Is 6-8 GCSEs considered to be an acceptable number?

[Widset]

I thought that it was usually 9-10?

The school offers a maximum of 8 GCSEs, including 2 for combined (double) science (separate sciences are no longer offered). However, 2 subjects can be a certificate instead, e.g. sports science, film studies, engineering, so they would then get 6 GCSEs, plus those.

Comprehensive school, nowhere near to grammars, and so includes the full ability range, with all options open to all.

8 is fine.

6 would be a cut down pathway and usually for students not considering a levels.

8 is fine. As long as the “extra ones” are level 2 qualifications then they will be treated like GCSEs for uni or sixth form entry.

Thanks, that’s helpful to know - the GCSEs are all in very mainstream subjects taught up to year 9 and so the certificate subjects appear new/more exciting, and so more attractive, even though DC is bright and looking to do A-Levels and university.

The certificate ones/more practical ones are good for kids who have interest in stuff like that. For example there’s a digital art qualification at our school which must be great for arty kids who could be the next animators at places like Pixar.

You only need 6 GCSEs.

5 including English and Maths is all you need to do anything.

I know of a girl at Oxford who only has 6.

DD has reduced hers to 6 plus a BTEC as we felt with her SEN, her specific specialism and her post-16 plans (degree is part of that) that she was better off maximising grades over a smaller set. I checked everything in advance and no issues at all.

I think that reducing to 8 GCSEs or below and dropping separate sciences is part of the school’s plan to increase their overall grade percentages. Also because they struggle to recruit teachers for some subjects. So it’s good to know that it won’t disadvantage their pupils in the future.

I don't know why they make them take so many.

I went to a really good grammar in the mid 90s, we did 7.

The only ones anyone gives a shit about in the real world are maths and English.

When we were looking at schools, parents seemed to think the more GCSEs they made the children do, the better. I don't understand it.

Good.

If they had less subjects to study, children wound have more time to study for the ones they were doing and less stress.

I don't know why it's seen as such a flex to be doing 11 GCSEs, it's madness.

Do they offer an extra maths GCSE for top set ? My kids went to a comprehensive and were offered an extra maths qualification if they were top set and this made the beginning of A-level maths a little easier.

No nothing like that, it’s a big school with large classes (generally about 35 per class) and they struggle to recruit teachers, so not sure that they would have the capacity to teach extra maths.

You need certain subjects depending on your future plans eg sciences, languages and wouldn’t want to be limited to subjects that don’t require previous knowledge.

Suspect they may have found that huge numbers of current Y11 parents are asking for reduced burden. Add that to recruitment difficulties and it makes sense.

So many of my friends are asking their DC's schools if they can drop subjects they're not getting good mock grades in in order to focus on the rest.

Looking at sixth form entry requirements, I'm not surprised. One school that was asking for 6 x 9-6 grades back in 2019 is now wanting 6 x 9-7 incl English and Maths, and has an oversubscription policy of taking best 6 grades to rank applicants.

Why would you risk 11 subjects and not getting the six at 7-9 when you could drop to 8 and secure them?

FWIW, I was at a super selective grammar back in the day and we only took a max of 9.

I got into an RG uni with 8 (2 of which were non-academic)

@Snorlaxo it certainly didn't hold back anyone I went to school with.

All my grammar offered was 3 sciences, maths, English, a language and either geography or history - actually, I tell a lie, it was 8 GCSEs as it was a catholic school so RE was compulsory. I did 7 as they let me drop French as after 4 years, I could barely speak a word, so it was clear there was no point in me taking it.

Most people did pretty well in life, lots of people in various law positions, a hell of a lot of medical doctors, surgeons etc.

Most went to very well regarded universities.

Sorry, also meant to say that yeah, I get that if you want to go on to do science you need it.

My point was that they do too many. My son was made to do 11 GCSEs and a BTEC level 2 in some thing, computing I think.

For what he wanted to do, and has gone on to do as an adult, all anyone cared about was maths and English. He did a level 3 at college in the easiest thing he could just to get on his degree apprenticeship, they didn't care what the level 3 qualification was in, just that he had one along with maths and English gcse.

8 is fine, I'd be wary of 6 because, e.g. some medicine courses require 7 GCSEs at grades 7-9. Presumably similar restrictions apply for other competitive courses.

7 or 8 solid GCSEs is much better than 11 or 12 mediocre ones.

From what I can tell it's the less well-regarded schools that do loads of GCSEs so that if pupils can afford to fail a few.

I wish our school did only 8. They have to do 10. Plus DS is doing further maths level 2. He got a 3 in RE mocks and wants to drop it but they won't let him. Such a pain! It's a grammar school.