choosing GCSE options

[pinglepops]

help ! new to this site. Not sure how it works. My dd needs to choose her GCSEs and I am conflicted about whether to go down the academic language Latin type route (in which she is eminently capable) or the arty design route (ditto). I went down the arty design route myself and have scraped together a living ever since. Worried that I will be consigning her to a lifetime of penury if I don't encourage her to at least have a really good look at the 'other' route. Anyone been there, done that and can help ? Thanks.

[Blandmum]

If in doubt keep the child's options as open as possible. I teach in secondary and have lost count of the number of kids who change their mind about what they want to do post school!

[sixthformmum]

what about the third way (science)

[ShrinkingViolet]

it's probably easier to arty-design stuff out of school while doing the academic stuff in school (Latin doesn't have coursework ) than the other way round when art/DT coursework will expand to fill up every spare minute of the day.
FWIW DD1 is a Maths geek but will be doing triple science (needs to use an option to upgrade from double science), Latin (see no coursework above) and history because I feel a humanities/essay based subject is vital in case she changes her mind about Maths, Maths and More Maths at A level/degree.
Plenty of time to specialise later on, and keep the art/design stuff as a hobby - check though that she could pick up those type of subjects at A level without the relevant GCSE.

[bigbird2003]

Isn't it the childs choice?

[roisin]

bigbird I would never seek to 'force' my children to do a subject they had no interest in, but I would certainly want to help and influence them in their GCSE options. Depending on the school, and the options structure, and who their mates are and what subjects might instantly have appeal, it is possible for children to make very bad choices at GCSE.

If there is any chance your child wants an academic route eventually via highly respected universities, then make sure they choose mainly traditional subjects - i.e not too many of: Law, Media Studies, Health & Social Care, and mickey mouse IT courses that are supposed to be equivalent to 2 GCSEs, etc.

[bigbird2003]

I still think it's the childs choice, my daughter age 13 chose the subjects she wanted (food, geography, drama and can't remember what else) , and she was adamant she wanted to be a doctor and that was what she wanted to do from very very young. She achieved 10 A*s. She also decided at 15 she wanted to be a teacher but still took chemistry, biology, media and psychology (things she enjoys) and got A's and is at university right now (just a bog standard one, nothing elite,just in an area she wanted to be in and very very happy) She could have gone on to medical with this too

My son has just taken his and considering the core subjects are compulsory (english, maths, science, ICT and a language), I think the rest should be things that he enjoys.

I stayed out of the decisions as it is their life, if they muck it up, it's up to them

[Lilymaid]

Usually your choices are limited by timetable constraints and you choose subjects from columns on a list. Your dd has to do English (1 or 2 GCSEs) and Maths. She will then choose what amount of science she does (single/double/triple award) then probably a choice of humanities subjects and languages and other subjects such as technology, art, music etc. At GCSE stage she won't really be committing herself to a particular path - that will come with AS/A2 choices.

[juuule]

If she wants to do a science at A'level she will need to do gcse double science. We only found this out when dd applied to college

[portonovo]

Do you have to make those sorts of decisions now? That seems very constrictive at this age.

We have just finished this process for our eldest, and really there wasn't a huge amount of choice and certainly no real limiting of future options.

Virtually everyone does maths, double English, double science, one D.T. subject, one humanities subject, one performing arts choice and one foreign language. Then there is a 'choice' column where you can add in another subject from a fairly long list. So if humanities are your thing, you might add a second one, or a second language or performing art or D.T. or whatever, subject to timetabling constraints.

Like someone else said, it is really at A level that you narrow down your choices to what you really like/are good at.

[nogoes]

What options does she have?

[pinglepops]

Thanks everyone for helping with my exploding head. Seems they choose now so they can spend an extra year on them, and swap out of things which might not be working out for them one year in if necessary. She is at Christ's Hospital charitable, means tested boarding school in Sussex ( I posted on a separate strand about the school FWIW). Since the fab art and design/manufacturing facilities are a big part of what attracted her/us to going there, and contending with all the challenges that boarding brings up (we live 3 hours away) I think we're going to play to her strengths and try for arts and languages. She can do art and also product design. She fancies going to Dyson's planned academy for inventors ! The rest of the subjects are mostly covered off in what is compulsory, as y'all said. Maths, English Lit and Lang, Double Science, one humanity, one modern language, RS. She's going to choose art, product design and French as her options, with German as her compulsory modern language, History as her compulsory humanity. Great advice from you all, really helpful and speedy. Glad I found this site. Cheers.

[figroll]

Hi

My dd has taken art as one of her 3 options. She didn't have much choice as most subjects are compulsory anyway.

However, if your dd does art be prepared for the amount of coursework that they get. Hours and hours of art - she spends such a lot of time on it that it gets her down. She is quite a talented artist and has always enjoyed art in any form, but the GCSE coursework is such a drag to her. She works for about 2 hours on a Sunday morning. Then she will work about 3 hours during the week in the evening and also goes to lunchtime art club. I am sick of all the paints and mixed media and bits of string and paper lying all over our kitchen (and so is she).

Just a note so you can be prepared.

[figroll]

I have just read your post - clearly the string and paint in the kitchen won't apply in your case!

[pinglepops]

re string and mixed media etc. we home educated autonomously for 4 years prior to her winning a place at this school and the string and paint got REALLY out of hand; especially since dh and I are both, amongst other things, mixed media artists. Even when you do it for a living... the sheer amount and diversity of stuff involved gets you down.. well, it did/does me anyway. DD makes and creates continually when she is home for hols and weekends. The mess, the mess !!! AGHH !!!! We rent a studio as few miles from home (FULL of stuff) but our home (tiny) is equally stuffed as we are all pretty much nocturnal creatures and evenings get eaten up with making and twiddling as well... now if I could only programme in tidying as well... Actually, the one thing which helped me get a tiny bit of a grip on the tidying was flylady.net ; recommended by other home edders drowning in STUFF !!!!

[mumeeee]

What does she want to do? She can ask for advice from you and her teachers and you can point her in the right direction. But it is her choice and she shoud chose the options that she wants to do.

[jampot]

dd (year 9)has just chosen her GCSEs and has opted for drama (to improve her confidence and public speaking), history (because its a good staple), and business studies (because she feels it would be worthwhile whatever business she goes into. In addition, she has to take triple science, english lang and literature, maths, spanish, german, and is currently doing a short course in ICT, and RE which will equate to 1 GCSE together, plus a PE course which is compulsory.


I think you need to try to emcompass everything and havea balanced package

[pinglepops]

Like many 13 year olds, she wants to be a fashion designer at the moment. She's gone through the wanting to be a vet phase. As a designer (and writer) myself, I know it IS possible to make a living through the arts, but my income is very precarious, my day to day life very insecure fiscally, and I don't want her to narrow her choices too early and end up a stuggling artist like her parents if she doesn't need to ! She's not a dazzling genius of a fine artist; much more of a designer than an artist. She's also very linguistically gifted, so I hope she can take the two modern langauges she wants to do.. maybe end up in the realms of architecture/product design/advertising/film/tv etc ? Part of my career has been involved with tv/film/advertising as a freelance stylist/costume designer/art director.. but I would really have liked to have been involved more on the other side of the fence as a copywriter etc. Didn't go the academic route myself and as a result had to work my way up/in the VERY hard way and endure years and YEARS of cr*p.. one way and another, until things started to shift. Perhaps it's like that whichever way you go though, and there is no insurance policy against it, qualifications or not.

[fizzbuzz]

Hmmmm, well I was a fashion designer for about 10 years, and made a VERY GOOd living out of it. Company Car, loads of trips all over the world, and I wasn't a dazzling genius at fine art, but was very good at design. The two are totally and completely different.

I stopped working as a designer because I had ds and was totally sick of spending all my time on a plane. However I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a career, as I had the time of my life doing it.

If she is linguistically talented she could do fashion journalism. I believe St martins have a course for this, and you have to have a language to get on the course.

HTH

[fizzbuzz]

Hmmmm, well I was a fashion designer for about 10 years, and made a VERY GOOd living out of it. Company Car, loads of trips all over the world, and I wasn't a dazzling genius at fine art, but was very good at design. The two are totally and completely different.

I stopped working as a designer because I had ds and was totally sick of spending all my time on a plane. However I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a career, as I had the time of my life doing it.

If she is linguistically talented she could do fashion journalism. I believe St martins have a course for this, and you have to have a language to get on the course.

HTH

[pinglepops]

Thanks for the advice Fizzbuzz and for the news that if she goes the fashion designer route she is not signing up for a sackcloth and ashes lifestyle ! I did costume design for tv and film ads for a while and it was great money but unstable and highly stressful. I work as a freelance style journalist and stylist now (amongst other things !) and that's unpredictable but less stressful. Good to know there are other choices out there. Have a strong feeling she is St Martins bound, on her wish list at least.... Thanks again.XX