Vocal Voices

S has had her options interview today. All her friends have got all their first choices but she has only got two out of her four,

No food tech and no sociology. Drama and film and media studies instead. I'm not happy - there had better be a good explanation when I ring tomorrow.

They have told her it is because food tech and sociology clash with geography but she is pretty sure that a friend is doing food tech and geography.

She is disappointed but happy enough to be doing the other two subjects.

However, I want a full explanation as to why they have steered her that way - as at the moment I feel it is more about their results than what she wants.

Drama and Film and Media Studies are very similar? What happens if she doesn't want to do two drama type subjects?

Just what I was thinking - surely there should be a balance?

I am guessing that they think the two go together so are good to study together.

She is doing health and social care - I think food tech and sociology go hand in hand with that really.

I'll see what they have to say tomorrow.

Good luck!

Go Mama Bear!!!!!! x

meriad wrote:Go Mama Bear!!!!!! x

I can hear the ructions from here

Well I'm a little happier now.

I rang and spoke to her form teacher and have called in and picked up some information.

Apparently what they do is when all the children have given their choices they do for blocks of subjects to do their lesson planning. The children have to choose one subject in each block. Its all done by a computer and around 95% of the children have got what they wanted. Unfortunately S is one of the 5% who didn't.

Social care clashes with sociology. They also both clash with geography. Geography is also in another block but that clashes with cookery.

I now have the list of subjects and the blocks they are in so this weekend S and I can go through them.

I know she can't do social care and sociology and I think she will find social care easier which was confirmed by the teacher. If she really wants to do cookery she will need to drop geography.

History is in another block and originally she wanted to do history rather than geography. So she now needs to choose whether she wants to do geography or history. She could do both and forego food tech but I think she will struggle during both. Originally she preferred history over geography but the history teacher told her he thought geography be slightly easier with less writing.

So we now have all weekend to sit down and look at it and she can make an informed choice from the blocks of subjects. She has to get her choice in on Monday. Another child in her form is having to do the same thing. She was obviously just unlucky.

That's much better news Debih

Debih, it sounds as though S is a more "hands-on" learner than a "cerebral" one, atm, and the social care/sociology, geography, food tech stream all fit well. It's a shame that the school didn't provide the subject matrix to you parents at the time its pupils would be making their options. It might have taken a lot of stress out of the process for the school, parents and pupils.