Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

What do you know about the English Baccalaureate and its importance for the furure

19 replies

ShutUpBaggyTits · 03/03/2023 08:30

DD is currently choosing her options for GCSE. French is her weakest subject and ideally she'd like to drop it.

However the school are saying if she drops French she won't achieve the English Baccalaureate and she might be at a disadvantage when applying for college for A levels (no sixth form in our area) and then university.

Would she really be at a disadvantage?

I'd love to hear your views on this.

OP posts:
Original poster
ShutUpBaggyTits · 03/03/2023 08:31

*Future

OP posts:
Saisong · 03/03/2023 08:34

My DD has ended up with the right combination to achieve it because she took german. However it doesn't seem to have made any difference to acceptance to college - all her friends who applied got what they wanted, bacc or not.
I should think for uni the A level results will count far more highly, plus maybe extra curriculars and work experience.

MyNameIsErinQuin · 03/03/2023 08:34

It would be irrelevant round here, schools require a number of points. I am a governor and our view is that there is no point encouraging students to study a subject that they are weak at/not interested in, much better to achieve 8/9 strong grades.

TeenDivided · 03/03/2023 08:35

School is having you on. It matters for their league tables, no one else gives a toss.

I'm in Hants, the requirements for A levels at colleges here are all things like '5 GCSEs at grade 5, plus a 6 in your chosen subject' or stuff like that.

Anonymouslyembarassed · 03/03/2023 08:36

I have two teens, neither chose to continue with a language, it's had no impact on college applications and my eldest is doing the A levels he wanted.

Hoppinggreen · 03/03/2023 08:37

DS just went through this process.
We were told that not doing a language GCSE will mean you can’t do it at A level and some RG universities do prefer you to have a GCSE in a foreign language. However, if you aren’t intending to do one at A level and your degree (if you do one) is likely to be STEM you won’t be disadvantaged by not doing a language.
DD is doing A levels this year and hopes to do Zoology at Uni, she actually does have a Spanish GCSE but it’s not relevant

MoneyInTheBananaStand · 03/03/2023 08:38

Ebacc is a measure that's important for schools. It's not in the least important for students.

I think it's appalling that the government and Ofsted are basically strong arming schools into forcing students down a particular path at GCSE. Bloody Michael Gove.

If your DD doesn't want to continue French then she shouldn't. It won't make any difference to sixth form - unless she inexplicably decides she wants to do French A level and then the absence of a GCSE will be a problem 🤣

tillyoumakeit · 03/03/2023 08:40

There was a post about this a week or so ago and a few people were sharing their views in line with PPs here and I found an article also saying that Ebacc isn't relevant for university applications etc. Will see if I can find it.

TeenDivided · 03/03/2023 08:42

With languages the government have it all back to front.
Children don't choose language GCSEs, so what do they do:
a) try to encourage it at GCSE level by making it a school performance measure
or
b) improve language tuition from primary level so students feel more confident with languages and more likely to continue with them.

tillyoumakeit · 03/03/2023 08:46

TeenDivided · 03/03/2023 08:42

With languages the government have it all back to front.
Children don't choose language GCSEs, so what do they do:
a) try to encourage it at GCSE level by making it a school performance measure
or
b) improve language tuition from primary level so students feel more confident with languages and more likely to continue with them.

This is a good point. I realised the other day that DS2 has done no MFL (maybe occasional Spanish) at primary, whereas DS1 who was at a different school did French regularly so was more confident starting French at secondary school.

Greenbeans123 · 03/03/2023 08:47

At dc secondary the option choices for the most academic are set so they will achieve the Baccalaureate (which has not impresssed my two). I was told it was for legues tables /ofstead and doesn't affect students future. I'd say its more important to do what they will get good marks in a 7 in art is better than a 3 in french (while keeping options open for future choices). The advice I gave mine is choose what you enjoy, what your good at (find easy) and what you need for alevels. From seeing my eldest (and friends ) go through this the ones that were pushed to do certain subjects (by parents, school, peers) didn't enjoy it as much /had regrets, I would imagine this reflect results.

gogohmm · 03/03/2023 08:50

Both of mine had to do the language option, only exception was those who were esl or on supported English programmes not expected to pass any GCSEs.

betchanot · 03/03/2023 09:03

UCL require their students to have passed a language GCSE (or equivalent), or else they need to do a language module in their first year. I don't know if any other universities do the same.

TeenDivided · 03/03/2023 11:41

betchanot · 03/03/2023 09:03

UCL require their students to have passed a language GCSE (or equivalent), or else they need to do a language module in their first year. I don't know if any other universities do the same.

Even that now looks out of date, see www.ucl.ac.uk/srs/news/2021/mar/suspension-modern-foreign-language-mfl-requirement#:~:text=Education%20Committee%20has%20now%20agreed,admitted%20from%202021%2F22%20onwards.

Fizbosshoes · 03/03/2023 11:46

Our school are quite pragmatic about it they said the government wanted iirc 90% of students to do the English baccalaureate by 2025 ...but essentially it was just a stat for school. They gave the criteria you needed to attain it but didn't really sell it as an advantage
My DD did a language at GCSE but not a humanity so her choices didn't qualify. She's not doing a language at A level

clary · 03/03/2023 13:25

It’s bobbins op and I speak as an MFL specialist. Much better to take something she enjoys and will do well at.

Not having GCSE MFL will make no difference to uni or college applications. School just wants it for its own figures as Teen says.

Yy obvs she won’t be able to take A level French but I sense that is unlikely. No uni will care. Not even the most RG of RG. Makes me angry that schools are still peddling this nonsense.

*Caveat: I do think a broad range of GCSEs is a good idea, but not at the expense of good grades and enjoyment

CatOnTheChair · 03/03/2023 13:34

For a child who has relatively similar aptitude across all subjects, I think considering ebacc subjects gives you a decent breath of topics.
However, if you have a very strong aptitude (or lack of!) in one particular area, it is worth excluding subjects that may be an unusually low grade when compared to the rest.
tldr: Good starting point, but not right for many.

yepmelady · 03/03/2023 15:10

My DS's school admits it's for league tables and has absolutely no relevance to 6th form ( ours in one of the top 6th forms in the UK so they do know what they want) or Uni.
I actually did a lot of research into it when DS1 did his options. I had been forced through a french GCSE and both DH and myself despite actually decent French grades have barely used it since and certainly not helped career or uni wise.
Anyway it turns out they absolutely do not have to have a language for 6th form or uni including medicine and Oxbridge unless they are wanting to actually study that language.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page