Secondary Considerations

[Pippedydeadeye]

This child was not really into photos today.

[Teasel]

How did his first day go?

[Glint]

Pip, I think they’re just at that age.

[Pippedydeadeye]

I put this on the wrong thread!

He seems happy enough with year 8.

[Kleio]

Betty is on the student council and has been since Y7 I think. Every form has to put forward someone and she was the only one willing to do it. All of the Y10 students council members have to put themselves forward for Student President. She really didn't want to do this but didn't have a choice. We've been so busy with my Italian relatives over and various college open evenings etc that she asked if I'd put together a speech for her (which I did) and then we made a powerpoint to go with it.

Last week she had to give the presentation in front of the SLT, the MP and some bods from the Academy... she was told it was the best and has been put forward for student president with 3 other people. She did not appreciate my response of "whoops" whilst laughing.

Thing is, it's a popularity contest from this point on so I doubt she'll win as she sits amongst the outsiders but she'll give it a fair whack. It's very American, they have to make flyers and are given a budget for badges and posters. She wants to hand out sweets.

[wendy james]

Is anybody else at GCSE options stage? Sproglette has to do History or Geography and has jumped on the former.

For her pathway, she also has to do a language but she can’t decide whether to stick with French or Spanish. She can use one of her two free choices and do both but says she’d find that confusing.

She seems settled on Art Textiles for one of her free choices and maybe Philosophy & Belief for the other. I think she needs to find out more about the curriculum for that, plus talk more with her language teachers.

Her music teacher said she should consider GCSE but she says she’s no interest, though she was pleased with the comment

[Pippedydeadeye]

Those choices are very similar to Squeak’s. She did History, Religious Studies (more beliefs & sociology than true religion I thought), and Textiles. She really enjoyed them all.

[Cerise]

D’s choices will be later this year. I think he’d prefer Geography for the content but not the teachers. He says all the geography teachers are terrible. I think he’ll probably do Spanish (they do either French or Spanish from the start of school, not both).

I really don’t know what other subjects he’ll want. J took Astronomy which he enjoyed but they only offered that as an extra after-school option in the last cohort.

[Glint]

S will be picking his options for Nat 5 (or whatever they’re called) around February /March time. I’m not entirely sure but think he can pick 5 which will include a language, social science and a science. He says he’ll do French, probably History but maybe Modern Studies (I am sad it’s not my school favourite Geography), but isn’t sure if he will pick physics or chemistry. I think he will pick music but not sure what else.

His parents evening is at the end of January, so hopefully there will be another evening or event to find out more about the options.

[wendy james]

Those choices are very similar to Squeak’s. She did History, Religious Studies (more beliefs & sociology than true religion I thought), and Textiles. She really enjoyed them all.

Sproglette doesn't have much good to say about her geography teachers either Cerise.

We have a couple of evenings in January - one that sounds quite assembly like (gutted I'll miss it ) and then actual parents evening - before she has to submit her choices. She doesn't have a specific career that she's set on, so she's trying to keep her options open for a couple of industries that do appeal.

[Little My]

It is hard when you don't know what you want to do, but obviously very common. When do they do work experience?

B has to submit his course choices in January for his first year of high school. It's pretty straightforward for the most part. He will do English, Math, French, Phys Ed, Science, Geography and then two electives. That part is easy; deciding which school is the tricky bit! One open house done, two to go.

[Flora Poste]

C has to choose his in March and we've got an information evening next week and then a parents evening at the start of March. I think he gets 4 options, but one of those will be taken up by science if he chooses triple science, so 3 more to pick. He definitely wants to do Spanish, and I think he has to do a creative so I think we then look at what comes up in the blocking - he's quite keen on Film Studies and Food Tech.

[wendy james]

It is hard when you don't know what you want to do, but obviously very common. When do they do work experience?

A year later! So they have to choose their GCSE options to start in Y10, to take at the end of Y11. Work experience is at the end of Y10.

[Glint]

My earlier post made me actually look on the school website, and they have information from last year. I doubt it will change much, and it’s good to see more creative /vocational subjects than when I was there.

[Texaco Shirley]

A is doing business, history and sport studies on top of the compulsory ones (which include RE). He has no idea what he wants to do as a career beyond vaguely hoping to do something involving sport. With that in mind he’s doing his work experience (March Y10) with a Frome company that does primary age sports coaching, PE lessons and holiday clubs. He should at least have a fun week

[Ruby]

There's a significant national shortage of geography teachers. If they turn up to interview, and have a pulse, then we'll hire them. Draw your own conclusions.

[Topcat]

Sounds like the same thing happened with history teachers about twenty years ago.

[Ruby]

There has never been a shortage of history teachers. Possibly because there are an awful lot of History graduates.

[Topcat]

[emma_p]

George has an excellent geography teacher. He’s called Mr Hetherington and he’s head of the 6th form and is exactly as his name would suggest. He often keeps them in lessons for an extra 10 minutes because he has so much more to teach them. He teaches the kids who do both history and geography GCSE and George loves both, they’re his favourite subjects.

I hated geography, all the geography teachers at my school were drippy and I wanted to do history and French and German GCSE anyway.

George is at a technology academy and there was no requirement for a creative subject. It was actively discouraged in the literature which I was pretty shocked by! He’s doing triple science and triple maths though :emme: