What do the Russell Group have to say about GCSE's?

[moved]

Universities like a good pass in English for those taking science, so that will stand her in good stead.

[neurotic kent mum]

Thank you - I shall relax about this and let her do what is best.

[franticmum]

If you have an inkling of where your child may head with regard to degree course, you can look up the possible type of course on the UCAS website, for each university which stipulate how many GCSE's and what grades they must have (and some of these are the Russell Group). The info is found under 'course/entry requirements' and all the universities offering that course are listed (you can list by course code or subject, I believe). If you're like me when I looked up medicine and veterinary, I was surprised at how little they specify on subjects at GCSE. Obviously, the sciences, maths and english were there with the grade requirements but there was no mention of a foreign language or humanities, just 'x no. GCSE's at grades x-x'.

At this level, are we worrying over nothing? So long as they have a good, all-round education with good grades, that seems to be key. If the universities don't seem to be specifying certain subjects other than the obvious for the course, where has this come from? The facilitating subjects seem to be a case of ensuring you have some. No-one can cover all of them and it says in the link that you should have at least two at post-16 out of the 8 or so suggested. Are we getting ourselves in a tizzy over these if the baseline is just 2? Or is the UCAS/Russell info not telling the whole picture? Personally, I think the former. I can't imagine admissions info from these universities would be saying subjects aren't needed if they are (!?).

[neurotic kent mum]

That is also helpful as eldest didn't take history or geography at GCSE and I hadn't considered this a possible issue until recently. I just wanted her to study in the very small choice allocated what interested her. And neither of my dcs are clear about the future and what they want to do.

[franticmum]

Bearing in mind the results of the school with regard to passing sixth form exams and getting their first choice universities, I don't think it's as big a problem as suggested. If studying a humanities subject was that critical, I'm sure the school would make it a compulsory subject as they would not want their students to miss out on opportunities by not taking one.

I know my daughter is younger than yours so I'm clearly not able to talk from experience but keep remembering those statistics! I'm sure you're daughter will be absolutely fine, especially as she's studying 6 subjects so getting a broader education at this level and this should counter the fact that she hasn't got GCSE's in humanities, if indeed it does need countering(!). Presumably, she doing a humanities under the sixth form programme anyway, unless she's doubling up subjects in one of the other 'bands', so she's not missing out.

[Daogroupie]

It would be interesting to know if schools are now recomending that students take History or Geography and a MFL. At our school two languages are compulsory so the language requirement issue won't come up but I wonder if they would intervene if students put in a choice form without History or Geography. DG

[moved]

Both DC' schools now make pupils take the eBacc. DD's school used to allow RS in the choice list for history and geography, but it is now only an optional subject.

[Minesatea]

DS1's grammar did not make the current year 10's take a humanity (the rest of the ebacc they should get). At the options talk we were told they would prefer them to take subjects they were good at / interested in than worry about meeting the ebacc's requirements as this was a "qualification" for the league tables only!

[franticmum]

My daughter's school has GCSE core subjects of maths, 2 english, 3 science, RS, Computing, 1 choice of language. The school's specialisms cover maths, language and computing so that explains some.

In last year's option booklet (ie Jan 2012), there was no suggestion that a humanities should be taken. Whether this is voiced at the meeting, I don't yet know but I imagine if that was the case, it would be written down.

However, as an IB school, they do six subjects in the sixth form and the humanities band extends to philosophy, psychology, etc, so if you don't take history or geography at gcse, you still do a humanities at sixth form, although I'm not sure you could do history or geography without the gsce first. Unless you were specialising in geography or history at uni, with others to choose from in the sixth form band, there is not the pressure to ensure you think that far ahead.

Therefore, unless the latter point is the case, I think it is we parents who may be getting hung up on humanities, especially if the universities do not require, as mentioned previously. However, it will be very interesting to get feedback from other parents on school requirements to see if that is the case.

[Guest55]

Many schools are continuing to ignore the Ebacc - it is not a 'real' qualification in any sense of the word.

In Gove's world Humanities = History or Geography but most of us value RS, Arts subjects like Music and Technology.

If pupils study a range of GCSEs then it is fine - two English, Maths, double (or preferably triple) Science, a MFL plus will suit virtually every University.