Tell me about Citizenship GCSE. Which is apparently compulsory at my DD's school. She doesn't want to do it.

[bellinisurge]

As it says in the subject, Citizenship GCSE has now been deemed compulsory at my DD's school. She would prefer to do Triple Science but doesn't want to lose a free space in her GSCE options to do it. She deliberately didn't go to a faith school (despite being in a feeder primary) to avoid having RE GCSE forced on her.
Any suggestions?

Think of it like an extra, she gets 8 plus a bonus one in citizenship.

@bellinisurge

2 options (ish) -Maths, English, Science (double), Spanish, History or Geography, Citizenship: all compulsory.

Maths, 2 English, double science, Spanish, Geog/Hist = 7 2 more options = 2

7+2 = 9 which is a perfectly standard number.

Plus Citizenship as an extra bonus = 10.

OP, you do know English is 2 GCSEs don't you? Language & Literature.

English is one GCSE at her school

Science is 2

Citizenship is compulsory in this country, so she will be doing it, if she is in a state school.

She is lucky to be offered the exam. Not all schools offer the exam. It isn’t difficult or highly valued, particularly, but give her a chance to raise her average grade. And means she never has to explain on her cv why she dg or any have a citizenship gcse

How can English be 1 GCSE?
If I were up in arms about anything I'd be up in arms about that!

Is it just Language, or a combined course? What board offers that still?

I'd be outraged about English being one too. We have a minority that only do language, for their benefit tbh! Academic students should definitely be doing both.

‘English’ is two separate GCSEs at all English schools- it’s just that schools almost always call it ‘English’ on their timetables in Yrs 9-11, rather than using the separate subject-titles. Since 2017 and the reformed GCSEs in England, virtually all students have taken GCSEs in both because of the Progress 8 parameters and how the league tables are constructed.

The more you say bellinisurge the more I think I would be looking at another school.
Is only English language being offered? That, along with limited options for Science and not having a choice of which MFL to study would bother me far more than the Citizenship issue.
What is the 6th form provision like? Are there similar limitations around A level choices? I know it would be quite disruptive to change schools at this point, but if you have other possibilities locally it might be worth at least exploring them.

@bellinisurge

English is one GCSE at her school

You should be far more concerned about this. This would be a massive deal breaker. My kids studied for 2 English GCSEs in their English lessons.

I wouldn’t bother with business studies.

The curriculum for citizenship sounds really interesting.

@bellinisurge

English is one GCSE at her school

Are you sure? What examination board is it? I thought that English language and English literature were compulsory at all schools in England.

If the school really does only offer English language I would seriously consider moving schools.

Citizenship is not RE!

They should be doing PSHE anyway and so should not be losing curriculum time.

I’m very aware the thread will have moved on but I still can’t get over someone saying

titchy is a well respected poster, no need to be rude to her.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 Fucking hell ! It’s a bloody forum.

OP, at the school my children go to, they offer some GCSEs with classes after school to enable those that want to to take an extra gcse or squeeze in another subject that can't be fitted into their timetable. They may offer this at your DDs school so she could, say, do the triple science in regular school time and something like History or Economics as the after school option.

Wait what? They don't offer English lit GCSE? And you are worrying about citizenship?

I would be amazed if that's true actually op, so I would certainly check. If they don't offer Eng lit I would certainly look at moving. No English lit GCSE totally closes the door to Eng A level, and I would argue it makes MFL A level much harder too.

How can English be 1 GCSE

Ours only offers Lit if you pass Eng Lang. They sit language early. It pissed me off as I really feel English benefits from maturity and having a summer born child sitting it early is a disadvantage.

@SusannaSpider

How can English be 1 GCSE

Ours only offers Lit if you pass Eng Lang. They sit language early. It pissed me off as I really feel English benefits from maturity and having a summer born child sitting it early is a disadvantage.

I agree.

So only english language, Citizenship, business studies and dt gcses? This is not sounding like the cv of an academic child.

DD making her options choices at the moment - it's usual in her school for the three sciences to be considered compulsory, but there is apparently lee- way for someone who feels strongly and wants to drop a science in favour of another subject. So for example she could request to drop Physics for another option subject - a second language perhaps. This flexibility is not widely understood, but there nonetheless. If your daughter feels strongly about a subject, could she not put her preferences forward? It's a timetabling thing - doable in a larger school? Never heard of Citizenship as a GCSE - it's not May Curriculum in UK, is it?

In short, I would push back to school on your child's preferences.

*National Curriculum, not May

@DoubleTweenQueen

DD making her options choices at the moment - it's usual in her school for the three sciences to be considered compulsory, but there is apparently lee- way for someone who feels strongly and wants to drop a science in favour of another subject. So for example she could request to drop Physics for another option subject - a second language perhaps. This flexibility is not widely understood, but there nonetheless. If your daughter feels strongly about a subject, could she not put her preferences forward? It's a timetabling thing - doable in a larger school? Never heard of Citizenship as a GCSE - it's not May Curriculum in UK, is it?

Is this a private school?

At state schools double science still covers biology, chemistry and physics, but less content than triple science.

If you are interested in knowing what's involved in GCSE Citizenship I imagine checking the school website will give you the exam board they use. You can then download the spec from there which will allow you to see what is covered and required.

My DS is at a school where Business Studies was compulsory. They didn't want to do that, either. Nor the French he was forced to take.

It is what it is.