Am I right to be angry ??

[Sometimesoon]

My 14 year old chose his GCSE options earlier in the year , because he is in the higher pathway he has to follow the Ebac system , so he gets to choose 2 subject of his choice ( he chose Music and Graphics) . We heard last week he didn’t get Graphics . This is a child who predicted to get 7/8 , has shown consistently good marks in the subject , has a genuine interest in design , has done his work shadowing in the design sector and achieved a good attitude to learning grade from his teachers . This counts for NOTHING . He had been given art instead and we have been told basically, suck it up . His friends who are predicted a 4/5 have got Graphics ( but in a lower pathway ) we have been told everyone's choice goes in the computer and 95% of the pupils will get all their choices. This seems so bloody unfair . He works hard ,achieves good results and now had his career path screwed. Meeting the deputy head ( after chasing for a week) on Monday. Anyone else had this ? Anyone know what the legal requirements are as far as the school is concerned , Class numbers etc ? . Just want to get my ducks lined up before the meeting . Thank you .

But floral, that's generic. A school can set its own requirements and clearly OP's school requires GCSE study for its A Level.

Bertrand it's either combined science or triple. At state schools, I have never heard of triple being offered as individual sciences so you will study all three sciences. Single award science has been scrapped, I believe, because you couldn't get EBacc or study A Level with it.

But it’s not 3 subjects. So still plenty of choices.

You're modelling a defeatist, dramatic attitude to your son. Eight years down the line, there will be many product design graduates going for the same jobs as your son. If he has the same attitude as you've shown in this thread, then he's not going to be a favourite candidate.

His career path is not screwed. If you want to prepare him for the world if work, you could start by being calm when things don't go your way. The idea that he can not pursue a career in product design because he doesn't have GCSE in it is ridiculous.

I really wouldn’t be happy with a child of mine who was capable not doing the Ebacc subjects- whether it was called Ebacc or not.

At no point did I say he was so amazing . He struggles with some other subjects, languages aren’t great , He excels in creative subjects , that’s what I said.

I came to this discussion for possible help , support and advice from parents on this tricky subject , I am clearly mistaken in thinking that was possible. It seems in fact it’s okay to slate people for wanting what’s best for their child , thinking hard work should be rewarded and thinking there’s more to life than the standard issue Ebacc system , it’s been a life lesson in trying not to communicate in shorthand . I wish you well .

At dds school the criteria when options were oversubscribed were clearly set out for parents to see. However the school tended to sort it out by talking to the pupils themselves rather than the parents.
I assume that the OPs ds had a reserve choice which was Art.
I appreciate it's annoying but allocating Art does seem reasonable to me - they haven't offered him something completely unrelated such as PE instead!

If you think your child is more entitled than anyone else then yes, you are mistaken.

Also you have received lots of good advice on what to say to school. You just haven't been validated and therefore are cross.

I'd be disappointed on his behalf if I were you but I wouldn't get a tutor and do it at home.

Email the deputy head to request a meeting re if affecting his A level options.

Sometime You have been given lots of constructive advice:

• don't go in saying your child deserves it more than another
• clarify the situation wrt A level if he doesn't get to do it for GCSE
• check how much graphics can be done as part of Art
• check situation at other local 6th forms for A level
• ask whether if he dropped from higher pathway more options would be open

The only things people don't agree with you on are:

• that you should be angry
• that your son 'deserves' it more than other children
• that his whole career will be messed up by not doing this one specific GCSE

I find it hard to believe a deputy head has predicted 2 years in advance that your DC will be refused entry to an A-level subject he is good at. It must be a very wealthy/oversubscribed 6th form that will definitely turn him away.

I note you have not mentioned why you cant just go to another 6th form because its seems hardly anywhere requires graphic/product design at GCSE to access it at A-Level.

Have you any information about the GCSE class, could it perhaps be targeted at low level ability pupils? Would it even be suitable for him given he can apparently access high quality extra curricular GD/PD?

I can completely understand your frustration. I think what I'd do is to go into your meeting with the deputy head and say that your DS is more than happy to take art GCSE as he's keen to develop and expand his skills, but you want written reassurance that he will be allowed onto the A level Graphics course if he achieves say a 6 or above, as it isn't his fault he is unable to take the GCSE course. Point out that being unable to take the A level will directly affect his career path and though you totally understand their timetabling and classing issues and you are happy to accommodate them at GCSE, they must then waive the requirement for him at A level. Go over all his experience, his keenness etc.

I agree with lots about graphics GCSE not being necessary for Graphics A level as lots of places don't offer it, but do think that securing him an A level place in a subject directly related to his wanted career is important.

Be cool and calm and reasonable in your meeting. If they say no then you may have to look at alternative schools/colleges for A level.

Don't think the OP ever responded to the gazillions of really helpful posts clarifying uni's entry requirements, either. Oh dear. Don't think that was what she wanted to hear?

In your shoes I would continue to pursue this with the school but when you do this focus on your son not the other children who have been allocated a place on the course as they are irrelevant. You need to put a strong case forward for your son not criticise the other children.

At my sons school in order to study A level Graphic Design you have to have achieved a grade 5 at GCSE Product Design. The school shouldn't be limiting children's options at this age.

Graphic design is not a vital GCSE to go on and study it - or Product Design - at university. Art and Design GCSE and A level are fine. Not all schools offer it.

Just do the research on courses - he will be fine.

Our deputy head is the one who determines GCSE and A level places

I work in an 11-18 school and find it bizarre that a school would have a qualification that isn't offered at most schools as a prerequisite for entry to the A Level course.

Add in that they offer a small cohort for the subject at KS4, is the deputy head seriously suggesting that they get a full A Level class every year in y12/13 from their own students and are in a position where they would be turning away strong applicants from other schools for not having a GCSE their school doesn't offer?

Either way, courses are allocated using a range of methods, including computer systems. Not everyone will get what they want and a system doesn't work if it allows staff to veto any child they don't feel like teaching or a parent thinks their child is somehow entitled to what they want more than anyone else.

Am a bit with the OP here. One of those people who post who can't accept it if other posters don't support their views.
However with the possible exception of Triple Science at GCSE most subjects don't select pupils based on their ability.
However at A level and degree level all the factors that the OP has said that her dc has are taken into account.
In fact for the Graphic Design/communications A level the pupils who had taken Art tended to obtain higher grades as they had better all round skills particularly with drawing than those who had taken other creative arts GCSEs.

Ironically based on comments on this thread re EBacc stifling creative/arts subjects DD's school organises its option blocks so that you have to do 2 creative subjects or triple science and 1 creative subject.
It totally scuppered DD who wanted to do music, which was not considered a creative subject.
She's now taking art and drama.
I guess this maybe proves that schools (unless private that can offer everything in small classes) cannot get options/timetabling for GCSE right no matter what they do!

Youre right redsky. They can't get it right all the time. It's just a fact of timetabling.

Blocks are usually set based on popular combinations from previous years, whether there are enough staff to offer multiple groups at ks4, results from previous years, any external measure considerations. Different students tend to have different option choices available to them, whether staffing can fit in with other subjects and their allocations, how departments will be staffed if people get promotions/go on maternity/go part time, whether some subjects are set or not (which makes a difference in terms of blocking off whole chunks of the timetable), how to fit core subjects in for those students who are educated off site for some of the week at specialist and alternative provision and so on.

At KS4 you're looking at 500-600 students across the 2 years all having totally different timetables.

Point out that being unable to take the A level will directly affect his career path

But that’s not quite true is it? Very few if any of the uni graphic design courses require graphic design A level. They’ll all accept art and design as well or another couple of subjects depending on the course.

Switching him to art doesn’t affect his career prospects unless he’s likely not to get a decent grade in it.

Your DS hasn't been singled out though if 15 of them have been offered another option, and many of those 15 may be even more deserving than your DS. Switch this around and consider how you would react if the school contacted you tomorrow and said that your DS was no longer going to be able to take music, because someone who had grade 8 was more deserving of his place. This is what you are hoping the school will do to the other child.

@Sometimesoon I would like to try and be positive and helpful to you.
Having gone to art school, having a DH who went to art school and now having a DC who is starting at art school in September I would say try not to worry so much.
There are so many areas of art and design available, I think you are being a bit narrow to say he will be a product designer.
If he gets a broad introduction to art he may find other areas that suit him.
The most established route is to do a foundation course after A level where you are introduced to many areas of art and design, often people start thinking they want to do one thing but end up choosing something completely different.
Doing art will help him learn to draw which is going to help whichever pathway he later chooses to do.
When my DC was doing GCSEs there was only art and DT, you could do a graphics pathway in DT, but most who were interested in product design did resistant materials pathway.
Many things could change and your son may make different choices than you expect, my DC is only going to art school now and he’s 22, it’s taken him a while to find the area he’s really interested in and he’s done lots of different art based things to get him there.
Your future certainly isn’t set by the GCSEs you take.

Just checked the entry requirements for product design, the only subject mentioned was maths at grade c gcse. You do need a portfolio though as with most design courses. DD's boyfriend is doing product design engineering and needed maths a level

Ds wanted to do:- double award science (even though he’s top set science), to free up a option and take Product design, Computer science and media studies. These are what he had his heart set on. Luckily he got his chosen options. HOWEVER, he and all other students were made aware that they may not get every option, depending on number of students taking the course and timetabling. Parents will also made aware of this numerous times, leading up to the options being confirmed, via email. So it would not have come as a surprise to some that their options had been changed. No doubt some parents complained, but a school can not always accommodate everyone. For example if they have 15 over for music, they can not put on extra music lessons each week, because the music room teacher already has a full time table, so where is that extra teacher going to come from?