Switching language at GCSE

[user64332]

At my dd's school they are put at random into French or Spanish in year 7, my dd was disappointed to be put into French and did ask in year 7 and again in year 8 if she could switch to Spanish but was told no. Now she has to submit GCSE options and has to chose a language. She is frustrated because she doesn't like her French teachers and doesn't enjoy the class, though she isn't unable. I told her to chose Spanish instead, which she was delighted about as she didn't think it would be an option, but I told her that when I was at school Spanish or German wasn't offered until year 10 so it will be fine and she can catch up over summer. Now her form tutor has told her she can't because she will be behind, but I'm not sure if that's just his opinion or a hard and fast rule. Unfortunately we've missed the deadline for asking questions about choices now, that was last week. I told her just to keep it on Spanish and if they question her, ask them to call me.

Has anyone elses child taken a new language for GCSE?

There's a massive difference between starting a language from scratch in year 10 in a whole group doing the same, and joining a class that has been learning the language for three years.

Catching up over the summer doesn't sound very feasible. I guess it's possible that you might persuade the school if she were to get going now, and perhaps sit whatever test the Spanish groups are taking at the end of the year. I think they'd be very reluctant to take her into a Spanish group without some proof that she is as capable as at least the bottom end of the group. Catching up on three years will require some serious hard work, though.

I think you'd do better to encourage her with the French. She might have a different teacher next year. For that matter, she might get one of the teachers she doesn't like for Spanish - many languages teachers teach both. Or not take a language at all, and pick up Spanish outside school?

DC's school have a similar system and you're not allowed to take the "other" language unless you are a native speaker or similar. As PP said, it's just not feasible for her to catch up with a year group that's already been studying the language for 2 or 3 years (not clear from your post which it is) if she's starting from scratch.

I'd advise not selecting her options on whether she likes the teachers or not! She might get teachers she likes better for GCSE, and equally she might get teachers she likes less if she picks a different subject. Plus, teachers do join and leave schools ...

Could you sign her up with an online Spanish tutor as of now, with a view to being caught up by September? And then tell the school that's what you're doing? Agree with PP that she probably can't start from a standing start in the summer, but it should be perfectly possible to make much faster progress with a tutor than in a Y7 or Y8 Spanish class...

Totally sympathise with the 'random allocation of languages' thing - they also do that at my DDs school, and then wonder why the kids are so underwhelmed by it come GCSE. Much better IMHO to let them sample eg. French, German & Spanish in Y7 and then pick the one they get on best with. Mind you, there's a shortage of language teachers and generally this county is a bit crap on languages so it's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy!

Yes, we had the same issue here and head agreed DC could take language b if they were performing highly at language a. In the end they did both languages.

They got the same (good) grade in both at GCSE with no extra tutoring. They did a basic language cd the summer before starting the GCSE course.

I hate this system and wrote some very cross emails about it. The idea languages are interchangeable really pisses me off.

There are lots of problems with only letting bi lingual children do the 2 MFL languages at GCSE and removing that option off to others. That would totally piss me off!

We would not cut off Biology from Physics and Chemistry but it is OK for linguists to have a prescription of one language, not of their free choice. It foes not promote a love of languages and is utterly poor prep for MFLs at university. Then we wonder why independent school and grammar school DC (plus bi lingual children) get many of the MFL places! It is because the others who might be good do not get a chance to prove how good they could be. Their development is wrongly truncated.

I think a gifted lingist could do a MFL in 2 years but the work would need to be put in. If a sudent is top in French, then Spanish might be perfectly doable in 2 years. Blaming the teachers and only being OK, would not make me think Spanish in 2 years was realistically possible.

If her main motivation for doing Soanish is that she doesn't like the French teachers, I agree that is not very convincing.

Has she been to Sapin and spoken Spanish there ? Any relatives who speak it with her? Why Spanish specifically? If you can offer the school some cogent reasons why such as career related objectives or things around travel in South America, for instance, then it might carry more weight.

MFL is my subject (tho I no longer teach in school) and while I would always want a student to enjoy their language choices, I would be wary about putting a student in at yr 10 (? or year 9? not clear from your op) with students who had already covered KS3.

Can you get her a KS3 revision guide and maybe some online tutoring, let the school know you are doing this and see what they say? She would need to do about an hour's solid work every week between now and Sept to get up to speed IMO, and that's if she is very quick and able.

How is she in French currently? Because it’s going to be a hard sell if she is anything other than extremely hard working, willing, and eager to learn. If she is and she’s doing well, you may be able to talk them into it. Of she is middling and doesn’t put in much effort, school are understandably going to be less keen to consider it.

Also, does she know the Spanish teachers to have sound reasoning of why she thinks they will be better than the French teachers?

Also, I’m confused by your comment about it being too late to ask questions. Surely it would make sense for you to ask to speak to the form tutor?

We've got a similar situation. Can she start working on the Spanish now? Learn the basics, memorise some verbs, watch/ listen to Spanish music, films and TV. If she has an aptitude for languages and a will to do well, I am sure she can do it.