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Original poster

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

431 replies

bellinisurge · 28/01/2021 10:44

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?

OP posts:
LittleBearPad · 31/01/2021 09:22

You are being quite combative OP.

Frodont · 31/01/2021 09:23

Perhaps you would benefit from studying Citizenship yourself.

Original poster
bellinisurge · 31/01/2021 09:31

Hilarious. Several posters on this thread defended indefensible posts from the get go and criticising me for not deferring to it. And then came up with some charming stuff of their own.
Maybe you could learn a bit more about bullies

OP posts:
TeenPlusTwenties · 31/01/2021 09:34

Well if we are going back to the start, I defended the first responder.

I appologise if I shouldn't have and unintentionally derailed temporarily.

However, I don't see 'suck it up' as particularly rude, just a blunt way of saying 'get over it' which ultimately is likely what the OP and her DC will have to do and is actually quite good advice.

But I did see the OP's response to the response as totally unnecessarily rude and combative. The secondary board is normally full of helpful posters, sometimes blunt, but not rude.

The thread derailed right at the start as apparently the OP didn't actually ask what she wanted to ask. That's hardly my fault nor that of the original responder.

We took nearly 300 posts of persevering trying to help the OP to uncover a potentially much more serious problem, namely the OP believes the school only offers one English GCSE.

Frodont · 31/01/2021 09:35

...and there we go. I'm out, OP youve got yourself in a right tizzy about this and you sound ridiculous. You've had plenty of posters who've posted links to gcse citizenship and they've gone unacknowledged. Your attitude throughout is that your dd is far too able to do Citizenship, but it turns out some of her choices are academically weak, so she could easily do Citizenship AND do academic subjects inc triple science if she wants.

You clearly just want a row for the sake of it.

Original poster
bellinisurge · 31/01/2021 09:37

What a lovely apology. Which could have been offered immediately. You wonder why I was "combative "
I have already said I am looking into the English thing. Probably too busy congratulating yourself to read it.

OP posts:
Original poster
bellinisurge · 31/01/2021 09:37

Already explained I see the value of citizenship . I'm sorry if you felt I wasn't deferential enough

OP posts:
LittleBearPad · 31/01/2021 09:38

OP try to calm down. You aren’t achieving anything except annoying yourself

Original poster
bellinisurge · 31/01/2021 09:40

Thanks, @LittleBearPad .
I'd got on with my day and then it seemed some charmers had more delights to spread.

OP posts:
FelicityPike · 31/01/2021 09:41

@bellinisurge

What a lovely apology. Which could have been offered immediately. You wonder why I was "combative " I have already said I am looking into the English thing. Probably too busy congratulating yourself to read it.
Do you realise that your daughter’s choices of exam subjects are NOTHING to do with you? “Looking into the English thing”....no, your daughter should either do that herself or you should butt out of her decisions.
Original poster
bellinisurge · 31/01/2021 09:44

If you'd bothered to read the thread I said very explicitly that i wasn't telling my daughter what to chose. And she hasn't CHOSEN citizenship GCSE . It is compulsory.
If I wanted to dictate to my daughter what to do, I would have her do other GSCEs where she has a choice.

OP posts:
FelicityPike · 31/01/2021 09:47

@bellinisurge

If you'd bothered to read the thread I said very explicitly that i wasn't telling my daughter what to chose. And she hasn't CHOSEN citizenship GCSE . It is compulsory. If I wanted to dictate to my daughter what to do, I would have her do other GSCEs where she has a choice.
Oh I have read your thread. I’ve read what you said, but you’re very contradictory. Of course she hasn’t chosen Citizenship (you have said that enough times) but really, who gives a shit? So she has to do something she doesn’t want to....boo hoo. That’s life!!
Original poster
bellinisurge · 31/01/2021 09:47

Jesus, I would have been better off in AIBU. Who knew this topic was such a hotbed of people being wilfully snarky and bullying.

OP posts:
HercwasanEnemyofEducation · 31/01/2021 09:52

No one has bullied you OP, give over!

You just didn't get the answers you wanted.

FelicityPike · 31/01/2021 09:52

@bellinisurge

Jesus, I would have been better off in AIBU. Who knew this topic was such a hotbed of people being wilfully snarky and bullying.
Not one person is bullying you. Snarky....absolutely, but again, that’s life. Some people are just answering you the way you’re doing to them (or others). If you don’t like it, ask for your thread to be deleted.
Original poster
bellinisurge · 31/01/2021 09:55

Not sure what you call "accept the rudeness from the start and defer to anyone that is rude to you". I call that bullying.

OP posts:
Frodont · 31/01/2021 09:57

Don't call people bullies.

I expect if you whine loudly enough you can get the thread deleted as it doesn't seem to be helping you in any way.

Original poster
bellinisurge · 31/01/2021 09:58

I'll call bullying behaviour what it is.

OP posts:
TeenPlusTwenties · 31/01/2021 10:06

Posters here have been extremely helpful:

  • they have provided links to the course content
  • they have explained it is likely being done in less time than a normal GCSE
  • they have explained that at least some citizenship content has to be taught in KS4 somehow
  • they have explained the timetabling issues
  • they have explained that many DC have to do things they are less keen on, and just have to suck it up live with it
  • they have pointed out that the DC can do triple science, they just have to be willing to not do one of their other two slightly less academic choices to accommodate
  • and with respect to English they have helped uncover either a misunderstanding on the part of the OP, or a set of GCSE restrictions from the school which would be far more serious than citizenship being compulsory
Coronateachingagain · 31/01/2021 10:14

You are not being practical OP plus you are asking Mumsnet so you will get responses you don't agree with. I have given you my honest opinion of what I think about it but you only seem to be wanting to accept certain answers and your objectives are a bit confusing. I would add, you can think about what you would like it to be or should be, but you still need to get on and make the best of it. That's life!

Original poster
bellinisurge · 31/01/2021 10:15

All of which I have acknowledged.
I asked how schools which don't have it as a compulsory GCSE offer 9 subjects if the timetable is allocated to citizenship as per the legal requirement.
One poster had a useful answer which I thanked them for.
By your own admission, your initial response merited an apology to me.

OP posts:
clary · 31/01/2021 10:18

OP this board is typically a helpful one with a lot of good advice and many posters who either have experience of their DC going through secondary (options, GCSE, A levels) and/or are or were secondary teachers.

It wasn't clear at first what you wanted. But you have been helpfully (and sometimes bluntly - but some people are blunt, and sometimes it helps) told:

Detail of the content of GCSE Citizenship (looks pretty useful and interesting)
That schools have different compulsory subjects, one of which is sometimes CItizenship
That students have to do the compulsories, like it or not
That many of us have DC who had to choose 1 or 2 subjects from three or even four they wanted to do
That it's unusual for a school to offer only Eng lang and not Eng lit and that this would be a cause for concern.

I don't see any bullying if I am honest

Original poster
bellinisurge · 31/01/2021 10:18

Perhaps we should replace Mumsnet with a "just get on with it meme". I mean, asking for suggestions is just outrageous.
Accepting some answers and acknowledging others but not ALL of them is just disgusting.

OP posts:
clary · 31/01/2021 10:21

I asked how schools which don't have it as a compulsory GCSE offer 9 subjects if the timetable is allocated to citizenship as per the legal requirement.

I didn't notice that query but the answer is clear - Citizenship has to be taught, some schools do an hour a week; some then get students to do the GCSE exam. Others do it in different ways eg assemblies, tutor time, off-timetable days every term.

The schools then offer 8/9/10 (or sometimes more but less so nowadays) subjects in the remainder of the timetable.

TeenPlusTwenties · 31/01/2021 10:22

Err, no. Actually, I was apologising mainly to the other posters for inadvertently enabling the thread to be derailed. I still think you were far more rude to the first responder than she was to you. And I think you are continuing to be far more combative and rude to posters than they are to you.
But whatever. I'm not invested. This is your problem not mine.

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