Triple Science

[BobbleHatDay]

Apologies if my poor searching has overlooked any similar threads but wondering if anyone has any advice.

Background: academically able (by all accounts) dd10 who loves maths and science. Enjoys computer coding and history, not so much geography and dislikes French. All obviously subject to change as she grows older.

Various options for secondary school (applying next month), one of which does not seem to (from school website) offer triple science (I will confirm during school visits soon). My question is how much should this influence our thinking? I assume physics/chem/biology is easier at A level having done triple? Is any one of those much harder than the others having done combined science?

Any other things to think about would be much appreciated!

The syllabus is structured so that they can go on to do A-level from combined science, so it's not a dealbreaker if they can't do triple.

Definitely ask about it - even if there are no separate sciences results, it may be that they're changing things and it will be available in future. Schools differ on how they offer triple science, too - some do it with the top sets, squeezing the triple syllabus into the same teaching time as the other groups have to cover combined. Others offer it as an option, so that those doing triple have more time to get through the extra material, but it uses up one of their options choices.

Triple isn't really harder, there is just more of it. Do most students stay at the school for VI Form? If so, everyone is starting from the same base. If they go off elsewhere that is slightly trickier. Our school have top sets at GCSE and only do combined, they can do the content in great depth for these students.

I'd have a look at the subject numbers and results at A level. If a school only does combined science at GCSE but has got plenty of students doing sciences at A level and getting good results, then it's unlikely to be a problem.

Triple Science is usually listed as separate Chemistry, Biology and Physics on websites.
Some schools have switched to mostly Combined Science during the pandemic because the teaching time lost has made it more difficult to cover the extra content needed for all 3 Sciences. So that's a question that you could ask.
It's perfectly possible to access A level from Combined Science especially if the school has a sixth form and there is good continuity of learning.

If the school doesn’t offer separate science, do students still take the same number of GCSEs or one less? If it’s the same then he may have to do something he is not interested in rather than a science that he is interested in.

It's definitely worth asking, although I'm not sure how important it is in the long run. At DD2/3's secondary school, they all get taught as if they'll do the triple, then in around February of year 11, the school decides which students will do combined instead. That way it keeps maximum flexibility for students to go up and down sets through the course without preventing late developers from excelling.

Thanks all, feeling more prepared for asking questions now!

DS1 sounds very similar to your daughter in terms of aptitude, and is likely to go in a STEM rather than arts direction as soon as he can. No triple science would have been a deal breaker for us.
Not because A levels arent achievable from combined science, but because he will enjoy the greater variety and depth provided by 3 science GCSEs rather than 2. Does the school have an attached sixth form? Or is it an 11-16 school?

Attached 6th form, but she could potentially move to one of the other schools for 6th form (who do offer triple science, although not clear exactly who gets offered it).

Yes, while I don't want her subject choices to be too narrow, definitely don't want her having to do subjects she really isn't interested in!

I will be quizzing the school that does triple science on how they fit it in (as extra or option) and the school that looks like it doesn't if that's every year or a covid-thing.

Results for the last 2 years are hard to find, as gov.uk doesn't seem to have them due to covid. So things about that are also on my list!

I have a PhD in a STEM subject and only double science at GCSE. The thing with triple is that it is an awful lot of timetabled time on science and even those of us who love science might actually want to spend time on other things. So it wouldn’t be my focus, I’d worry more about the whole picture.