Which GCSE/KS4 curriculum would you think offered the best choices/flexibility/breadth?

[AlderAppleAsh]

Looked at lots of schools, been in them, spoke to teachers and pupils and parents, looked at websites and prospectuses, looked at data and curriculum. Looked at extra-curricular, pastoral care and policies. Looked at all sorts of other things. You name it, we’ve probably looked at it. It’s been narrowed down to 3. All very similar. Roughly same time to get to each of them, primary will feed all of them. We got the point earlier today of just saying to DD, which do you want to go to. She said she doesn’t mind and no form favourite.

The only thing that really differentiates the schools is the GCSE/KS4 curriculum. It’s roughly the same across them all but wondering whether asking you all which is maybe the best approach might help us decide an order for them.

CN - Compulsory non-negotiable subject
CO - Compulsory option from a set list
FO - Free choice option

School A - 8/9 GCSEs
CN English language
CN English lit
CN Maths
CN Science x2/3 (set dependent)
CO Humanity
CO Language
FO Open option

School B - 9 GCSEs
CN English language
CN English literature
CN Maths
CN Science x2
CO Language
CO Humanity
CO 3rd science or 2nd language or 2nd humanity
FO Open option

School C - 8/9 GCSEs
CN English language
CN English literature
CN Maths
CN Science x2/3 (set dependent)
CO Humanity or language
FO Open option x2

@clary i also find the rigidness (is that the right word?) depressing. I see nothing wrong with the ‘core’ English, maths and science and the rest being a free for all.

I was mainly between B and C before I started this thread. Purely because they offered the most choice and flexibility. I know B looks rigid but beneath it they do have flexibility and a great languages policy. C is just very flexible except for science and I like the breadth of creative and technical subjects on offer (although not sure if this is really DD, time will tell and she will develop her interests). I threw A in just because it was on the list of 3.

I’m now thinking, after reading everyone’s posts that I was thinking in the right kind of place others are. That’s good to know.

At the very least, this evenings helped me figure out at least the 3rd preference (A). Think I’m leaning towards C being first preference.

That's good to know. It's such a rigid and old fashioned approach. It's what I had to do when I did my O levels in the 1980s!

An interesting post. I work in a non-selective state school as a Data Manager, so yes there are definite restrictions with Progress8/EBACC as to what can be realistically offered. We have just moved from a 3-year KS 4 to 2 years. Our compulsory subjects are : Eng Lang, Eng Lit, Maths, Science (it is only decided at the end of Yr 10 whether the student will take all 3 or combined. Still same number of lessons), RE (we are a religious school), then 4 options - which include Hist, Geog, French, Spanish (I though the German at one of your schools was an unusual choice these days), Performing Arts (dance or Drama), Art, Music, DT, ICT, PE. I am sure I have forgotten some!! All students take a compulsory range for Y7-9 which includes at least 1 language (unless absolutely not the right decision). Ours are all GCSEs apart from the ICT. We dropped Travel and Tourism BTEC. Most of our students continue to take all 9 subjects, as if a child drops the subject where do they go? We are over-subscribed - every class has approx 30 students. There is no staff capacity to deal with odd students.

I have been interested in this as I have a severely dyslexic child who has just sat GCSES/Level 2 equivs at another school. He has passed 7 1/2 GCSEs including Geography. So to answer another PP regarding the special needs and humanities - Geog rather than history is perhaps broader and more useful in every day life. It's mostly short questions, rather than essays. He only started the subject in Year 9. But he took functional skills english level 2, just missed out on the maths, but luckily passed the GCSE. So worth asking all the schools, if appropriate, how they manage the burden on lower-achievers? I finally got the school to agree to drop English Lit, he took a short course in RE (hence the half) and we dropped a 4th option. So my child's curriculum was less than many.

OP - I love that school C are offering so many unusual options, but... My question to them would be why? Why are they able to do what other schools can't? How do they cope with low numbers on the course? eg if only 10 students take Electronics how can they staff that at GCSE (ie not A level)? I think some of that looks like fantasy timetabling where it wont happen in reality.

@thelionthewitchtheaudacityofTHISbitch Great to hear a perspective from someone who works in a school.

Interesting what you say about German. Most of the schools in this area offer German (and French). I don’t know of any who offer Spanish. There’s a greater uptake of German than French among the children as well from what I can gather from looking into subject choices.

In terms of school C and their options. Without giving away the exact area, let’s just say where we live is a pretty big technology/engineering area, the other choice is hospitality. They are the biggest industries and unless you go into shop work there’s not a lot of choice (yes, we do have banks, schools, a hospital and other services but technology/engineering is the biggest). Lots of children leave school and go into engineering and technology apprenticeships ranging from level 1 to degree apprenticeships, or onto engineering and technology degrees at university. The school can offer subjects like GCSE electronics, DT, other vocational qualifications in engineering because there is a big demand for those skills here and prepares them for their future careers (which kind of makes sense).

School B I can see it trying to capture both engineering/technology and hospitality industries by trying to allow for specialism/bias in either sciences or languages/humanities with their science language and humanity option.

Interesting what you say about German. Most of the schools in this area offer German (and French). I don’t know of any who offer Spanish. There’s a greater uptake of German than French among the children as well from what I can gather from looking into subject choices.

That's good to know; the school where I taught German and French has sadly dropped German in favour of Spanish. And I believe when DS2 was taking his A levels, there was only one state school or college in our (small) city where anyone was taking A level German (which happened to be his - tho not him!) - out of six or seven settings. Fewer and fewer schools are offering German as part of their MFL offer. Lots of kids want to take Spanish as they may go there on holiday and so see it as useful.

Thank you for posting back @AlderAppleAsh - that is brilliant that the schools are recognising where their students might go on to and tailoring their programme of study accordingly. I wish my child could have gone to one of your local schools - they sound brilliant. He's just started his 1st year of a 3-year motor mechanics course and where we are getting a sensible apprenticeship will be really hard (south-east).

Fascinating on the Spanish vs. German. I went to a selective school close to where I live now and took french and German O level. The german grammar and structure was fabulous for later in life when I tried as an adult to learn a new foreign language. Still cant speak a word, but can manage to read/write due to that initial foundation. But I do know that the local girls selective schools don't offer German (Not sure re the boys). I worked at an independent school previously - academically selective, London borough, all girls - again German was not offered. But in the 6th form if students wished to take a subject not on main curriculum the school would find a way to offer it, but that is perhaps the freedom of independent.

Made a decision, we’re going with C.
1st - C
2nd - B
3rd - A
Everyone in the house happy with this. Especially DD who is the important one in all of this.
Form submitted - bring on march!
Thanks all for your help. Very appreciated.