Year 9 Options

Hi all, I have a quick question and hope you can help. My child chose her GCSE options earlier this year. However, she has been given a different subject to the one she chose. This is a disaster for her as she has had a certain career path at the forefront of her mind for 4 years. I just need to know if schools are allowed to do that? I have already spoken to her head of year but in case I need to take the matter further, I need to know if I'm correct in thinking it's her choice and they're not allowed to change it (subject is psychology and she wants to be a criminal psychologist).

Thanks!

Hi all, I have a quick question and hope you can help. My child chose her GCSE options earlier this year. However, she has been given a different subject to the one she chose. This is a disaster for her as she has had a certain career path at the forefront of her mind for 4 years. I just need to know if schools are allowed to do that? I have already spoken to her head of year but in case I need to take the matter further, I need to know if I'm correct in thinking it's her choice and they're not allowed to change it (subject is psychology and she wants to be a criminal psychologist).

Thanks!

Options can't be guaranteed especially if not enough people chose it. She does not need this GCSE for her career path - many schools don't even offer this GCSE. She can take the A level without the GCSE ...

What subject has she been given instead? Was any explanation given? [A former role of mine was KS4 and sorting options]

Thanks for replying. After some research, I've realised she doesn't need to do psychology GCSE to follow her chosen career path, however everyone she has spoken to at college have encouraged her to do so as they find it particularly hard without any prior knowledge. She's been given sociology instead. No explanation has been given, I can only assume it's oversubscribed as very few schools do psychology as a GCSE. It feels like an extra kick in the stomach being as I only chose this school so that she could choose this specific subject.

We ask students to rank choices so they get the ones that matter the most; was this done? If a subject is over-subscribed then we would gather the students together and talk to them. You really do not need this GCSE to do A level - most schools, like mine, don't offer it as a GCSE yet get excellent A level results.

You are, of course, welcome to go back to the school and talk to them. If it was so important to her then I would have thought they would know that? Ask about a waiting list as students do change their mind or even leave the school.

Sadly there's no guarantee that subjects will continue to be offered when you join a school.

She was only able to choose 2 options instead of three (something to do with the school day not being long enough and all students needing to study English more as it wasn't in line with the rest of the country. Apologies, I forget which governing body instructed the school to do that). Anyway, no, she wasn't asked to rank in order of preference, however, if she had been, this would have been her #1 priority. Her school is well aware of her intended career path, it has been mentioned several times in the past and she excels at the other relevant subjects required to go down this route. I guess what I find so unfair is that she is SO committed to this (she studies psychology in her free time) and the school are well aware of that. They've given her a subject she has no interest in, she didn't choose it, it's as though they didn't have enough sociology students so put her there to make up the numbers.

Oh well, you've answered my question. Not what I wanted to hear but thank you. I'll have to tread carefully with the school when I broach it with them again tomorrow. Thanks again!