Wanting my child to do less than 11 GCSEs - what are our options?

[toomanygcses]

Hallo, my child is in year 9 and at a state school where if you do triple science you take 11 GCSEs. And there's an additional maths qualification they do as well in top set.

This seems really unecessary to me. I live in a heavy private/grammar area and these schools get kids to do 8-10 presumably because they've realised kids do better without being totally swamped with loads of different subjects you don't even need....noone needs 11 GCSEs.

I'd like my child to do less. As far as I can see I have little leeway with this & the school are unlikely to be keen as they are a good student.

I believe my only parental right might be to withdraw them from RS sometime in year 9. And then presumably they won't sit RS GCSE which is "compulsory" at their school.

Is this right? Any other ideas? And how to go about withdrawing from RS (I don't believe I need to give a reason?) and when it might be sensible to do it?. Do I need to get it in writing they won't put them in for the GCSE or is that overkill?

Many thanks!

The issue with this is that if they let one student do it, with no specific reason such as additional needs, other parents may want their child to do it too and not everyone will be as well behaved.

I think it might be helpful if posters stated when their DC took their GCSEs. DD took hers before they were reformed, so it was more common to do 10+ subjects then.

I don't think 'less' is incorrect here if the focus is on 11 as a benchmark or total count. When viewed mathematically as a numerical limit—where 10 is less than 11—'less than 11 GCSEs' feels entirely natural and valid.You read it as 'less than 11' GCSEs, not less than '11 GCSEs'.

Agree. My DD took hers in the mixed up year of 2017 and took 10, but had a fair bit of CW (MFL, geography, drama). DS2 took his in 2019 so the first year of fully new spec, all numbers, pretty much no CW (apart from PE for him, and tech subjects, art, drama, music for those that took them). He also took 10. This was standard when in triple science group at their school but it may have changed since they left.

I would be absolutely amazed if the school agreed to this.

DD took hers a couple of years ago. She's about to go to university. The only assessment she had for GCSEs that was not final exams was for drama. She did 11 plus the FSMQ and while hard work it was fine. She is glad she did not have to drop too many subjects as she enjoyed most of them.

You can't force them to allow your child to sit in the library unsupervised. Some schools may allow it but that doesn't mean they all will.

I reached an arrangement with the school but I had to come and physically pick my child up for the lessons they did not attend. That obviously doesn't work for a lot of families.

There is also the option of your child being selective in which subjects they work on and revise for. Even what exams they turn up for, if it comes to it, but it is probably a lower mental load on them to just turn up, keep their head down and try not to tie all their self worth into their 10th and 11th best GCSE grades.

I think the way you go about it makes a difference. Belligerence is not helpful, they will just double down. When they see a child genuinely struggling, the rules can change.

They don't need additional Maths to do Maths A Level. If RS is compulsory at the school you chose for your child I don't see how you can have an issue now....less of the "I believe it is my right'. It's not. You chose the school.

I thought as you can legally opt out of RE then the school has to provide a space for a child in school?

Although I would be very willing to consider alternatives.

Noone is actually answering my questions although plenty of people have opinions... Mumsnet 😅

They will absolutely have to have supervision. You really need to speak to the school you don't sound like you know what's going on.

I'm a teacher so not an opinion.

Great - so can you legally opt out of RE as a parent and if so do they have to provide a supervised space for your child? Many thanks.

One thing you could do is that they go to the lessons and do the bare minimum and either don't turn up to the exams, or they just do whatever they can in the exams and know they will fail them.
School might be able to force you to go to the lessons but they can't make you learn it or revise.

Additional Maths in the form of the FSMQ rather than Further Maths GCSE is actually pretty helpful for those considering Maths A Level. It's a Level 3 qualification so harder than GCSE and is a good bridge to the more complex A Level content.

As for 'you chose the school' - how do you know? Where I live in London we had a realistic chance of getting into one comprehensive with a possibility of another one that we liked better off the waiting list but definitely not until after September due to the distances involved. There was zero possibility of just choosing a different one! People who can just choose a different school are very fortunate. It's rarely possible in areas of high housing density or with very strict catchments.

They don't have to actually study for all of the exams. Mine didn't bother with Spanish.

They don't, but it does set them up well to ease them into A level, especially if most of their classmates are doing it. If it's taught mainly in class time then it won't take up much extra.

You re right though it's the obvious thing to drop. I think most schools would take a dim view of parents demanding their child can drop compulsory subjects while insisting they take an optional one.

Of course I am planning to speak to the school.

That's quite rude, I was trying to help but you just seem to be biting back at everyone.

Not desperate for him to do the Maths thing... but the school might like him to as he is likely to do very well in it.

The tone of your posts and the fact you are a teacher are EXACTLY why I would like to be very clear on what the factual situation is before I approach the school.

Still hoping someone who has gone before me re withdrawing, or more who have reduced their child's GCSE load might reply... but if not I have had lots of helpful experience shared on this thread.

My oldest did 15 GCSEs or equivalents - plus additional maths, which counts as an A/S level. (standard comp)

They did them over 3 years.
So they all did 2 in year 9 (one compulsory and one option)
In year 10 they all did RE, and she chose to do another
In year 11 they standardly all did about 9 or 10, she did 10 plus one extra and additional maths.

I agree with you. She did well, mostly 7 or above, but I think doing fewer would have been less stressful for her and she would have got better results. However she said at the time, and still says that she's glad she did do many because she enjoyed doing the variety and the ones she'd would have been able to drop were ones she liked.

They had dropped it a bit by the time my younger ones did it, I think they did 13 and 12 each, again over 3 years. They'd have both been better doing 8 or 9 well than more.

Back in the day, I was the only one in my year to do 10 qualifications (9 GCSEs and Additional maths which I taught myself at home) 8 was the standard, and 9 was considered to be where the top people were. However there were freer options.
We had to do maths, 2x English (unless you were bottom set), French, then had 4 options, where they liked at least one to be a science (separate sciences) but you could appeal that if you didn't want it to be. Then the top people took an "extra" which you did in half the normal number of lessons.

Wow! That's a lot of subjects! They must have worked very hard.

Thanks for sharing.

DD1 worked very hard.

We won't say too much about the other two. I'll just say I asked ds how he best revised when he was doing A-levels and he looked blankly at me before saying he hadn't tried revision before...

You can withdraw your child from RE and/or collective worship. Scroll down to the relevant section. Im not saying it is/isnt a good idea, but it appears you can. There are template withdrawal letters online.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/re-and-collective-worship-in-academies-and-free-schools/religious-education-re-and-collective-worship-in-academies-and-free-schools

Well I did reduce the GCSE load of one of my DC – DS1 has LD and dropped a GCSE option (so did 8 with double science), if that helps.

It’s a different situation from yours tho @toomanygcses as it was bc of his struggle academically; in fact there was a small group who just chose three options not four, and did extra English and maths, CV support and homework in those option lessons, in the SEN hub.

The thing is, as others say, there will need to be somewhere for your DC to go. It's unlikely the school will allow him just to sit in the library. He needs to be somewhere staffed where someone knows where he is and registers hm as present. This obvs happened with DS1.

Maybe there is a similar situation at your DC's school tho and he could spend the time in the SEN hub? If others were doing something similar to my DS they might be happy with that? Would he though?

As others have said, he can always attend lessons but then not bother much with the GCSE. I know you say he won't want to, but if there is a subject he has to do (history, French) that he really doesn't like, then that might be an option. I've said this on other threads but in DS2's year the school made more or less all students take MFL. Many of them were not keen, did minimal work and got a grade 2 or 3 amid a load of 5-6-7 grades.

My oldest did 15 GCSEs or equivalents

Why? Do schools do this for bragging rights?

DD took 10 as was normal for her school. The ones who took 11 did dance, but that was a twilight subject and lessons were after school. The school couldn't have fitted more than 10 in the daily curriculum.

The GCSE syllabus was covered over two years, not three.