Double science GCSE for high achiever

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I'm looking at secondary schools for my son, and one school that would otherwise be a great option does not offer triple science GCSE to any pupils - just single or double. My son is a high achiever, particularly in science, and I would not be surprised to see him study a science subject at university. I'd welcome any opinions on whether we should see this as a drawback - thanks in advance.

I went to a grammar school and they only offered double science. Many school only offer the double. I got AA in science and went on to do Astrophysics at University. Really wasn't a problem.

Our local school is an outstanding comprehensive and they only offer dual science, plenty of bright kids get the 2 x GCSE at top grades and go on to do biology, chemistry or physics at A-Level.

Whether a student does double or triple science at GCSE, they will still do the same A-Level which has far more relevant content to get in to Science subjects at Uni. Uni's also understand that it's not always the students choice to study single sciences or a dual award. If that's the only thing that's bugging you about the school, then I'd say go for it.

That's meant to read A star A star as my grade but it's taken to 2 x * to mean bold the letter!!

Personally I would see it as a drawback for a child who is strong in sciences, particularly if they may want to take one or more sciences at A level. That might be less of an issue if the school has a sixth form and is geared up for helping students make the leap. But if he wanted to go to another sixth form where lots of people had done triple it could make year 12 very demanding.

It probably seems a long way off but worth thinking about.

I also tend to think it is an indicator that the school is settling for the option that maximises results and doesn't risk letting children try something very hard. Because triple is definitely hard. But you'll probably already have a sense of whether the school ethos is focused on results or opportunity.

What age is your son? If you are looking now then there is a fair chance he is Y5 (as applications for the current Y6 will have already closed) so it is 6 years before he takes his exams, there is a chance that a school that only offers double now will offer triple by then and a school that offers triple now could change to only offering double so it wouldn't be a deciding factor for me.

If your son is looking at changing schools and is already of secondary age though that is less likely to be the case.

Thanks for your replies. The school has a sixth form and offers science A levels, although it's not impossible he could move somewhere else for sixth form.

I guess my concern is a) could double science GCSE put him at a disadvantage when studying A-levels, and b) would it be a disadvantage for uni admissions. I would hate to hold him back. The school has a lovely ethos and is not academically pushy, which I quite like as he is very motivated already, but this is bothering me.

Oddboots - he's in year 7 and he'll be moving for year 9, so it's not that far off.

My ds goes to a school where triple science is compulsory, and I often think it would have been of benefit for them to have been given different options. How does single/double science work? I'm assuming that all the sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) are taught in less depth in single science, but if, as I'm imagining, double science means picking 2 out if the 3, then presumably you couldn't then go on to do the A Level in the science you dropped?

My daughter is currently studying triple GCSE now and planning to continue sciences for A level. The disadvantage I can see is the jump they have to make from GCSE to A levels would be bigger and tougher if they only do double. It can be a big change anyway and I can she is studying more content than friends doing double which would make year 12 much harder. I am sure It is doable but for my child I'd want them to do some extra tuition or catch up on content they'd missed before starting A levels. Hth.

My dd goes to a good school. She's taking her options right now.

They do offer triple Science but only to the top performing 60 pupils - however they are at pains to tell us that it does not disadvantage them in doing Science A levels if they do the double. They encourage the double as they like their pupils to study a broader range in other subjects.

I think if the school does A levels, then they will be used to progressing pupils with only double science to A level so it shouldn't be an issue.

Shouldn't be a disadvantage for uni, just needs one sentence to explain did double - triple not offered at school.

I wouldn't move for y9 and then move for A levels, sounds too disrupting, so the issue of only doing double then going elsewhere where they expect triple shouldn't apply.

Ah. My answer was predicated on 'double' really meaning 'combined' (ie 2/3rds of all 3). I wouldn't personally pick a school where one science was totally dropped for GCSE.

TeenTimesTwo - you're correct; the school we are looking at offers a double GCSE that covers 2/3 of all three subjects.

The syllabus of the new 'combined science' is pretty solid. it has more content than the old 'core and advanced'. (DD1 did the latter, DD2 is in y9 has just started the former.)

Everyone will be starting A levels from the same point, so the school will be used to teaching from there.

It also means that there is an additional option available for GCSEs to allow for something that would otherwise be dropped. Though I guess whether your DC views this as good or bad is another matter!

I suspect that a school whose top science set are doing double science, will do more content with them than might be done in double science in a school where the top set were all doing triple.

My daughter's at a school that does separate sciences; we were supportive of her considering dropping biology in favour of other subjects she also wanted to do, as we were confident we could fill her in with much of the knowledge base at home (and also she wasn't looking likely to continue with sciences long-term). In the end she did opt for triple though.

Ds did double award science and is currently doing Chemistry AS. I think he is in a better position than I was I did the Old Chemistry and Biology GCSE's and A level but did a university course which had a bit of physics.
It made it much harder as a I hadn't studied beyond a basic level.

Ds attends a school which whilst only offering Double award has many students who go to the local Russell Group uni to do Medicine, Dentistry etc having required AAA+ in order to get in.

Are there other schools that do triple to GCSE, that you could consider? We wouldn’t consider a school that did not have it as an option. Computing as well?

Many schools only offer double.

Our local school offers triple as well. Our neighbours dd was a real high flyer and a born scientist but opted for double science not triple because she wanted to study a wider range of subjects for GCSE.

She did well, went on to do science A levels and then studied biochemistry at Oxfod Uni. So doing double science didn't set her back at all.

Why is the school not offering the 3 Sciences individually?

I researched this a while back, as DC's (very good0 comprehensive only offers double.

I even contacted my old Oxbridge college to ask whether it was a disadvantage to have done only double (and got the interesting answer that about half of their current Science students had done double GCSE, either because it was what was offered, or because they wanted to study a wide range of GCSEs).

Looking at the data that I could find for it and similar schools:

• Schools which offer double only have v. similar A-level Science results to schools that do double and triple with a similar intake.
• Moving to a school which has done triple for most of its students to do Science A-levels, from a school which only does double, puts the student at a slight disadvantage.

However, as a general observation, since then:

• The new double has more content than the old double, and the jump up to A-level is smaller
• The new triple is less easy to fit into the same time as the double (which used to be quite a common model for more able students) so schools are either a) moving to double only or b) restricting numbers of options for students doing triple.

So i often hear of schools where students doing triple science only have 2 option subjects at GCSE, whereas DC's school, where all students do double, has 5 option blocks (so 2 humanities, 2 languages, a practical subject for example; or 1 humanity, 2 languages, 2 art / DT subjects). Given the school's excellent A-level Science grades, despite the supposed 'handicap' of double science GCSE, I'm really happy that my DCs have had such a wide-ranging curriculum right up to GCSE.

Tammy, if the school tyeaches to A-leve, and findas that the double science award is a good basis to do so, they might choose to offer only double science in order to maintain a proper width of curriculum offering at GCSE - rather than e.g. strudying 3 separate sciences but only being able to do 1 language; or 1 humanity; or no practical subject without sacrificing MFL entirely;....

We had the same issue, as local (very good) comprehensive only offers double. We also looked into it and would agree very much with what cantkeepaway says. 20% of the year are in 'top' sets for science and they obviously work in a slightly different way to the rest of the year, although following the same syllabus.

DS is Y7 and in his school they all do double award science. If they want to do triple science that is one of their options of which they have only 3. DS will likely want to do IT as one other so that would leave only one left for a humanity. So essentially he would have to choose between eg history and French and could end up doing no humanity subject at all which worries me a bit (although Welsh is compulsory up to yr 11 with an optional GCSE).

I’d want to know what science A level results were like before committing. The jump,from GCSE to A level,is vast without the disadvantage of onlynhaving done a maximum of 2/3 of the syllabus.

Cherry,

That depends.

If the sixth form teaches from the point where the GCSE classes left off, then there isn't a gap (especially where the top couple of sets have done the 'tiny bit extra' in each topic that is a little bit above the minimum GCSE requirement, and especially in the new GCSEs).

If the sixth form is not joined to the school and is used to teaching students with triple science, then yes, there's a jump. But for me, a couple of extra topic areas to cover in Y12 (and if you look at the syllabus it's not that major) is a very small price to pay for 5 genuine GCSE options rather than 2 or 3.

I suppose the other point is which students are disadvantaged by the gap.

DD will do at least 1, possibly 2 science GCSEs, possibly in the sixth form of a school where most do triple. However, she's highly able - 8/9 - and tbh will be quite capable of quickly filling any gap.

A child doing double and getting the minimum required to move on to A-levels - so say 6s - may struggle more with that gap.

The OP says the child is highly able, so I wouldn't be all that worried, ESPECIALLY if the school offering double also offers a wide set of options for GCSE, as that breadth of education may end up being of much more value to an able child than triple science but a narrow curriculum.

Oops, sorry 'DD will do 1 possibly 2 Science A levels. She's doing double science GCSE and is predicted 9s.