How many GCSEs as standard?

[JustMarriedBecca]

Just starting to look at secondary schools. I'm confused as to the standard number of GCSEs taken these days. I don't want to send her to a secondary school and find out three years down the line they don't take the standard number of GCSEs.

The schools in our area all take 9 GCSEs - state and private.

When I took mine, we took 10 or 11 (old style 11+ grammar) but that was years ago. However, my nephew took 12 GCSEs and that was only two years ago. He doesn't live in our area though but is London suburbs.

Can anyone shed any light? I've had a look at the schools website and downloaded their Guided Choices booklet for this year. Nothing in it about additional GCSEs but I also don't want to be THAT parent who asks about GCSE choices on a Year 7 open evening because their kid has decent standardised scores to date.

My three were all at Grammar and they took 11.

They take 12 at our school. But to be honest, I think it's too many and they don't get enough teaching. I'd rather they got 9 good grades than 12 scraped through ones.

Our school does 8-10.
9 is standard, 8 is for those not as academic (dc1 did this and is now at uni so not held back). 10 if want to take extra maths or something that they do out of school that school can accommodate eg second language.
I'd be looking more at how the gcses are chosen (eg if have to do language/RE/only double science) as these might be more important than how many.

9 at DDs school... 2x Eng, 3x science, maths plus 3 choices.

9 at GS's school if they take sciences separately, 8 if not.

9 at DD's school. 10 at DS's school.

8-10 is standard these days.
With them being no/minimal coursework and all terminal exams schools have sensibly cut back.

Core will be:
Maths, Eng lang, Engl lit, 2 or 3 science.
Then schools manage the rest differently. Some give free choice, some mandate an MFL some mandate one of History/Geography, some mandate RE as either a half GCSE or whole.

Id say 9 is pretty much standard with some changes around the edges of for example you do extra maths or a language you already speak

Imo no one needs 12

My daughter went to a comprehensive school in a relatively poor bit of Northern England. She did 1 (religious education) early in year 10 and 9 in year 11.

She’s now looking at applying to medicine and universities seem to score a maximum of 9 GCSEs when they’re considering admissions so I can’t see any advantage to doing more unless there’s something they’re desperate to do.

10 or 11 depending if you do combined or triple science. RE is compulsory. Maths, 2 English and 4 options.

It is 'compulsory' to study RE in KS4, not to do a qualification in it, though many schools decide that if they have to study it might as well do a qualification.

And some schools get round compulsory RE by encouraging parents to use the parental op out from RE.

Do you mean RE is compulsory at your children's school? It certainly isn't for everyone

Thanks. That's helpful.

It seems that it's English, English Lit, Maths and then Science (either 2-3) and then a free choice for the rest, providing I suppose it fits with their timetabling.

In my day we had to do one humanity, one MFL and one entirely useless technology subject and only then could we freestyle the rest.

12 seemed like a lot to me but they were all Grade 9s so I guess not!

10 at DDs secondary.

2x Eng; maths; triple science; one mfl; 3 own choices.

If you are top set maths you do FM too so that makes 11. If you aren't best at science you drop to combined so you'd total 9.

My kids went to three different schools, 1 state, 1 private selective and 1 private non selective and they all took 9 as standard. A couple offered Further maths or an extra curricular as a 10th and a couple allowed 8 for those with particular learning issues.

Our school do 10 as standard. Up to 12 possible (DD did 12) and 9 if we think 10 is too many for an individual.

Bog standard state comp.

10 at our comp if you do triple science (Maths, Eng Lang, Eng Lit plus the 3 sciences & 4 options), otherwise 9 if you do double science.

By the way, schools regularly change how they do GCSE options, so just because they have done something this year for the y9s, doesn't mean that your currently finishing y5 will have the same choices.

The majority take 8 or 9, with the average being around 8. The chart is for 2023 from the government website.

9 at my daughter’s school: English lang/English lit, maths and science then 4 options, although triple science takes up one of those options. Relatively free choice on the options, ie no requirement for an MFL, humanities etc. She’s top set maths so has done additional maths on top.

My son’s school was the same except he also did statistics GCSE in year 10.

OP. In your situation with an academic kid I would be asking
. who gets to do triple science? (anyone who wants or only the top set?)
. can they do more than 1 MFL?
. can they do both History and geography?

Things might change but it will give you an idea as to how flexible they are currently.

Yes it is compulsory at ours. DD finds it quite easy so I don't mind it as an additional GCSE, I think if they have to study it they might as well get an qualification. However I know some people hate that it is compulsory.

9 at our (private) school, plus one extra GCSE or other thing (my DD did a Silver Arts Award, and I think there was end dirt if business thing). It would be hard to fit another in schedule wise, but some native speakers did a language GCSE which they pretty much did on their own time and/over in the first year.

It was 8 at DS' school and 8 for me 40 years ago .

I would say 9 or 10 is 'normal'. My DS is doing 10 but only because of his science options being split into three full GCSEs.

9 was the norm in my childhood.