Options

[lotusbell]

With everything going on with the pandemic and schools, does anyone else feel like their secondary school age child and the educational impact on them has been overlooked? Obviously years 10 and 11 have a lot of uncertainty with upcoming exams, year 7s have had an awkward transition from primary school to secondary and years 8 and 9 have just sort of been left in no man's land.
This isn't a teacher bashing thread, I'm in awe and admire everything schools are doing in this chaos but it's a worrying time for all parents with a child at school.
We have just this week received a letter about Options with a booklet of info following today. There is to be an online PowerPoint presentation next week with guidance, plus a school report and at least one phone call from tutors before half term.
I'm bewildered! DS gets quite defensive when you approach him about it. He has previously said he wants to take PE. This is despite him doing next to no exercise and no sports. He has enjoyed PE this year though and I think improved according to his last report but he is not particularly sporty. I don't think he realises the work involved and that is not just physical activity but looking at the body, nutrition etc. When I gently push him about it I get "fine, I just won't do it then" so there's definitely a sensible and mature chat needed soon.

As far as I can tell, there has been no careers advice given in school although I think this will be covered in the forthcoming weeks. They've also had some discussions at school last term but anyone else feel its a big decision and one they have to make in a short space of time?
It doesn't help that he doesn't really know yet what he wants to do after school, as a lot his age don't. He is your typical boy - very capable but puts in minimum effort.
Not sure how the school do Options in 'normal' times but I feel unprepared.

Dd had to pick her options last year and the parents evening was cancelled due to lockdown #1.
The school did a video and booklet explaining the process. Dd had been invited to do one particular subject but I emailed the teachers of other possible choices to see if they felt she was a good fit. That worked well.

Hi OP,
I feel very in the dark about options too. DS is yr 9 and needs to decide in a few weeks time. Apparently videos coming out tomorrow on the different subject. I feel very ill informed on how to help him, and do not feel as though he has been doing some subjects for long enough to enable him to pick. 🤷‍♀️x

@NotDonna, the booklet explains each subject and what work is involved so breaks it all down so you can see exactly what is expected of you. None of them look easy tbh

None of the GCSEs are easy unless you happen to be skilled/talented in that area.
Which is why when it comes to options it helps to be vaguely interested in the subject. They will work harder if they are more interested.

@PastMyBestBeforeDate, I think this probably wluldbebeen addressed in last parents evening had we had one but I think there will be enough of advice and guidance from the subject tutors.

@daisychains8, they still seem so young really, to be making such decisions. I think there is a final decision deadline in March so a bit of time if they suddenly change their mind but they won't be able to just keep swapping and changing.

I'll also get him to look at back ups should he not get his first choices.

My DD has to chose options next week and she's year 8. There are some subjects (like graphics & food) which she's never done at secondary school IN school due to lockdown.
It's difficult.

OP and others, please don't overthink this. I know it is sold as a be-all and end-all decision, but it really isn't.

Your DC know what they enjoy. I clearly remember hating cookery and art and was very glad to give them up.

It's to the highest degree unlikely that they will choose to give up something they later want to do at A level (which is the only issue; they cannot give up anything crucial to their later life like science or maths).

If they want to do science A level, or maths, or English, or psychology or politics or sociology, no worries. Yes, if they drop French now and later decide they want to do French A level, you have an issue. But IME that is vanishingly unlikely.

I would love an "options" choosing thread about now. Nicely ordinary in this weird year. I'm glad I'm on DC4 so I understand how to do this.

Every school does it different so just keep asking questions, OP. Seems like all subjects require a big written exam (in theory, covid dependent). If it's labeled GCSE, it's quite academic. I am pretty sure that vast majority of the kids who do PE GCSE are the very very sport-mad crowd & it sounds like OP's DS would feel odd one out being with that group.

We think that DS will choose food prep/nutrn in yr9, DT (timber?) yr10 & triple science yr11. French & geography are compulsory.

We get given a booklet with what each course is - its on school website for last year atm, and doesn't change much year to year. With DS in theory there's lots of choices but when you go through it there's not that much - its double or triple science which is done largely on ability at our school so top 1/3 triple who are aiming at roughly 7-9s. You can do science A levels after combined rather than triple, just have to catch up the missed third but its doable.

Then ours are supposed to take History or Geography - check you 6th form but at ours either can be picked up at A level without GCSE.

A language is strongly encouraged though can opt of that - if any chance of wanting at A level they need to take but its often children's weakest grade at our school and lots of opting out.

Then of the other options at our school you need to have studied them before and I think most of them you can pick up at A level without the GCSE. When I go through DS's choices its effectively 4 of stats /fm, history, geography, computing, french, drama and the only one he really likes is stats / fm. He loves maths so tempted by computing but he refuses to use a computer but says he's doing Computer Science A level . I think just look at what grades currently achieving, what enjoy, what keeps options open and if they can't make a sensible choice guide their choices. Our school vetoes any choice they deem unsuitable anyway. It's worth showing the DC what the subject is as sometimes they think its different to what it is. In lockdown note what they are doing voluntarily and what is painful for them to do if they are not aware of their likes.

My DD was really good though neither of mine could say their likes. DD just went with what she was good at which has worked out fine, she said if I'm good at it, I am happy.

Our school have been brilliant. We've had a one to one on Teams with each subject teacher and an hour with the options coordinator who helped iron out DD's thinking. She is gifted and predicted straight 9s so most teachers were keen for her to do their subject but the coordinator was really good at getting DD to focus on what makes sense for her and to look at ensuring an EBacc as she's planning on a certain route through higher education. It has meant that she can't do her exact first choices so she's looking at doing a couple of extra GCSEs outside school. She's also attending some virtual open days at Cambridge and Oxford in the next few weeks to check she's happy with what she's doing but I think the decision is made.

Showofhands sounds great and I am sure your DD will do really well, but to anyone else just be aware that you do not need the Ebacc subjects for any route through higher education.

No university (not even Oxford or Cambridge) asks for GCSE in humanity and MFL (unless these are the chosen uni subjects of course). Only UCL asks you to do a language course if you don't have MFL GCSE.

Schools try to sell the Ebacc and I certainly am in favour of students doing a broad range of subjects but it annoys me when they peddle this nonsens.

That's a good point to make clary.

I think DD's concern is that she's aiming for an extremely competitive route. She's after a certain scholarship for college and a sought after university course and isn't from the usual demographic that is over represented in the area she wants to study. The school are already helping her to pursue this route and I think overall, encouraging her to balance her subjects in the way they have seems sensible. Our main concern has always been that she enjoys whatever she chooses but luckily, she likes all her subjects.

Yes, I'll just second Clary's comments on the EBacc. The year it was introduced we had a student with 13 A* (really) and he didn't have the EBAcc because he hadn't done History or Geography. He'd done RS and those well known 'soft options' Latin and Ancient Greek. Went off happily to Cambridge a couple of years later. EBacc benefits schools not students and is a nonsense anyway. You don't get a separate certificate and it excludes some highly rigorous, academic, and respected subjects.
Schools don't always know everything, neither do careers officers. I had a member of my form told he must do GCSE music if he wanted to go to music school. He knew that wasn't the case. Didn't do it. Got his Diploma in two instruments and Grade 8 theory before A Levels and was off to Royal College. You also don't need Art to go to many Art schools; you need a portfolio.

Unfortunately Ds had to choose his options in Y8! This was last year and his choices had to be before August.

Due to Covid there was no options evening, no parents evening, videos to watch but not really giving us novices the detailed info we desperately needed.

I ‘think’ he’s happy with his choices, although it’s been a real testing time since starting Y9 and I’m not sure how well he’s engaging in the online lessons tbh. It’s just so hard for them.

His school do the combined science, he really doesn’t like physics, wishes he didn’t have to do it, as I’m new to all this I take he combined means they can’t drop one of the sciences?

You can't really drop one of the sciences within the state system.

With combined you do 2/3rd of the syllabus of all 3 and end up with 2 GCSEs in a combined grade, e.g.6-5. With separate sciences you do all the combined, and then more, but end up with 3 individual GCSEs.

The way the government does its league tables, added to how schools do timetabling, generally means you can't just drop one of the subjects. Private schools can be more flexible.

To be honest, I don't think a child should be able to drop a science except in exceptional circumstances as understanding basic science is pretty key to general knowledge needed in life today.

Thanks for the info @TeenPlusTwenties, this is our first experience of options, when I was last at school (80’s) you had the option of taking one science, which is what I did.

Unfortunately, without options evening etc going ahead last year, I’m (very much) clueless on some aspects of the GCSE option choices etc.

Yes combined is 2/3rds of all of the 3 sciences so you can't just drop physics. But the topics do change so it could be it will improve.

I just did 1 science as well in the 1980s and both mine want triple and my SN one needs me to teach it him so I'm having to learn all 3, even the chemistry is a bit hazy. Sometimes I find when a child doesn't like a subject its as they find it difficult so it can be worth helping them with it / doing more which seems counter-intitutive but it can just be getting confident in a subject.

We have a really long booklet on schools website giving each exam board and key areas of each subject which is useful. You can also find exact syallabuses on line and the CPG guides or similar are a good start or ones linked to exam board. Seneca (free) is useful for doing science facts quickly.

The taster sessions could still be online. Our school do tasters for A level choices as a number of them are new (psychology, economics, politics) but what’s new for gcse options?