Y10/11 Choices (currently in Y9) - DD vs me!

[Poptions]

DD is making her choices over the next couple of weeks for GCSEs. One MAY be a BTEC though ,which is where we are having a disagreement. I have told her that ultimately it is up to her, but I am here to guide her, and as an adult feel I am looking more to the future (and giving her wider options) than her immediate plans.

DD is pretty academic and should achieve decent GCSEs if she applies herself. She currently is veering towards a creative BTEC, whilst I am pushing for a more technical/science GCSE as her final choice, which I feel will be better for her future prospects.

Having spoken with various teachers/the head, they have suggested she do the more techy GCSE, but have stressed it is more work and will require more effort. The BTEC is more fun, and DD is torn, but slightly leaning towards the BTEC.

I don't imagine the BTEC will lead to anything useful for her, career-wise, though who knows, I suppose. The GCSE will definitely be hard, but doable.

How much have you influenced your Y9s, and should I push her to do the GCSE or relent?

And do you think BTECs are still considered inferior?

@Poptions I'm not persuaded that the majority of teaching staff are well equipped to advise about career options. I think music will be of more lifelong use than computer science which she can pick up later. DD did grade 8 voice instead of a fourth A'Level. If your dd can sing, could voice be her instrument? It could give a lifetime of enrichment and pleasure.

DD and her boyfriend are both professionally qualified in very traditional sectors and in their late 20s now. Their joint love of music is an integral part of their lives and a fabulous destressor and opened up their social lives.

Ah music BTEC is a good one to do and very interesting. More practical than the music GCSE as I understand it.

Her science and CS teachers are all going to say she can do CS of course. And the music teachers will say music. All that that shows is that she is able. DS2's RE teacher really wanted him to do RE. Funnily enough it was CS he chose instead! As I said, he ended up finding it dull and being more than happy with a 6 (he thought he would scrape a 5).

So yes let her do the music BTEC.

Interesting about biology A level btw – "forget all you learned at GCSE" is certainly not true for all A levels – MFL for example. And maths I imagine. Among others.

Leave her be. One of the things that will determine your future relationship with her (something she will need going forward) is the knowledge that you trust her and are prepared to back her judgement. Show some faith in her.

They have so little choice that our school told parents it's impossible for them to make a "bad" choice.

By the time they've done the compulsory ones (English, English literature, Maths, science (x2 or 3), a humanities and a language there is so little choice left that it rarely matters what their optional ones are.

As others have said, let her do a creative course or BTEC to provide balance.

Interesting about biology A level btw – "forget all you learned at GCSE" is certainly not true for all A levels – MFL for example. And maths I imagine. Among others.
I'm not sure it's really true for Biology either. I imagine what the PP's teacher was probably getting at is that you get taught some things in science GCSEs (well it was O levels in my day) that are simplified so when you do the A levels you have to replace some of that prior learning with a slightly different, usually more complex, version. That was certainly what I found. And then I found it again at University as an undergraduate. Then again in postgraduate studies. And again and again in my professional life over many years. But I'd say it was generally more a case of "it's not quite that simple" than "what you learned before was totally wrong so forget it".
My science O levels gave me the basic understanding that formed the foundations of a lifetime of learning even though I'm sure I was taught some things as irrefutable fact that I'd now see rather differently! But I wouldn't have been able to understand complex ideas as a 15 year old and science evolves anyway. I retired from my work a couple of years ago and by that stage some of the stuff I'd learned early in my career seemed very basic. No doubt in another 20 years there will be youngsters raising an eyebrow about the extent of our knowledge today. Well at least I hope so.

My DD is doing Triple Science for GCSEs BUT is looking at a Dance advanced BTEC alongside 2 ALevels at 6th form - at our school the school only offer BTECs instead of GCSEs in some cases and its decided by the school which course is offered to the student

Computer science GCSE almost put my coding loving son off for life.

They didn't have a teacher after April Y10 and the class was rammed with boys who were there to be with their mates, piss about on the computers and not do the work.

The content is also incredibly dry.

If she doesn't want to do it, please don't make her!

Thanks latest posters for your great advice.

DD and I had a lovely chat and I have offered my full backing for her opting for Music BTEC, and she's really happy. She actually isn't guaranteed all of her subjects, and needs a reserve, and CS is possibly even off the table completely!

Gratitude to you all for helping me get there.

I am so pleased that she is happy. It will be as much about knowing that her Mum respects her judgement as looking forward to the course.

Glad you got it sorted. Came in to say that I help students with UCAS applications and see them progress.
A BTEC at level 2 in a subject they love ( and get a decent grade in) is WAY better than choosing something ‘sensible’ and hating it. Or worse, carrying the failure into college.

My friends daughter did music GCSE and continued music and physics into A level which are apparently great together. She went to uni to study sound engineering and now travels the world with theatre productions and working on movies. She said music wasn’t as easy as people think and certainly hasn’t been seen as a lighter option by teachers/uni/employers. Without her doing the music course, she might never have thought about this kind of career. How many of us wonder as adults how people get into certain unusual roles - I think it’s from being allowed to take random courses that they’re interested in.

Love that

That sounds like a wonderful job!

It’s your DD’s life and therefore her decision, not yours. Realistically a singular BTEC subject at GCSE level really won’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Universities are far more accepting of BTECs nowadays and she won’t be at a disadvantage

DD did drama alongside 3 sciences, geography & French. It was nice to have a less academic, more practical subject to give her a bit of a break. Still hard work though and often she’d be in school after hours or at weekends to rehearse.

Secondary teacher here... I think BTECs get a bad rep as some schools encourage less academic kids do them as they involve coursework and retakes BUT they are still adequately challenging to higher target level students and are therefore well worthy of study. They are often really interesting courses.

It can also be good for applications to have a bit of flair in one subject, alongside more Stem subjects OR A Stem subject alongside creative or humanities qualifications.

The Op and her DD have agreed on the Btec anyway so it's moot, but honestly, in case others read this, I must protest that the GCSE does not open any more doors than the Btec. If she doesn't want to take GCSE CS, but wants to take Btec music, there is no issue at all. GCSEs do not as such need higher skill or ability than Btecs so it's not about that. They offer a different way of working and one that can help, but are also challenging. You need to work all through the course to a good level which some would find took real skill.

Can you explain in what way they are 'narrower'?

There are plenty of highly academic kids in DD's BTEC class, and they don't all get top grades on the BTEC modules.

My dd did look at btec business. I wish she'd taken it as course looked great and would have added variety of experience

Thanks so much for the further responses. We have now submitted DD's preferences, and she did go for Music BTEC, however, we were told that they don't always get what they want, so the CS GCSE is on the reserve list.

She's much happier having my blessing with the BTEC, the relief when I gave up pushing the CS was palpable, but she did accept that if she didn't get it (due to timetabling etc) and was given CS, she would be ok with it and crack on.

I myself also feel comfortable now with the music choice, and really hope she gets it - she otherwise doesn't really have anything creative on her list, and I think she'll actually be great at the production side of it.

If you both later think she needs something else on her CV and want something 'digital' then she could always do an iDEA Bronze Award during a holiday (it is not a 'qualification', it's more like CREST Award is for Science): About iDEA

It is free, done entirely online, and very straightforward - you just click through online modules and occasionally do short quizzes inside them to show you are paying attention.

I believe it was originally set up and funded with the intention that it was going to be the Duke of York's digital award along the lines of the DofE, but then they realised the current Duke of York is Prince Andrew and quickly erased all connections there!

Deleted as didn't realise it was an old thread. Glad it worked out!