Options thread

[Stokers]

DD is pretty settled on her choices - all students take triple science and at least one MFL (German for her), at least one Humanities subject (History, prob) and a creative (likely to be Drama although I would like her to do DT to develop her practical skills). She thinks the last two will be Latin and Classics although RE is still in with a shot (and is my preference, given its ethical element).
DH and I are merely commentators, however - I don't think any of these are bad choices, per se and her school reports suggest her choices are strong subjects.

11 in total is a tough prospect having watched DS go through it last year. At least she doesn't have the Art which was the bane of my life, if not his, from Christmas onwards!

[loobylou]

DD is pretty settled on her choices - all students take triple science and at least one MFL (German for her), at least one Humanities subject (History, prob) and a creative (likely to be Drama although I would like her to do DT to develop her practical skills). She thinks the last two will be Latin and Classics although RE is still in with a shot (and is my preference, given its ethical element).
DH and I are merely commentators, however - I don't think any of these are bad choices, per se and her school reports suggest her choices are strong subjects.

11 in total is a tough prospect having watched DS go through it last year. At least she doesn't have the Art which was the bane of my life, if not his, from Christmas onwards!

I must confess I'm so delighted that DS will be doing 10 unlike his sister's year which is doing 11.

[PerpetualStudent]

DD just showed us her Fast Tomato careers guidance test results which surprised us by strongly suggesting architecture and to a lesser extent advertising or TV production and broadcasting. DD is going to pass on the architecture. I think she would have to be doing art & design for GSCE if that was the way she was looking.

I have suggested geography would better support architecture (planning side) and history anything on the advertising/ production and broadcasting front.

I think the Fast Tomato's estimate of her earning potential was a little sobering especially compared to a classmate's estimate 3x higher.

[Stokers]

'I must confess I'm so delighted that DS will be doing 10 unlike his sister's year which is doing 11'

Agreed, loobylou. I am a little worried - I know the pressure starts to ramp up in Yr 10 at HBS. She's found it pretty relaxed so far but she does have a tendency to stress under pressure. I wondered if they would drop to 10, especially given the slight 'drop' in ranking in this year's all-important tables.

[Moon unit]

My DS did 10 last summer which I have to say felt like enough.
My DD is in luck in that she is the first year of her school to do 10 not 11.
Previously RE was compulsory and then one out of Hist or Geog.
Now just one humanity so Re was chosen which I must say DD is really enjoying.
My prediction is that once schools have the measure of the new exams they may drop down to 9.
It’s a shame that the creative subjects seem so onerous.
I’m guessing that the uptake of these will drop as a result.
My DD is doing art.
Luckily so far nothing has been torn up by the teachers as in Eccentric’s DDs school
which I think is not an acceptable way of dealing with things.
It is however an enormous amount of work already.
The only subject disliked by any of my DSs cohort was music.Not one single one of his friends enjoyed the course.
The set works and the composition were the problem.
Performance was fine and nearly all got full marks for that.
The results in fact were really good though.

[BucksBornNBred]

I know this is not really relevant as such, but it does make me feel a bit sad for DCs nowadays. When I chose art as an O level it was because I could draw. The O Level was about your ability to draw/paint/whatever. That was it. I loved it. My sister did A Level art and that was when the theory etc came in, but O Level was just pure pleasure and enjoyment of something you were (in theory) good at. I don't understand why DC's can't study what they want nowadays (obviously whilst still doing the core subjects).

[Daogroupie]

They can study what they want.

They have plenty of room for options.

If anyone is getting in the way it is the parents steering them away from "non" academic subjects.

Both my dds chose their GCSEs, A Levels, EPQ subject and degree courses and Universities just as I did at their age.

But now some parents do not allow that.

"I can't believe you let your daughter not do A level Maths when she was in the top set for GCSE."

"I can't believe you let both your daughters do A level Music. It is not really a subject is it?"

"You are not really going to let your daughter study Music at University? She won't get a good job with a Music degree."

"Why didn't you make your daughter do Maths?"

All the above were actually said to my face by other parents at the school.

One of my daughter's friends from another school is studying Medicine at University and hating it but her parents won't let her move to Music which she really wants to do. DG

[loobylou]

But now some parents do not allow that.

"I can't believe you let your daughter not do A level Maths when she was in the top set for GCSE."

DG

I think dd thinks she might be the only person in top set maths not taking it on to A level next year!

Ds has decided this weekend to do economics instead of PE, despite really enjoying his PE taster session last week. I know Economics at GCSE is not a highly regarded course from what I've read on here but I think he'll enjoy it. It's on the list of "possibles" for A level and university as well so I think it will be good for him to have some experience now - I'd hate him to pick it at A level de novo and then realise it's not for him. He's been warned that getting 8s and 9s are harder as so few schools offer it but luckily that hasn't put him off...

[Daogroupie]

My dd was the only person in the top Maths set not to take it for A level!

As your dd is doing all the same GCSE's as my dd it is interesting to hear they have made that same decision.

Economics at GCSE is a fantastic subject and both my dds would have done it if they could fit it in.

It is very well taught at DAO and has led to students ending up doing PPE at University.

Dd2 felt those in her Geography A level who had done Economics GCSE were at a real advantage. DG

[Stokers]

Ditto, loobylou and DG, re: Maths at Alevel for DS. His Physics teacher was also very keen for him to study Physics but Woodhouse don't allow Physics without Maths and then he wouldn't have been able to do Chemistry and English so that was always of the cards.