A level choices

[mummyflood]

DS1 has come home today saying that the choice forms for 6th form are in the process of being issued. His class is in the next couple of days, but he has seen the form of one of his friends, and apparently it has 'choice blocks', similar to the GCSE choice system 2yrs ago. He reckons that two of his preferred subjects are in the same list. I was very surprised by this and wondered if this is the usual method for 6th form subject choices? I know of a friends son who is going to 6th form college rather than the school 6th form (school doesn't have one), and had a completely open choice list. As our school is part of a 3-school consortium, I was taking it for granted that he would have an open choice too. We have had a sixth form information evening and he has had an interview with a senior member of staff, and at no point has he been told that his choices will be limited by anything other than GCSE grades.

What do other schools do??

It seems late to be working out option blocks. This should have been done in the Autumn term, so that any indidual requirements could be factored in. But it is late now, especially as the school should have nailed down GCSE option blocks.

It doesn't sound like the school is very well organised.

The options blocks is the system used at my DDs' school but DD1 chose hers months ago and the timetable has been sorted now.

Agree with MTB that this all seems a bit late in the day now, especially considering they'll be finishing soon to do their GCSEs.

Not sure what you can do about it though. Has your DS got a plan B in case he can't have his preferred choice of subjects?

It does seem rather late. However, it's not uncommon to have option blocks.

Just out of interest, what are his preferred choices? !

Mine uses option blocks but it is all done and dusted in january. I don't think there was any flexibility in the blocks,but you can change your choices after GCSE results in. Also some did a 5th AS 'out of block'.

The school certainly isn't particularly well organised. The Y9 options this year were a debacle - long story, just finished sorting that out with DS2!!

Preferred choices for DS1 are Geography, Physics, IT and Forensic Science. Unfortunately due to him sitting the foundation paper in Maths, he wont be able to achieve the recommended B in order to do Physics, although he is predicted a B in physics itself, we did suggest weeks ago that we speak to his Maths teacher as he is adamant he is capable of the higher paper, but she won't put him in for it. According to DS, he helps the lad sitting next to him with most of his work, and said lad is getting to do the higher paper. DS reckoned at the time we shouldnt bother speaking to the teacher - he is now saying that she is basing the paper on the fact that he hasn't handed in a couple of pieces of h/w. Sounds a bit iffy to me, I am sure that there is more to it than that, but at the time we agreed to let him sort it out himself, which now looks to have backfired unless they let him resit and accept him provisionally for physics on a hopeful B. He is going to speak to teacher & mentor tommorrow.

His 'plan B' if not physics is probably environmental science. I am still surprised at the option blocks system, given that we have 3 schools in the consortium to go at!

You need to speak to his Maths teacher ASAP or it will be too late! Option blocks are normal but not to do it this late! It is impossible to hve completely free choice - even if it looks like they do on form there will always be someone whocan't do exactly as hey want. College will have more flexibility due to numbers but not everyone will get ther first choices as you have to have viable numbers in an ption block to run a course.

My ds is in year 11 and his school only handed out the A level info about a month ago. He isn't staying on there anyway, he is going to another local secondary school. His new school gave out the A level info in Feb to their own pupils and I cottoned on a few weeks later and asked for it and my ds has applied to go there and has been accepted subject to satisfactory GCSE grades. There were option blocks for both schools' A level choices but they worked out fine for him.

As for the maths question, I thought ds would be sitting the higher paper and asked at or before the beginning of year 10 if he could when we were told in a report or else Parent and Teachers meeting he wouldn't. I met with the head of maths who showed me where ds came in the list of maths results for the year and it was quite clear that at that time he wasn't up to doing the higher paper. As they (not the school, but whoever makes these decisions) had just taken away the intermediate paper option, he was then put in the foundation level class. The teacher explained that the maths taught in the higher and foundation tiers is quite different and I really wouldn't think it is possible to change at this very late stage as there would be so much work that your ds hasn't covered in class, being prepared for the foundation stage instead.

Sorry that is so long and I hope that helps a bit.

The highest grade in foundation papers is B. So I can't see why he can't get a B in maths.

Personally I would be creating a fuss. Does his Physics teacher think he could do A'level? What does he want to do after 6th form? Do you have any other options for 6th form?

Interesting, thanks for replies so far.

Have attempted to speak to a member of Maths Dept or someone in 6th form at current school, none available as "they have a lot of cover teachers in at the moment" so then rang one of the other consortium schools. Immediately put through to very knowlegeable person in 6th form, who gave me all the info I need at this stage and was very keen to furnish me with more. Amazing that I get more joy from a school he doesn't go to than the one he does - but this is par for the course, has been increasingly the case over the past year or so.

At the other school, in order to do Physics at 'A' level, they will accept C's in physics and maths GCSE. I suspect the B's being asked for at current school are due to the fact it is a science college - other school is not.

Also have concerns over the Geog. dept here - have been to-ing and fro-ing for most of Yr11 over whether he will be sitting foundation or higher. Along with 2 other pupils, he was given the wrong mock gcse paper to sit, which took a lot of fudging over and correcting. He recently achieved an A* in a test, and has been consistently achieving b's, with an A for his coursework, so we will see.

Thinking laterally, I am wondering whether it would be possible to register him at the other school for Yrs 12 and 13, enabling him to study Physics there without the need to resit the Maths - a C would be sufficient for his chosen career (forces) and preferably Geography there, then maybe the other two courses at current school on the consortium arrangement if absolutely necessary.

In all honesty I am losing what faith I had in current school due to the lack of/lateness of/innacuracy of communication - we had this with DS2's GCSE's a couple of months ago, and have been uncomfortable from the off with him staying on here to be honest, but he insisted.

We are definitely going to request a meeting with the Maths teacher, preferably his Mentor as well on Monday, with DS present, and I would like to go and have a look around the other school with him as well. I think he is starting to realise that he does have other options (at least I hope he does and it's not too late)

mummytime, you can't get above a C in the foundation papers now. It was the maths intermediate paper that you could get a B in. Physics is a hard A level I would have thought a high ability at maths was pretty essential. Some schools don't let you do physics without maths. The maths GCSE that DS2 is doing is modular so you can't switch from foundation at this late stage. What sort of science GCSEs is OP son doing? And what does he want to after school - just beware if he wants university that some subjects you mention (forensic and environmental science) are not considered 'traditionally academic'. But it depends what he wants to do later.

oops cross post with mummyflood. It looks loke you are almost sorted.

It is good to hear that you're making progress with everything mummyflood. I know it isn't easy. Good luck with it all.

Definitely worth going to see other school and applyiong to join. Even if he doesn't end up going there he doesn't hurt to have options under your belt. ALevev physics does contain a LOT of Maths and even if they take him with a C he will still need extra help to grasp the concepts involved. Do they provide support for srudents doing ALevel Physics but not Maths? My old college did a compulsory linchtime a everyweek to cover the stuff needed. Ask both schools about this and use this as extra info to make your decision. BTW Physics is the hardest Alevel you can do.

Thanks for all the advice.

Well after quite a heated 24hrs, with him getting quite shirty about not wanting to leave his current school, etc, today he is much more reasonable and after spending some time with his best friend, whose sister had major problems in the 6th form and whose parents seem to think pretty much like we do on school matters, he is now willing to apply to the other school as he is now remembering the many other stumbling blocks he has had along the way over the last two years - i.e. being offered totally the wrong set of options for GCSE as he was actually more able than the school thought once they had analysed his test results after Yr9, then being talked out of one of his preffered options into one he absolutely hates on the basis that the course he had chosen only had a maximum achievable grade of D, a fact which later turned out to be untrue and he was apologised to but not allowed to switch back, the incorrect mock gcse geography paper being given to him, etcetera, etcetera. I think he has now realised why we don't really have much confidence in them for the next two years when the options are now his and not theirs, IYSWIM!!

Dead right it's not easy Simply, thanks for the good luck wish, I think we may need it.

Just thought I'd give you the benefit of my experience.

A level Physics is very very mathsy. I took A levels in Biology Chemistry and Physics. I really did struggle with Physics and in the end had to give it up.

I was advised to redo my Maths GCSE to bring it up to the higher standard but it really wasn't enough. IMO you need to be doing A level Maths if you're thinking of A level Physics.

My DS got A* in Physics and A in maths GCSE. He is finding both really hard at A level - will get D/C if lucky in AS (but he's not doing much work).
When he took Spanish GCSE was supposed to be doing foundation but there was a muddle when he went to take it and they asked him if he was doing higher. (Yes, this was also a school that wasn't well organised). He just said he'd give it a go. Got an A!

I'm beginning to think it's not such a good idea pushing the physics!! He is adamant he wants to do it, but if it's that hard, I like the teaching method even less now than I did at the Sixth Form (lack of) information evening - Head of Dept's words - "it kind of teaches itself - we give them the CD Roms and the Text Book and send them off to work through it, we are here for any questions"

OMG - they teachtemselves from textbooks and CD-ROms. What does the teacher do, smile sweetly while they all fail. What about practicals and actually teaching?! RUN AWAY very fast. No, even faster than that. What is their track record of results?

DD1 is doing Physics AS at the moment and is finding it reasonably challenging, with it being properly taught and doing Maths and Further Maths. No way is it appropriate to leave 6th formers to teach themselves Physics (unless the school up till now has worked along the same lines and has ensured that everyone has the right study skills blah de blah - as it'a a valid educational philosophy, but can't just be dumped on people who are expecting to be taught ifswim).
She reckons that those in her class who weren't A/A* at Maths GCSE are finding Physics very hard indeed.

Someone who wants to do Physics A level really needs to be getting an A in Maths at GCSE I reackon. It's more important than the Physics GCSE grade IMO. Which might be more of a reflection on GCSE Physics...

Does the school actually have any specialist Physics teachers capable of delivering the A Level? There's a real shortage of Physics teachers and from the OP's mention of CD-ROMS and books I would worry that no suitable teacher was available.
FWIW DS1 took both Maths and Physics A Level at one of the leading schools for these subjects and even though he had A* GCSE in both and excellent teachers he found both courses quite demanding.

Physics A Level is really difficult. At theh college I work in, for the past three years more than 80% of students have been getting U's. It might be better for you DS to choose another science subject which is more passable. Not saying that he is not clever enough, but more that it is a subject which is not taught very well in colleges.

Thanks everyone. Am thinking that DS needs to have a serious think about all of this, am going to show him this thread (when I can manage a few mins communication with him!!)

I think another chat with his teachers is definitely in order, both by himself and us.

BTW, the HOD is very well respected, has been at the school years, DS has been taught by him at least twice since YR7 and thinks he's wonderful. Mnistooaddictive - my instincts exactly, to run away fast!! Would like to have done that two years ago in fact. Unfortunately I have now rung the other school we had in mind, to be told by the Head of sixth form that they too look for higher grades than I was first told, contradicting what I was told by another member of staff. In light of what everyone has said here, probably a good thing. I suppose the best I can hope for is that he receives some good advice on results day and hopefully before, and reconsiders his options. We will continue trying to guide him, but in the short term hopefully he needs to concentrate on getting the best possible GCSE results and we will go from there.

Thanks to everyone for all the good advice and information.

mummyflood - why would your DS1 want to do Physics A-level but not Maths A-level?

Schools that offer Further Maths will recommend that Physics candidates do Physics, Maths and Further Maths. Maths is important. Following this route, it is really important to enjoy maths.

It is really important to have strong (ie quick and accurate) basic numeracy skills (eg simple algebraic equations and word problems) and a flair for higher level skills.