Thread: So angry I'm shaking and crying!

Firstly a disclaimer: Flo is lazy and will do as little as possible. Andy and I have yet to go to a proper parents evening due to them giving us 1 days notice and operating an appointment only parents evening system and finding out one day ahead has meant that they have told me there are no appointments! I have met with her school loads on other things and check her comments from teachers. Andy and I aren't great about pushing Flo to do more school work but she's 12...

So keeping that in mind, she's 12 and I've just got a letter telling us that she has to start picking her GCSE options. Well of course she has to do Maths, English and Science. Fine. The letter says they are putting her in the second lowest band (1-4 and she'll be in 3) and as such she is not being allowed to take extra GCSEs just BTECs in Hospitality, Business and Design, or something. WTF? She is smart, we have had commendation laters on her Humanities, especially History, but she's not allowed to take History or Art GCSE because band 3 is not offered those options. So at 12 years old she has to make choices that affect her in the future but she's only allowed to make those choices based on the smallest window of choice based on the fact that at 12 she doesn't like doing her homework.

I'm angry with the school, at us for not pushing her, at her for not taking it seriously. But mainly the school. Is this some sort of national policy? I'm gonna call her school on Monday and if needs be I will move her school.

Please tell me if I'm over reacting - do I have to accept that Flo isn't smart enough to do GCSEs?

Push for proper Gcse exams. They should all be allowed to do them.

No you are not over reacting either.
Any other schools with places?

I'm looking now, they are all much further away and 80% of them are Church based, which would mean we haven't a hope of getting her in. I've emailed 3 so will see what they say next week. I really hate that they're doing this. Flo is gutted.

no GCSE's, I've never heard of this .....

My son is just turned 13 and his school hasn't mentioned exams and options yet.
Go in and talk to them. Make a fuss.

I'd be fuming. The government have just admitted that the gcse equivalents aren't actually equivalent and as such are pretty much useless to the children taking them. This isn't good enough, the school is failing you and you need to kick it off with them. Call Monday & sort it out!!!

How were her Christmas exams? Jen has to make her choice soon for next year. They have to choose 3 out of 5 but it's done on a 1st, 2nd choice etc basis coupled with an aptitude test and parent discussion. Seems very unfair.

She didn't have Xmas exams afaik - there have been tests but we've never been informed of the results. Her school have been consistently awful at explaining their marking and keeping us up to date. We have not been asked to discuss options, only a form to tick and sign with her choice of BTEC. Ginny - that's exactly it, BTECs aren't as good as GCSEs, Flo is smart she wants to be a teacher or artist or art teacher, she'll need to go to uni, and at 12 the school want to set her on a path that would eliminate that option. She's 12 FFS! Shouldn't they be about keeping her options open? About potential? Not deciding at 12 that she's not able to aim higher than a BTEC in Hotel Hospitality. Great message there.

Difficult one . Personally I'd avoid the alternative qualifications like the plague at least until they desginate which will actually count long term. Seems very unfair to rule out the likes of history already though. Is the issue that if she were in band 2 (ie if she applied herself more) she woudl have these options. Can you ask for a review at Easter to see if she can be incentivised to work harder ? ds is a year older and is choosing his GCSE options now, last year he had to start dropping subjects . Actually only really got to choose 3 this time due to the compulsory core subjects.

Are you sure you only get a day's notice of parents evenings? We get a timetable for each term with key dates on well in advance and it is on the website. Presumably others find out earlier.