Unwanted School Imposition

[LisaRear]

Before the summer holiday, my DS's year was given a range of exams after coming back from Covid home education. The general results were poor for the whole year. The school is now seeking to impose a move into some easier subjects for many of these pupils, we feel to manage their generally good history of results. All the previous results for our boy contradict his own result, but the school is not budging. Apart from removal, or private, what remedy, legal or otherwise, do we have? We strongly feel that these subject choices will impact the future and wish to negotiate a longer evaluation period (such as up to Christmas), while some home support kicks in to ensure success. But the school is unwilling for this, we suppose as it might create a precedent.

@FWBNC

I really don't think you know what you're talking about, despite trying so very hard to sound well educated & superior.

Supercilious responses are not really a good substitute for stating your case

So probably the situation is something like this.

Your DS has so far been taught most of the combined science syllabus. He has underperformed on tests showing he hasn't grasped/learned this content to a high enough standard.

School has two options

1. Drop him to combined so he has less new content to learn and can instead spend time consolidating and improving his knowledge of the combined content

2. Continue with the additional content for triple at the same pace they have been teaching at so far, which your DS for whatever reason hasn't been keeping up with. Limited reviewing of content covered up to now.

With triple there are more topics, but the content of each topic is to the same depth as with combined.
If however he continues to struggle with triple he may be bumped down to foundation, which does have less detail, and is capped at 5s.

Probably get strong grades whatever route they take this year what with the grade boundary decision taken last week. So use your evidence and push for what you want.

The school will either bend to your will or it won't.

If it doesn't what are your options?

1. Move schools
2. Privately enter & tutor
3. Suck it up.

Like everyone else has said, combined science isn’t easier. There are simply fewer modules (topic areas)covered. But the missing ones are not the ‘harder’ ones otherwise schools presumably wouldn’t allow pupils with combined to progress to A Level.

I’ve also never put actual GCSE subjects on a CV.

Do have a meeting (or phone call) with the school first. You appear to be approaching this from the standpoint that doing combined science is a detriment, and that’s far from established.

Most students studying a level sciences did combined because many schools only teach combined, he will need the double certificate though. My dd is at a top university and she did double science.

I agree with prior posters too that legal action would take too long and cause unnecessary stress and conflict with the school. You have to also consider effects on your DS as he will be in that school every day interacting with teachers and staff that will be aware his parents are taking the school to court, because you are asserting he is capable above his actual scores and should have special treatment compared to his peers. To be frank, this will not incentivise the staff to do any extra help or mentoring of him in his studies. You will be sending him to unfriendly territory every day. How incentivised will they be when it comes to writing recommendations for sixth form? You could do a lot of harm to your DS future by getting adversarial with the school instead of working with them.

@Comefromaway

You do realise that all schools do a different number of GCSE's? The average is 9 but some do 8 and a few do 10.

Have you talked to any Oxbridge admissions tutors recently? Oxford look at overall GCSE performance and would expect mostly 7, 8 and 9's but they are much more interested in A level results. Most RH universities look at either the best 6 or best 8 GCSE results. Some use a scoring system and lower grades at triple science would score lower than higher grades at combined science.

Yes, I have said nothing more than it's a factor and with a different weight in different circumstances. And I'd like him to continue studying, as he has been, just a little higher tempo, to make up the distance.

And being bumped down to foundation would have a massive detrimental effect on someone wanting to study a science A level.

[quote AnInspectorBores]@LisaRear, you're obviously certain that you know best and have already consulted a lawyer. Many people have taken the trouble to post with advice, but I am finding your replies both arrogant and dismissive. What are you hoping to achieve from this thread?[/quote]
I was looking for some insights and I have found them, I've also found a few hectoring scolds blended in with some haughty proclamations of what I can or can't do.

I thank those who outlined some productive solutions and others whose outlook part complemented my own approach.

@TeenMinusTests

So probably the situation is something like this.

Your DS has so far been taught most of the combined science syllabus. He has underperformed on tests showing he hasn't grasped/learned this content to a high enough standard.

School has two options

1. Drop him to combined so he has less new content to learn and can instead spend time consolidating and improving his knowledge of the combined content

2. Continue with the additional content for triple at the same pace they have been teaching at so far, which your DS for whatever reason hasn't been keeping up with. Limited reviewing of content covered up to now.

With triple there are more topics, but the content of each topic is to the same depth as with combined.
If however he continues to struggle with triple he may be bumped down to foundation, which does have less detail, and is capped at 5s.

Generally, yes. But this is I believe an untrue reflection, both of his knowledge and capabilities, of which he's also been engaging with both over the holidays and while at home to brush up.

Basically you were looking for affirmation.

I'm sorry but I would be doing a dis-service to both you and your son if I took that approach.

@titchy

That doesn't follow. If the missing science was replaced with another subject then that would be the same overall number. If it wasn't - as in Combined Science - then it would not.

But how would you know what an applicant would have done?

Candidate A has 10 GCSEs including Combined Science. Candidate B has 10 GCSEs including Physics and Chemistry (no Biology). So you discriminate against the first but not the second?

"Discriminate"...

@BaconMassive

Probably get strong grades whatever route they take this year what with the grade boundary decision taken last week. So use your evidence and push for what you want.

The school will either bend to your will or it won't.

If it doesn't what are your options?

1. Move schools
2. Privately enter & tutor
3. Suck it up.

Private study and privately enter is one of my leading options, yet will have to consider the implications of this because clearly it will clash with the other GCSEs unless we pull them out of the school last minute.

@Comefromaway

Basically you were looking for affirmation.

I'm sorry but I would be doing a dis-service to both you and your son if I took that approach.

Not affirmation at all. Challenge, other perspectives and perhaps even additional ways to challenge the decision procedurally.

OP.
It isn't the disaster you seem to think.

Ask the school nicely/firmly to let him resit the test / sit another one.
But if they won't or he doesn't do well enough, just let him drop to combined. The lesser amount of content will mean he can revise it (and other subjects) better.

Getting into legal action seems so disproportionate given that
a) doing combined does not prevent him from going on to science A levels, or anything else
b) doing combined will likely lead to higher combined grades than staying with triple would

@TeenMinusTests

OP. It isn't the disaster you seem to think.

Ask the school nicely/firmly to let him resit the test / sit another one.
But if they won't or he doesn't do well enough, just let him drop to combined. The lesser amount of content will mean he can revise it (and other subjects) better.

Getting into legal action seems so disproportionate given that
a) doing combined does not prevent him from going on to science A levels, or anything else
b) doing combined will likely lead to higher combined grades than staying with triple would

I am consulting the official complaints process today to enable me to take to the school a series of options as a part of that step. Of course if the one set of lesser results is repeated and shown to be a pattern then I will defer.

Although I would probably just have him keep the knowledge level topped up and reenter privately a year or so hence.

I can't believe you are going to JR a school over this. It's a complete waste of everyone's time and money. As everyone else has said combined science is not easier, you just do less in terms of content (mainly biology for some reason). Your son has missed a lot of schooling due to covid and struggled to engage with online learning. That means he probably does not have time to catch up on the content for the triple (alongside all his other work) and is better doing the double. I did combined science and I can assure you it did not stop me from completing a science degree and PhD at Oxbridge. The reason parents set store by doing triple science is that it is seen as 'academic'. In reality no one else cares.

I’ve read through this post and am very clear on what you want OP but what does your son actually want?

As others have said 2 x 9’s is far better then 3 x 6 (or whatever).

I have a child in year 12 studying 3 science A levels. GCSE single science subjects have a massive amount of content. My children are at a selective school and even in non COVID times struggle to get through all the content in time for the exams. Physics in particular seems massive. There is nothing wrong with double science - indeed my dc (still at selective school) is sitting alongside many who have “only” done double and are not disadvantaged.

Your son - like all young people- has suffered a massive disruption to his education over the last two years. It’s monumentally shit but it is what it is. He has gaps in his knowledge both I imagine in content and also understanding and application. Double science may well be the best option for him - you mention he wants to do a science at A level and a poor performance at gcse where he gets a 6 in that science would prevent him from taking the A level.

I would advise that taking legal action against the school over this would be a massive misjudgement on your behalf. Sit down and talk - work towards goals - yes; send legal letters - no - that’s pretty much you trying to bully them into doing what you want which isn’t a great thing to demonstrate to your son and certainly won’t help him with his GCSEs.

@Doveyouknow

I can't believe you are going to JR a school over this. It's a complete waste of everyone's time and money. As everyone else has said combined science is not easier, you just do less in terms of content (mainly biology for some reason). Your son has missed a lot of schooling due to covid and struggled to engage with online learning. That means he probably does not have time to catch up on the content for the triple (alongside all his other work) and is better doing the double. I did combined science and I can assure you it did not stop me from completing a science degree and PhD at Oxbridge. The reason parents set store by doing triple science is that it is seen as 'academic'. In reality no one else cares.

The hope is that it is not required to JR, but that the school engages with the parents and doesn't deliver diktats which it refuses to discuss, in part because of the poor teaching skills of some of those called to deliver lessons online which they now seek to remedy.

The main purpose of GCSE's (for those who are planning on further study) is entry to the A level/Btec courses of a child's choice. It is the results of those A levels that determine what happens next. If your child wants to do a science A level they need to get the highest possible grade in science GCSE's. It will be to their huge detriment if they get a lower grade in triple science than they would have in double.

Sadly there are some children who found online learning incredibly difficult. My son is one of them. Others, like my daughter relished it. I think everyone on this thread accepts the reason he got behind was due to online learning but the sad fact is that there is now not enough time to catch up so better to work on getting the highest possible grades in double than potentially disastrously (for him) lower grades in triple.

OP, I too don't have a really clear idea of where your son is in this picture.

Have you tried sitting down with him and asking? Would be perhaps like to have the pressure taken off him in one area, to allow him to concentrate in those areas where he shines?

What are his career goals, and will a combined science GCSE really get in the way of that? And does he actually want to go to Oxbridge?

I hear a lot of you here, and that's fine--you want what's best for your child. But what does your child want?

@Nancydrawn

OP, I too don't have a really clear idea of where your son is in this picture.

Have you tried sitting down with him and asking? Would be perhaps like to have the pressure taken off him in one area, to allow him to concentrate in those areas where he shines?

What are his career goals, and will a combined science GCSE really get in the way of that? And does he actually want to go to Oxbridge?

I hear a lot of you here, and that's fine--you want what's best for your child. But what does your child want?

"Taking the pressure off" = "less work"

Many children are of course going to welcome less study, but this is a 8/9 month period in which, with with some proper scheduling, should not be too onerous when many other subjects are flying along just fine.

@Comefromaway

The main purpose of GCSE's (for those who are planning on further study) is entry to the A level/Btec courses of a child's choice. It is the results of those A levels that determine what happens next. If your child wants to do a science A level they need to get the highest possible grade in science GCSE's. It will be to their huge detriment if they get a lower grade in triple science than they would have in double.

Sadly there are some children who found online learning incredibly difficult. My son is one of them. Others, like my daughter relished it. I think everyone on this thread accepts the reason he got behind was due to online learning but the sad fact is that there is now not enough time to catch up so better to work on getting the highest possible grades in double than potentially disastrously (for him) lower grades in triple.

As mentioned now several times, I think he's fully capable of pulling it back and if he does not do so in the next couple of months I would be content for him to so double. He has had the corrective and now is not the time for a structured retreat, but to understand where he dropped a bit, cover and continue.

I'm a prof at a Russell Group uni, and we have to pick up the emotional damage that overly (pointlessly) competitive parents leave behind. He'll be fine if he goes down this route, and under less pressure. I feel sorry for your son and the school. Contemplating legal action - honestly.