GCSE options - sciences, history and/or geography

[Taswama]

Ds is in year 9. He has to take either history or geography but enjoys and is good at both. He can take both but that rules out single sciences unless he doesn't take any non academic subjects - he'd like to take either drama or nutrition.
He's top set for science and second set for humanities (out of 5 sets).
I think it makes sense to do history, geography and double cert, DP thinks single science is more important even if that means no drama/food. He's worried double cert science won't be as challenging as most of the top set kids will be doing single sciences.
Any thoughts anyone? Including on drama vs food.

Um, 5 sets is not a big school (unless there are multiple sets at each level) :)

That does make it more likely that it will be the less able scientists taking combined science. But good idea to talk to the head of science. I doubt they will tell you which children are taking what but they should tell you how many children in a typical year take foundation/higher in triple/combined.

Well there are ten sets in total per year group but in two parallel classes so you only have five possible sets you can be in. Does that make sense? About 300-330 kids per year.
Single science is only offered in one of the four option blocks (unlike history and geography for example which is in every block).

So might also be worth finding out if they mix the two parallel streams in KS4, or keep them separate. If they are mixed, that's a much wider pool of others to associate with.

Mine wants to do medicine. She asked me for my opinion. Then my mum. Then my dad and we all gave her the same advice history & geography and & triple science. Art, drama, music - they have extensive abs I mean extensive extra curriculum after school abs lunchtime. Also we talked about Covid impact for the next 1-2 years abs I think that will impact on subjects like pe and drama in particular whereas zero contact needed for history geography etc so hopefully at the end of the day her choice but the form will be discussed and filled out later this week.

Do you mean there is plenty of option to do art, drama etc as extra curricular?
Extra curricular has been massively reduced at DS school in order to avoid mixing bubbles, so no after school cookery anymore for example.
So drama has continued as a subject but not as an extra curricular.

@Taswama

Do you mean there is plenty of option to do art, drama etc as extra curricular? Extra curricular has been massively reduced at DS school in order to avoid mixing bubbles, so no after school cookery anymore for example. So drama has continued as a subject but not as an extra curricular.

It's tough choosing at the moment as you don't know whether to factor in "normal" or "Covid" times. There is no extra-curricular at DC's school at all, for example, so the big annual school production is just not happening this year.

The more practical subjects are much harder to do remotely - DD is taking art and drama so we've had to build up a supply of art materials at home, and even then we can't hope to duplicate the facilities she has access to at school. And currently she is trying to manage drama groupwork over Teams, which is not remotely the same experience as doing it face to face! But whether you should consider this when selecting options is really unclear!

Since he is going to study maths and physics at A level, then he should not drop triple science. Especially if applying to selective sixth form.

I would consider dropping the language so he can do both history and geography. There is no sixth form for uni requirement for a language unless you want to study it at university.

My niece took following GCSEs- Eng Lang, Eng Lit, RE, Triple Science, geography, Maths, Further Maths, Computer science and Design Technology. She dropped a language so she could do both computer science and design technology. The school will never suggest this because you need a language for the English baccalaureate or eBacc. The eBacc is not a qualification or necessary or of any advantage to the student, it is purely goes into how the colleges are rated by Ofsted. The more students leaving college with eBacc, the higher their rating. But it isn’t always in students best interest, so you can drop that language.

She wants to be a robotics engineer. She is taking the following A levels

physics, Maths, Further Maths and computer science.

(She already knows another language anyway, Chinese.)

I'm hoping the vaccination rollout means schools can go back to normal, so haven't factored that in.
He's definitely taking a language.
He will go to the local sixth form college which ask for 6,6 at double cert or physics and another single science to do physics at A' Level. It's certainly not definite that he will do sciences at A Level. I'm going to talk to the head of science at his school to get a bit more information.

I would go triple science.

Sorry, based on aptitude and likely to do a science A Level. Then choose both humanities or one other.