School dropping Computer Science A level - feasible to self study with tutors or other alternative?

[moreminieggs]

My Year 11 DC selected his Alevel choices for next year a month ago - Maths, Further Maths, Computer Science, Physics. Today, school have informed him that they will no longer be offering Computer Science ( I think because they don’t have a full class and funding is tight).
My DC is expected to get very good gcse grades and works hard. He was also thinking of studying CS at university, so really wanted to do CS A level. He wants to stay at his existing school ( friends, good teachers for other subjects) rather than swap to a different school.
Has anyone been in a similar position and managed to study the Alevel at home, with maybe tutors to support? If so, any tips please? Or any other suggestions / ideas / thoughts please?

The first thing that id check is if school allow only 3 alevels if one is FM - because our school is still stuck in the last millennium, and FM has to be a 4th subject...

After that, I wouldn't self teach CS, but id do an EPQ in an area of CS that interests him.

Double check a couple of unis, but im pretty sure maths is more critical than CS - and he has a pretty solid reason for not doing CS!

If comp sci isn't available just do maths, further maths and physics and a fourth which he enjoys. One could argue for a language, chemistry or economics but it doesn't really matter. Have a read of the Imperial College website admissions critieria for Computer Science.

Then rather than trying to do an A Level, instead do some personal work on algorithms, data structures and programming, for fun on the side. There are some good free online courses from some of the American universities like Havard.

Most of the univ don't require CS but Maths, further maths for computer related subjects

Yes agree with others.

For CS it is maths and FM that are key. Good suggestions of a fourth A level he would like or an EPQ is that's allowed; or yy programming in his spare time.

Chances are tbh the school doesn't have a CS A level teacher. But it’s not needed – have a look at some uni websites.

Look it would be useful if he could do it but if he can't it doesn't matter. Required subject from Imperial is maths. Reccomended are further maths, physics and comp sci. But it won't matter to have a different fourth. Using Imperial as an example.

Thanks for replies, especially the ideas about doing projects / solo work on the side, which is probably more feasible.

Main benefits of Comp Sci A level for a student wanting to study it at uni are:

• they enjoy CS and are good at it
• it will help them decide if they want to study it at uni
• it will help prepare them for what they will study at uni and make their first year easier
• it will give them things to talk about on their personal statement / interview
• it is a reccommended subjects by some universities

Great if school offers it and the teacher is good. Otherwise do maths, FM and physics + one other, and do personal projects and study of CS outside of that. Lots of interesting materials available to a motivated young person.

What a disappointing piece of news for your son.

I agree with others that trying to independently sit the A level is probably not the best tactic. Uni programs don't require a CS A-level so the lack of it won't be held against him, especially since his school dropped it as an option. Trying to sit it independently runs the risk of it detracting from his other courses and ending up with a sub-optimal grade on CS vs just taking the most applicable courses available at his school.

Focus on maximizing maths, FM, physics and whatever other A-level he prefers Then find an EPQ, a (non-A-level) CS-related study/project to pursue, a related part-time job or volunteer project to show he has an interest in CS that he pursued even after the A-level route was taken away by a decision outside of his control. The latter is good fodder for a personal statement.

I agree with this.

Also, it is really challenging to staff Computer Science so even if he did change school to access it, there's a possibility the same could happen again.

Totally understand this frustration. We had to switch through 3 sixth forms that all belatedly revealed they weren’t running cs A-level after all (at least 2 actively fibbed about it and still expected him to go there) and he ended up at ‘the worst’ sixth form further away which was the only one around here that actually ran cs A-level. It was the right choice for him as he loves the subject and is doing great in it, but all his mates went to the other sixth forms and he’s not clicked socially with this place at all. Luckily he’s not bothered about that and has just locked into studying and the sixth form has actually been great in many ways, not at all the worst and at least it runs the courses it claims to.

So it might be worth considering other places that do run cs if it’s really important to him. Although as others say, it’s not essential and your DS can absolutely make up for it with projects on side, EPQ, and with other alevels inc maths, fm and physics as the main 3. I don’t think self-studying makes sense, nor does the IT btec that some of DS mates were persuaded to do instead of cs A-level - it’s fine but not useful in the same way for unis.

The sad reality is schools struggle to attract and retain good teachers for Computer Science, as well as Physics and Maths.

DS's CS provision was ok at best although one of the two teachers was very young and inexperienced.

DS switched schools for 6th form and his CS teacher is light years ahead. He's had plenty of experience in industry and has started and run several successful tech companies.