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Canopus

Unusual or mainstream GCSEs?

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Do you think that kids with AS would benefit from GCSEs in unusual subjects that interest them or would it be better if they focused their efforts onto getting good grades in mainstream GCSEs like English and maths?

 

There has been criticism of Michael Gove by many parents of kids with AS about how he is trying to turn the clock back to the 1950s with its narrow range of subjects and his focus on academics with EBacc and all that. Narrowing the curriculum has the potential to create more disaffection in schools and kids who end up as failures.

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I think that if those with an ASD can gain a GCSE in a certain subject, which maybe along their interests, that can only be a good thing as it demonstrates ability.

 

But I also think that alot of Universities and Colleges have courses that are irrelevant as qualifications as they are not recognised by the relevant industries.

 

So swings and aroundabouts.

 

As an employer myself, we find that young adults often do not have the skills needed to be employable. And i'm not talking ASD either. Just mainstream kids.

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I think that if those with an ASD can gain a GCSE in a certain subject, which maybe along their interests, that can only be a good thing as it demonstrates ability.

There are plenty of high ability kids with AS who get good grades in GCSEs and some which have passed exams before Y11.

 

The point I am trying to make is whether it's worthwhile taking GCSEs in unusual subjects which interest them with the potential of a good grade. My findings are that parent's views are mixed. Some feel that it's better to get good grades in interesting subjects whereas other parents believe in 'try harder' at school subjects.

 

As an employer myself, we find that young adults often do not have the skills needed to be employable. And i'm not talking ASD either. Just mainstream kids.

What sort of skills in particular?

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The most basic ones are being punctual and being reliable. We are a small business with just 5 employees. It has a major effect on the daily running of the business if you cannot rely on your employees to turn up on time, or even at all.

 

In our line of business [food] you have to have a real interest in the work. So I recognise that "following your passion" could potentially help the individual find work that they want to get out of bed for. I know some interests can be very specific. But gaining a good GCSE in their specific area of interest may help them get work in a related area?

 

I think that GCSEs in any subject simply demonstrate potential. So going for ex-curricular subjects is not a problem for me, as long as that subject does demonstrate real skills. Afterall, how many of us use any of the O Level information we learnt in our day to day lives? [showing my age there]. But getting good O Level or A Level grades demonstrated potential to employers. You only need to have specific GCSEs if you are going for a particular professional degree and career such as a doctor or lawyer.

Edited by Sally44

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Is anybody's kids taking (or has previously) taken any of the following GCSEs:

 

Digital Communication

Electronics (not Design and Technology: Electronic products)

Catering

Home Economics

Manufacturing

Engineering

Applied Science

Additional Applied Science

Environmental Science

Environmental and land-based science

Human health and physiology

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I get what your saying canopus.

 

I had the same issue/ dilemma with my kids.

 

I was bought up by my parents with a very strong bias towards academically, getting skills that could be converted into dollars!

 

(I.e. the basic's likes maths/ English/ sciences. etc.

 

my mum use to always say, get those first, that will get you a job.. any job.. and that's your stepping stone to being what you want to be?

 

at the time I wasn't very pleased with such orders as you can imagine.

 

but times have changed. it's no longer the 70's/ 80's.,

 

kids these days if they are forced into an academic situation they don't like, will run away, and do as they wanted to anyway, with or without us parents support.

 

so with my kids, I gave them the lecture about "what skills might be cool to have if they want to hedge their bets?" but other than left them to decide.

 

..and I've found it interesting how they turned skills, that to me seemed to have no capital value, into a way to sustain themselves.

 

my middle daughter is a teacher in a really cool school now, so I'm glad she didn't listen to me!

 

she's happy, hence forth I'm happy too.

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I get what your saying canopus.

 

I had the same issue/ dilemma with my kids.

Not quite. It isn't an argument between academic and soft subject GCSEs, or GCSEs perceived as being hard and easy.

 

During the 1960s and 1970s, schools offered a limited range of subjects that could be studied to O Level and most kids took around 8 O Levels. In the 1980s and 1990s the range of subjects expanded and it was common for kids to take more than 8 GCSEs. This has created several different camps of thought amongst parents. One camp believes that traditional school subjects (like those available in the 1960s) are more respected than unusual or exotic subjects so kids should focus their attention on getting good grades even if they dislike them or feel that they have no uses for them. Other parents are more adventurous and believe that kids should follow their interests and take GCSEs in subjects outside of the school curriculum if they find them interesting or have possible future uses for them.

 

RE, ICT, and D&T: Food technology are mainstream GCSEs offered in every state school but they are generally deemed to be soft subjects. Astronomy, Environmental and land-based science, and economics more unusual GCSEs rarely offered by state schools but they are generally deemed to be academic subjects.

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thanks for the clarification canopus.

 

I'm still not sure I can change my reply though.

 

I think (& this is just my personal opinion.. I'm not expecting anyone else to agree)....

 

is that the basic staple qualifications have value.

 

I.e. I've found my teenage foundation in maths very useful decades later in a number of subjects I'm now recently interested in,

 

that seemed at the time of engaging with those academic subjects, to of had nothing to do with maths!

 

....so I think I myself would still try to promote learning the basic staple subjects to students.

 

however, if the particular student, really wasn't interested & and it really upset them being forced to study them, and they started not going to school. etc.

 

I'd pretty much go with what ever option they wished.

 

all the best.

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dotmarsdotcom, on 27 Sept 2014 - 11:21 PM, said:

I think (& this is just my personal opinion.. I'm not expecting anyone else to agree)....

 

is that the basic staple qualifications have value.

I would say that most parents who are favourable of the more unusual GCSEs believe that their kids should also take GCSEs (or equivalents) in maths and English language because they are core subjects. It's subjects like (ordinary) science vs various other science subjects; European languages vs more exotic languages; history vs classical civilisation.

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