

GCSEs studied Y9-Y11
Core subjects – English, Maths, Double Science or Biology/Physics/Chem
3 Options – one must be an Ebacc subject, so Geog, Hist or MFL.

Now the interesting bit.
Ebacc exams taken at the end of Y11, as expected.
Non-Ebacc exams taken at the end of Y10.

Is this anything like normal?

Maybe they just want to get their Ebacc scores up!

No, not normal. And it sounds like a recipe for a very dull year 11 with a much narrower curriculum. DD1 is doing music and there is no way on earth she'd have been ready to sit that at the end of year 10. They must be sacrificing some grades on the non eBacc subjects.

3 Options – one must be an Ebacc subject, so Geog, Hist or MFL

Either 2 of the options would have to be Ebacc subjects or they would be lowering their Ebacc score.

That sounds mad! Early GCSEs do not allow for the improvent in communications, study skills and general maturity.

As universities will only now have GCSE grades to look at (following the demise of the AS level), I can't imagine they will be well pleased with them being taken over two sittings.

Fresh, if you're talking about attainment 8 then there's 3 slots for ebacc subjects, and this excludes Eng & Maths, so could be covered by 3 sciences or double science plus the min 1 ebacc option.

Is the policy up to date? You may find it changes as more new style gcses come up in the next few years.

Fresh, sorry, think you were talking about the makeup of the ebacc, so yes.
Assume the school is thinking that the ones only choosing one ebacc may nit be getting the necessary grades if they were forced to take the full ebacc, i.e. They'd struggle to attain the ebacc anyway.

Lizs, the doc was for 17/18 options, so yes.

stubiff sounds like the school is playing the system and not doing what is right by the children.

If schools stopped doing this then we wouldn't have governments having to mess up change the system to stop schools doing this.

Do they do English Language, and English Literature?

Not clear from your post, but I think most schools do these days.

Leeds, yes they do both English subjects.

Would be interested to know how Academies get paid.
Have looked at another of their schools and it, as to be expected, has the same system.
The other school is next to a Grammar, but has very good progress results, with 75% passing both English and Maths.
Maybe, for those taking only one or two ebacc options, the extra time in Y11 to concentrate on English and Maths, which is what the doc says, is a big benefit.
Right or wrong, it benefits the pupils possibly bringing them up to the standard to get onto college courses.