Options year 9/10 not happy with dd’s Choices.

[Lovemusic33]

Dd is in year 9 and will be choosing her options in a few months, school have been preparing them and we have a meeting next week to discus what the options are.

Dd is pretty bright and in top classes for most subjects but loves English and history.

She has decided to chose history, German, ICT and business studies (as well as maths, English and science). The problem I have is she has the option of taking individual sciences instead of the business studies, Dd says she doesn’t like science and want to take the combined paper. Today Dd got her resaults from a science test and came 2nd in the year but still she says ‘I don’t like science’. I know I can’t chose a career for Dd but the fact she’s good at maths, ICT and science could get her into engineering but she has this idea in her head that she will make her living from being a author.

The school have told the children to chose what they would like to do and not to be influenced by others so Dd digging her heals in about the science option and wants to do business studies.

I’m going to just have to let her chose aren’t I? I know I probably am BU in wanting to chose for her.

Doing double or single sciences doesn't make an enormous amount of difference for a student's prospects and doing triple is hard. You do need some of the love to do it. It looks like she's got a solid academic set of choices - Business is not a soft GCSE. THe only thing I'd check is whether she's doing ICT (is that still even offered?) or Computer Science? The latter would be a more substantial choice.

at the end of the day whilst there is a lot especially on mn bluster about subjects chosen and as the argument flows on another thread about subjects - if your DD doesn't enjoy it she will struggle to succeed - it's far better high grades in the double science and a good grade in another subject (as pointy has pointed out , Business is not a soft subject

Thank you, I will ask questions at the meeting next week regarding ICT.

English is her best subject and always has been and she’s swaying towards being a English teacher but I think she will struggle with this as she has Aspergers and struggles with dealing with people. Engineering would be a good choice but she shows no interest in it other than the computer side of things.

It’s hard as she’s only 14 and has no idea what she really wants to do other than A level English (when she gets to that point).

Triple science at DD's school takes up 15 lessons a fortnight - it is a high workload of science if you DO like it, let alone if you don't lean that way.

I have very rarely involved myself with my DC's option choices (so much so that I'm not entirely sure exactly what the boarding ones are doing). I don't see that pressing your DD down a science-y route if she's not that interested is going to be terribly helpful. One of mine now regrets not doing Divinity and is busily telling the others that they ought to choose it. Needless to say, none of them is listening...

For the future it doesn't matter if she does double or triple science. Many schools only teach double award science. She should aim for the best possible grades in all subjects.

Personally, I wouldn't touch business studies with a bargepole as I have a very prejudiced opinion that
a) it's likely to attract students (not OP's DD) who see it as a "doss" option so there won't be a productive atmosphere in the classroom but instead kids just wanting to disrupt and waste time
b) the "new" subjects are actually harder to get top grades in than the classics like French, Geography, History, where you just learn it and revise. The mark schemes for newer subjects seems more esoteric to me.

As I said, this is just my opinion and it may well be proved utterly wrong in many schools and by many students. I will have to become more openminded before my DC are at option choosing stage.

It's still possible to take Science A levels with Combined Science rather than Triple. The combined science is a better preparation for A levels than the old double award.
For the new 9-1 GCSEs the course has been completely revised and is now known as Business (the studies has been dropped).
ICT has not been reformed as a new 9-1 GCSE. So it's possibly a level 2 equivalent.

Thanks Locked is business studies mainly marked on course work rather than exams? Dd copes better with exams. I’m not sure why she has chosen it tbh, she could have done media studies or photography.

Love GCSE Business is 100% exam based and is not easy; to get anywhere near a 4 a students needs to have strong quantitative, analytical and evaluative skills - whilst it may be seen as the "doss" subject in Lockedout's case it definitely isn't at the schools I have worked in.

The vocational qualifications for Business (BTEC, OCR Tech, NCFE Vcert) have coursework elements but also contain an exam.

" I’m not sure why she has chosen it tbh" I have said in a number of previous threads of the years at this time of year that as a subject, whilst it may seem 'easy' to adults with working/life experience it is not for a 14-18 year old.
The subject teaches them about not only finance, recruitment, marketing etc but also what is featured heavily is why a business makes the decisions they do, the impact of these decisions, the influences they have to face whether that is economic, political, environmental etc what they it is a real life subject that in my opinion should be a core subject as it helps to make sense of the world around them

YABU. Forcing her to do a subject she doesn't want to do is a recipe for disaster. Just let her choose for herself.

I don't have a teenager but business studies, good at maths, interested in history, and an aspie could all add up to make an economist somewhere down the line.

I'm a big fan of letting kids follow their interests, and nothing sounds bonkers about what your child is picking.

Agree with PPs, best to let her do what she enjoys, within reason. Her choices sound good.

If she hates science why push it? New triple award is tough.

Check ICT tho, it's no longer offered as a GCSE. Is is computer science? That's much harder and well regarded. PS to a pp - new French GCSE is also v hard!

the ICT maybe a vocational qualification as there are some still that schools can deliver

Some schools don't even offer triple science so if she does double it will not preclude her from doing science A levels should she have a change of heart by then.

Why are you so set on her doing engineering? There's a lot of focus on this with girls at the moment but I don't think that means students should be forced down that route against their preferences!

FWIW I teach English and students with ASD traits can and do excel ! I'd be willing to bet lots of authors are on the spectrum.

Just to go back to locked's comments : all subjects are new now and , specifically, MFL and history have been made, by all accounts, much harder.

That's the second time tonight I've come across the bargepole comment in relation to an element of academic snobbery... good old Mumsnet .

business studies definitely used to be a soft option (6 or 7 years ago), lots of it answered with simple common sense, so I'm glad to hear that it's not like that nowadays!

My parents were very heavy on the hints about science and engineering being all that mattered if you were good at them (which I was); they never overtly said anything or insisted, but the hidden pushing was almost worse, as I couldn't argue back. It was clear that that was what was valued, other subjects were just slightly looked down on, but again, not in a way that I could pinpoint. It was subtle, but deadly. I ended up confused, frustrated, taking on those prejudices myself and hating that I didn't want to be a scientist really, always feeling inadequate, doing a kind of halfway course/degree, never quite settling on anything and thus feeling a constant imposter. Don't let that happen to her, by subtle pushing. Explain overtly why you think science would be better - and I agree, no reason why she shouldn't do them for GCSE, but then go on to do history and English - but don't keep pushing this 'you should do engineering/science just because you're good at it, and lots of girls don't do it so you shouldn't be held back, you should if you can etc' attitude. Be just as enthusiastic about history and English - maybe an author, but maybe she'll be a librarian or a researcher or any number of other jobs using those degrees, or even jobs that don't use them but just need good writing and analysis skills.

Surely it's her choice not yours?

Swop the ICT (dying subject with poor reputation) for Comp Sci, and it looks as if she's making good choices

I'm a Science teacher. Let her do double award and select a subject she loves. Triple is good for kids looking to go onto studying several sciences at A level, who love the subjects. But doing 'only' double will not prevent her taking one science at A level, so it's not really closing any doors. My school used to sign up all kids in top sets to triple, but now kids can chose. Kids that are bright might be doing well in the sciences but if it's not their first choice, then they're better off doing double and picking another subject they do love. The subjects your daughter had chosen seem like good choices.

Why on earth do you think she should be an engineer when she has shown no interest in it at all in the past?

Thank you everyone. I know at the end of the day it’s her choice, she’s always wanted to be a teacher but is now saying she wants to be a author.

I don’t want to force her into engineering, I just thought it would be something she could fall back on as I suspect teaching won’t be for her as she struggles socially.

She is dropping French and doing German as she’s finding French hard (though she’s still hitting targets), computer science would be great for her as she has been flagged up as being really good at this, probably one of her best subjects as well as English. I don’t mean to brag but she’s top of her year in most subjects other than Music (which she hates) and geography. She’s better at the more academic subjects and copes well with exams rather than coursework.

I don’t want to force her into anything, obviously the options are being discussed at school and they will be getting advice on what to take. She has picked almost identical subjects to her BF but she says that’s just coincidence.

I am a teacher. Lots of them struggle socially

Seriously, though - I don't think engineering is something to 'fall back on' : I am sure it requires as much commitment as teaching. Parents usually think of teaching as something to 'fall back on', ironically!

She is only young : no decisions made now will affect her forever. I'd be willing to bet the options she chooses now could even be changed by June - or even September , should she have a change of heart.

Very very few subjects have coursework in them these days : those that do are actually quite useful workload wise as students now do so many exams (all in year 11) that it has become ridiculous (especially if they do triple science!!)