Year 9 Options - which subjects are compulsory?

[AdiosMissGunther]

DD has her options evening next month. We haven't had any info from the school yet and i've tried googling but cant find a definitive answer as to what is compulsory and what she could drop.

Obviously maths, english, science she has to take. I know she has to do PE too. She's already picked history over geography in year 8. What other subjects are compulsory across the board?

Ideally she wants to drop all the creative stuff, music, art and drama. But i'm not sure if that is possible or if she has to take at least one of them?

In our school you have to do a language and they push for at least double science

Adios, my DD was able to drop art, drama and music at her school, because, if I remember correctly, they were all in the same option block with other creative & art subjects.

My DD was given 8 mandatory GCSE subjects, including the core subjects (maths, 2 x English, and 2 x Science) but not PE.

Her school offered 4 option choices - one from a humanities block (geography, ancient history, modern history), one from a MFL block (4 languages, including Latin), one from an art/creative block (my DD chose DT/resistant materials), and a 4th choice from a block that included all of the subjects from the previous 3 blocks and new subjects like economics, business studies, psychology & sociology.

Every school is different as some have set ones - usually Maths, both English, double or triple science.

Some schools have RS and a MFL as compulsory.

Some then have a free choice or choice from blocks because of how they timetable. Mumsnet will throw up some odd places that don't give the pupil.the chance to do some that obviously go together.

I strongly suspect your school will be sending out some literature in the next couple of weeks so that you know how the system there works.

It really depends on the school. My sons' school has compulsory triple science and a modern language, but that won't apply everywhere.

Depends on the school. English language, english literature, maths and science I assume are compulsory everywhere (science can be combined which is 2 GCSEs or triple which is all three as separate GCSEs). At DDs school you also have to do RE and one humanity or language. PE is compulsory to do but not as an actual GCSE just so they are still getting exercise (it wouldn't be a compulsory GCSE!). So DD has two free choices after that as they like them to do 9.

For the free choices she can pick something arty or ICT etc but she can pick another humanity or language too.

As others have said, schools, differ.

Core would be Maths, 2xEnglish, 2 or 3xScience.

PE isn't normally a required GCSE, though they still have to do PE lessons separately to the PE GCSE.

Some schools make students do RE (DD's don't, DS's do!)

After that, schools will widely differ. Some will force a language, some won't. Timetabling will probably mean she will be offered subjects in blocks, one of which will probably need to be a more arts/design based subject simply because of scheduling.

As other have said, depends vastly on the school. Choices here pretty flexible. We had to do Maths, Eng, Science either double or triple, and an MFL. We then had completely free choice.

At our school you can drop all the creative stuff if you want to.

As others have said, how options are organised depends on the size, intake, and ethos of the school.

If you have no idea how it works in your school, you are best off trying to keep an open mind until you see what they are doing.

At DD2's school this year, they are saying if you do triple science then you have to do a language too, which is a change from when DD1 chose her GCSEs 6 years ago.
Again, this year they are starting with 'constrained free choice' and then seeing if they can timetable it. When DD1 chose they had options in blocks already and you had to pick something from each block.

Yes depends on school. Ds2 is in yr 11 and they (virtually) all had to rake a language, but the school has, eased up on that for future years!

My old school (where I worked) insisted on a tech subject as it was a, tech college, but they've dropped that now.

Never heard of a school making you do a creative so don't worry about that. Yy PE is usually core, so not a GCSE subject tho you can take it for GCSE as well (see: sports maniac Ds2).

Ignoring ebacc which is a oad of tosh state schools are judged according to Progress 8 where the subjects are in different "buckets"

To satisfy those requirements you have to take
Maths
English Language
English Literature
2 x Sciences
One out of the following History, Geography, a Language, Computer Science
2 other subjects

Some schools insist that all students take a language or a humanity or both.

As others have said it will depend on the school and what KS4 routes they offer.

One school i know gets a great progress 8 score but under 10% of students do a traditional ebacc suite of subjects and the ks4 curriculum limits access to academic subjects beyond the core.

Others will have different pathways for different students.

Others will have a standard offer and everyone picks X number of options.

Usually, English Language, Literature, Maths, double/triple science are standard GCSEs. Because of the way progress 8 is awarded lots of schools tend to also suggest taking at least 1 from history, geography, computer science of MFL (with mote able students doing more than 1 of them).

Usually schools will give out relevant literature and then form tutors will go through it.

Thanks for all the replies.

She has to do BTEC PE I think? English x 2, science x 2 and maths. She already picked history in year 8. Ideally she wants to drop french, art, drama and music.

Citizenship teacher sent me an email asking if DD had considered taking it as shes quite strong in this subject (didn't even know it was an option)

Beware of teachers who email like this - they are after bums on seats to keep their jobs!

Why PE? They have to do it as a curriculum lesson but not as a qualification ( which involves human biology) .

I really wouldn’t take Citizenship. It’s not very highly regarded at all.

Btec Sport is all very well as an option but I don’t see the sense in making it compulsory. From the syllabus I saw (ds’s school offers Core PE, GCSE PE, Btec Sport or Btec Dance) it’s quite a lot of work.

No idea why they have to take btec PE, her PE teacher said they do.

Some schools have decided that as PE is mandatory then they may as well have a qualification for it. BTEC is more practical and doesn't have the same biology content so putting a year group in for it can give students an extra qualifications and (if a reasonable number get merits and distinctions) give the school a positive cushion for progress 8 to buffer the effects of other new linear subjects.

Generally kids do maths, English, double science, and (not necessarily to exam) pe and re/pshe. Generally then a language, a humanities subject plus 2 more options is normal and advisable for university. If science a levels are being considered, triple science is helpful but not essential. Schools vary a bit on this but mine attended different schools and this is typical