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!

RE is such an easy GCSE I wouldn’t withdraw from that because it’s a guaranteed A

My DD was interested in triple science & i encouraged her to use an option for it rather than doing the twilight. Partly so she wasnt overloaded with work/exams and partly because she does a lot of sport & has loads of weekday commitments as it is.
Im not sure RE is quite a guaranteed A .... especially if longer written answers arent your thing.

I wish triple science was an option at this school, seems sensible.

Yes - different schools organise science in different ways. DD's school is quite large and that enables flexibility. I like the flexibility of the science offer, but others wouldn't be happy with the ramifications. They juggle two parallel groups of combined science sets, a triple science option class & a triple science afterschool class (these are taught totally separately). The timetable must be a nightmare & you have to commit a lot of staff.
It means no sets for triple - doesnt bother me it is fairly self selecting anyway - but i can imagine some wouldnt be happy with this.

Yeps I agree, that all makes sense. That's how my DCs' school worked it (not RE, they had an extra option). I think they had five a week for maths and English and then the triple group borrowed one of those on alternate weeks to make it 5 science lessons a week, so three left for PE and PSHE every other week maybe).

But that's still 10 in normal lesson time – the OP's DS will be doing 11 in normal lesson time (unless as I say we are talking twilight for triple - I would ask) – the FM as an extra makes it 12. I guess you could stash the extra option in those 5 spare lessons but then there is no core PE which is compulsory; plus I think eight a fortnight for two English GCSEs is low. I guess it's pretty common tho.