12 GCSEs

[Thingsthatgo]

My DS is in year 7, so we have a while to get our heads around it, but he will be expected to sit 12 GCSEs as he is top set for everything.
They do statistics in year 10, then maths, further maths, 3 sciences, English lit and language, a MFL and three options.
That's bonkers surely? No one needs 12 GCSEs. I will find out if there are any consequences to withdrawing him from a couple of them.

if that is how the school is set up, i'm sure they can manage it - the maths / stats / further maths are all closely related topics that kids can go through quickly. Then the rest is pretty standard for a good school.

My dc is currently doing 10 GCSEs (stats & further maths weren't available at this school) and that seems to work out fine.

Yeh the only extra ones are stats and FM. While I agree for sure there is no need to take 12 GCSEs, the extra ones follow on from maths, so I suppose it's not like taking history, geography, French, German, music and RE on top of the six basic ones.

But if he is struggling when it comes to it, speak to the school about him dropping FM in year 11 maybe @Thingsthatgo ?

Mine are doing that. It’s fine if you’re good at maths. They had a few extra lessons to cover statistics and sat it in y10, got excellent grades. They’re doing maths and further maths gcse this year along with all the others. It’s a good way of keeping the maths challenging and interesting for top set. It really doesn’t take any extra time and maths isn’t one you have to revise much for.

Ours is just a normal state school in a non selective area. The top set maths kids do get a choice whether to sit the extra exams or not but they pretty much all do it. They’ll be covering it in class time anyway.

On the latest stats, only 2% of those taking GCSEs sit 11 or more at one sitting, so it is not usual. However, it is likely the subjects taken will be pruned if your DS's performance, relative to other students, declines. My DC's school is a comp and the most academically able sit 11 GCSEs in one sitting, but some do double science (ie one less) or drop RE or one or more electives to be given extra time on Maths and/or English in Y10 and Y11.

Some schools limit the number GCSEs taken to 9 to maximise the average grade per pupil and to yield more 'perfect 9s' to aid application, further down the line, for competitive entry unis. There are arguments for and against this. If a bright student can cope with a lot of GCSEs in one go, it prepares them well for the step up in workload at A Level and enables them to experience a broader range of subjects and so better inform choices for A Level and post-A Level.

Mine is doing 11 (2 languages). She is top set maths but said no thank you to further maths!. I think she does regret a little doing the extra language but it’s not affected her grades.

12 can be okay if you get one out of the way in Y10

The overlap between stats and maths is substantial. Further maths gcse is standard for top sets who are often working beyond gcse level in year 11.

Technically it is three maths GCSE's but in practice the content isn't.

My kids both did this. Their teacher covered the gcse maths material by the end of year 10 and they spent year 11 doing the further maths material. It was no more work than 1 gcse.

It significantly helped with the step up to a level as well.

My son did 12 including FSMQ (further maths). He didn’t do statistics as a separate subject though. His others were 3 sciences, 2 English, 2 languages, history, computer science and DT. All taken end of Y11. He regretted choosing DT over music, as it was hugely time consuming and he plays music anyway. Other than that, it was fine.

This is the schools curriculum - why did you send him there if you don’t like it?
No decision until y11 if he’s struggling and in conjunction with school policies.

I agree that 12 is ridiculous, but statistics and further maths I suspect are probably not too bad as extras for a mathematically bright chid. (Though I'd be annoyed about the enforced MFL and 3 sciences).

As your DC is in Year 7, I suggest it's far too early to be worrying though - a lot can change in the next few years - the school organisation might change; your DC might not be in a set where they take extra subjects etc.

Dd 1 was at a state school and took ten
Dd2 was at a grammar and took eleven which I thought was ridiculous .
Can’t see the point of twelve

No, it's not bonkers if he's good at maths. It will just provide additional breadth. As others have said, there is overlap between maths, stats and further maths so it isn't like doing 3 separate GCSE's. If he is minded to do maths A level it will set him up well - he's very lucky.

My son did short-course RE in Year 10, then Maths, 2 * English, 3 sciences, Geog, History, a language and computer science, and also a level 3 diploma in algebra. He found it fine.

My DD has struggled at times doing 11 with art. I always say she could probably have done another at least in the time art has taken. So just don't do Art as well.

I tried to persuade her not to take the FM this year but it's less work than I imagined. Maybe take a look at the Spec for the various options your DC is interested in. There are definitely some GCSEs that are "easier". DD finished the curriculum for Comp. Sci early.

*at least another 2 GCSEs in the time to do art!

DS did 11 in one go last summer. Further maths isn't a whole topic as such. My DS covered the work in about 6 lessons! The revision book is quite thin to give you an idea.
And the stats is in year 10. If he's good at maths and wants to do a-level maths this will all be helpful stuff.

Do they teach GCSEs over two years or three? Our DC ended up with 15 (lower sets do 13 with no add maths and double instead of triple science). But their school taught over three years and they did a couple in Y10. DC did three maths qualifications and I agree with PPs that some of the content and a lot of the skills were the same for these. Plus they were taught add maths but could choose whether or not to do the exam, maybe this is also optional for your DC?

In any case I would expect the set up to be manageable, or they wouldn't do it, they have nothing to gain from putting DC in for exams with no chance of doing well. It's not necessary to have more than 8-9 GCSEs, but there's nothing wrong with more if there is a sensible way of doing it - at that age, the less the curriculum narrows the better imo.

My ds took 12 in one sitting in the first year of the new gradings - all the top set Maths took 12, most other sets took 11 (no Further Maths) and a few were allowed to drop a language and took 10. It was fine.

DS1 did 13

triple science - all as seperate GCSEs
maths (taken early in year 10)
maths numeracy (taken early in year 10)
additional maths (taken in year 11)
English
English Lit
Welsh
Skills challenge
3 other choices - he did Spanish, Georgraphy and computer science.

Personally, I would not be counting the extra Maths GCSEs as full extra GCSEs. It is just 3 versions of the Maths GCSE. So in my mind it is 10 they are doing and it is perfectly standard for top sets and grammars.

DD had friends doing more than that because they eg did Latin on the side or their own home language or music on the side.

The additional Maths GCSEs are a good idea for strong mathematicians you may end up doing Further Maths at A level. The jump from GCSE standard Maths to A level Further Maths is huge. That is why they let top set maths do this. They will also likely do Maths Olympiads type things.

My Y11 is doing 12. Standard at school is 10 but he's doing ad maths, and Latin+Greek, which is two GCSEs (but taught in one timetable slot). It's honestly fine. Exam timetable is a bit bonkers but he'll be OK. There was no pressure from us or school to do the 'extra' two - he liked the subjects and wanted to do them. He's doing two MFL and no creatives, which makes it easier (for him) as there's very little coursework.

DD did 11 in one sitting including further maths. They had about 6 x 1hr sessions after school to cover the trickier areas and taught themselves the rest of it - most of it was covered in the main GCSE syllabus, the further maths just took it ... further.

I can remember one head teacher saying to me that there is no need to collect GCSEs like charms on a bracelet.

11 is the norm for my son's selective school.

Stats in year 10 is easily doable. We recently found out that by the time some had done gcses as part of extra curricular clubs such as dance, Mandarin, Italian and even CompSci or IT as a club rather than a subject there was a good % who had 13 to 15 by the time they did A levels.

I completely agree with this - but if the school is set up for more and the DC can manage it, I think it's good to keep the curriculum as broad as possible. Not for the qualifications but just not narrowing their academic worlds quite so drastically.

My daughter is in year eleven. She did two GCSEs last year and will do 11 this year.

You’re right, it’s not necessary but it is doable and if they’re bright enough it gives them some extra subjects under their belt (for example, my daughter HAS to take extra maths as she is top set but we’ve told her just to give it her best shot but l it’s a bonus one and not to sweat over it).