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GCSE option nightmare

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Well Charlie has spent weeks deliberating over her 2 free choices and finally decided on Music and Triple Science.

All the other subjects, Maths, English lit, English Lang, Humanities, French, Core Science, Additional Science,PE, L for L ........you have no choice in, top set GCSE have to take these.

 

Well she found out on Friday that there may be a problem with her 2 choices as they think Triple Science will clash with Music.

 

This is a large school of 1400 pupils who go on about their ability to let every child do their own choice of GCSEs (had the same problem with DS 2 years ago) but I'll gloss over that otherwise I will still be writing this post in an hour :roll::roll:

 

No one can give her any definate yes or no there is a problem, just there may be :?:?:? She found out because the music teacher received his list of those doing GCSE next year and she wasn't on it. He went to investigate and found that there may be a problem. He's not sure if he was supposed to tell her that there may be a problem but felt she should have the weekend to think in case there was. So there is the add quandry of should she even know at the mo.

 

So she has spent the entire weekend worrying herself silly to the point that she was awake most of last night, crying because she doesn't know what to do. She has now made herself ill and has a sore throat and the beginnings of a cold so needless to say she hasn't gone to school today. (well at least she can be here when our cube is delivered)

 

She will have to decide, if there is a problem, which GCSE she will give up and what she would want to do in it's place (as long as they don't clash :evil::evil:)

 

Do they not realise the stress they are putting 14 year olds through :evil::evil:

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I had the same when I was at school - I can't believe that they still can't solve these problems 20 years later.

 

Anyway - I dropped triple science for business studies and it was the worst mistake ever. The business studies course was completely pointless and not having triple science on my CV made me look like I wasn't clever enough to have done it.

 

As it happens, I didn't get the opportunity to go to university full time as I had to support myself by then, but if I had, so many courses would have been inaccessible to me because of not having the sciences.

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I guess it depends what she wants to do with her life - My DD would have swapped Science for Music any day as she wants to do something arty when she grows up. She still has to do dual science though. Is your daughter doing sciences already with the triple as an additional? Can she not change the dual for the triple if she needs? Just an idea - hope its sorted out soon so that she doesnt worry too much .

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((((Hugs to Charlie))))

 

Poor girl to be told you have choices and then not have choices is so frustrating. What a mess.

 

Surely she can't be the only one to have chosen those two subjects? Power in numbers if you have to 'discuss' it with the school perhaps?

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I'd also say, take music and do double science. It's only GCSE and if she wants to take 3 sciences at A level, she still can (I would have thought). Also some teachers will accept students for A level music without GCSE provided they have enough practical experience and knowledge.

 

I think GCSE choices are about not closing any doors you may wish to go through later and about getting the best grades you can. Getting all 'A' grades counts for far more than what the subjects actually are.

 

It is a nightmare though and I fully sympathise. DD3 in year 8 is already getting pressure from teachers to take GCSE. DD2 in year 11 was offered A-level courses in 8 subjects. :shock: She can't really decide.

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Oh the poor thing. I remeber how stressed Devon was when she did her options a year or so ago.

Her school did it in a different way. They had 4 extras to choose,then, when all the pupils choices were in they put them into 4 blocks of subjects.You can only do one subject from each block so you don't get a clash.They set the blocks so there is an absolute minimum of students whose choices clashed. I think there were only 10 or so students who had a problem.

 

Luckily Devons choices were fine & she now does extra ICT,French,German & Psychology as her extrs GCSE's.

 

I do hope Charile finds its all a storm in a teacup & that she can do what she really wants.

I am already bracing myself for going throught it all again next year with Cleo :roll::?

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I hope that your daughter does get what she wants in the end, it is a real shame that they have to narrrow themselves down at this age GCSE should be a wide grounding in education and life, to give them more options when they are older and have more idea about what they wish to do.

 

My ED has just chosen her options, her school also put their choices into option blocks to try to avoid clashes. I was disapointed to see that history and geography were in the same option block, I had to choose between the 2 when I did mine and I wish that I could have done both.

 

They got 3 choices because they have to take a modern language and she chose product design, history and art. Fortunately she was selected to do triple science in dual science time which meant that she didn't have to use an option choice for that which meant she has the chance to do her more creative subjects, but she will have to work hard.

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I'd also say, take music and do double science. It's only GCSE and if she wants to take 3 sciences at A level, she still can (I would have thought). Also some teachers will accept students for A level music without GCSE provided they have enough practical experience and knowledge.

 

 

Would agree with that. Afterall most schools only do the double science and nothing else. It covers all three sciences though so she wouldn't have any problems movin on to all three alevels or equivelent.

 

Whatever she decided doesnt close any doors as so many people have proved you can do any qualification at any age and a huge amount of people are very successful in life with no real qualifications anyway except a willingness to work hard which I think is the biggest qualification of all.

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That must be so frustrating - to be given a choice that is then really no choice at all :roll: I agree that you can do the ones that are important at any time. My son has decided to do none :shock: I'm torn between forcing him and letting him get on with it, but will probably let him get on with it. He knows what he wants to do and doesn't need GCSEs. If it doesn't work out, he will follow plan B and do the ones he needs at night school in September!

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Thanks for all your replies :D:D:D

 

Charlie and I have been chatting (whilst the cube was being built) and she's thinking that she will go with music over triple science (as she's already having to do double science - one of 'no choice as you're in top set GCSE' ) and she really wants to do music. But then she has to decide what will be her 2nd 'free' choice GCSE will be .......possibly ICT :?:? if it doesn't clash :roll::roll:

 

They have to list 5 'free' choices in preference order and you normally get your first 2. She put Triple Science 1st, Music 2nd, ICT 3rd, PE 4th and we can't remember her 5th as she couldn't think what else to put. The problem will arise if the school feel they are helping by guaranteeing her 1st choice and arranging for her to do her 3rd choice. When in fact she would prefer choice 2 and 3.

 

For some reason the school never seems to consult the children. They get streamed for GCSEs regardless of what the children want. My DS best mate wanted to do vocational courses but was out in the top set so had to do academic courses which he has hated for the past 2 years (and he wasn't the only one)

 

I'm sure this will all be sorted soon..........but not before a few more sleepless nights and tears I fear

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Whatever she decided doesnt close any doors as so many people have proved you can do any qualification at any age and a huge amount of people are very successful in life with no real qualifications anyway except a willingness to work hard which I think is the biggest qualification of all.

 

It's just nice not to have to slog your guts out working a full time job, 2 part-time jobs and going to night school - which was my situation in my early 20s. It kind of puts a downer on your social life! I'd hate my kids to ever be in that position.

 

I'm sure double science will be enough for what she needs in the future, if she really wants to do music. I ended up doing single science which was wrong for me.

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We've just had the same problems with my 14 year old son. Flipping nightmare! Fortunately, he has now got all his sorted, although the triple science was only offered to select pupils - he is one - but he has got to do all the work for all 3 subjects in the same amount of time that the other pupils get to do 2 science subjects. The amount of pressure that they are under is unbelievable :roll:

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Is she interested in studying Medicine, Vet or sciences at Oxbridge? If not then the double science should be enough (not sure that the 21st Century course is up to much but that's the way the government want to go!). I always tell my tutor groups to choose what they are interested in - they have to study it for 2 more years (I also point out that business studies is very boring :twisted:... because it is!!).

I did speak to a girl with a colleague a couple of weeks ago who was determined to do triple sciences because she would need the extra to be a successful hairdresser :lol: (nothing against hair dressing) - I suggested she might struggle with all the science of it!! Let's hope someone matches name to choice further down the line and realises what a disastrous choice it would be!!

 

At my last school we tried very hard to lose the name 'choices or options' because at the end of the day for most kids there is no choice!! and very few options!!

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Is she interested in studying Medicine, Vet or sciences at Oxbridge?

 

No - DD doesn't actually know what she wants to do - which is why I have suggested she keeps her choices as open as possible and studies subjects that she enjoys as she has another 2 years of them.

 

because at the end of the day for most kids there is no choice!! and very few options!!

 

Soooooooooo very very true :roll:

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