Secondary Considerations

[emma_p]

We definitely had to do a language for GCSE (French or German were the choices) but RS/citizenship was not mandatory. We had to do one arts subject too.

[kiwi]

I would choose History over Geography and Citizenship over RE (although neither of those last two seem like proper GCSE subjects to me.) Then Spanish and Music.

[Pippedydeadeye]

RS is great! It has a bit of everything. I did it for GCSE, then A-level and then degree so I would say that. But it’s got history, geography, literature, philosophy, anthropology… Squeak’s doing it as one of her choices & really enjoying it.

[kiwi]

Yes I'm sure it's probably totally different from the dark ages when I did RE at school which was basically reading the bible.

[Flora Poste]

So they have to do either RS or Citizenship GCSE? That seems a bit of a waste of a GCSE to me (sorry Pip)! It's not a religious school, is it?

I'm really surprised A doesn't need to do a language for GCSE (we did - I think we all had to do French, and then we chose German or Latin, and could do German and Spanish later if we wanted to). They have really good language options as well (French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese and Russian - A is going French and Russian at the moment and really wants to do Russian at GCSE).

[emma_p]

It isn’t a religious school so I was surprised!

[Pippedydeadeye]

Squeak does separate RE, which isn’t a GCSE.

[Little My]

We have RE at our non-religious school, but it's not mandatory.

R has had French for the past five years. She needs to do one unit at high school in order to graduate, and then she wants to drop it like a hot potato. Not her thing!

[Ruby]

RE is not a waste of a GCSE

[Pippedydeadeye]

I’m glad you’re on my side Ruby. It’s literally about the foundations of human society!

[Kleio]

RE has been repackaged as ‘Beliefs and Values’ at the school here.

At GCSE level they have to do half an hour a week compulsory with no GCSE to take or they do B&V or Philosophy as a GCSE.

[Ruby]

I’m glad you’re on my side Ruby. It’s literally about the foundations of human society!

I'm incensed. GCSE Religious Studies is not about teaching kids to be religious. It's teaching them about religion, culture, ethics, philosophy. It has literally dozens of applications and transferrable skills.

[Luce]

I loved RE. It reminds me of Sociology in that it is a multi discipline subject and incorporates so many other interesting topics. It is also what confirmed my atheism.

F also enjoys it and will probably take that option, as well as Philosophy/ethics. He’s doing history over geography and has to do Spanish as he dropped French in year 8 anyway. He’s very much arts based rather than science based and will probably barely scrape through maths/science whilst getting really strong grades in English/History/RE etc without trying too hard.

[Dáire]

I appreciate RE is a decent GCSE, but I dislike it being mandatory.

T's school bangs on about the EBacc being what 'the majority' must do but doesn't make a language GCSE mandatory. T wants to do Technology, History, Computer Science and Spanish. He can only have 3 so obviously Spanish will have to be dropped. But we intend to keep studying it at home anyway (I take classes, he will too if he drops it) though we're seeing if an additional GCSE is a possibility.

[Duophonic]

I’m glad you’re on my side Ruby. It’s literally about the foundations of human society!

I'm incensed. GCSE Religious Studies is not about teaching kids to be religious. It's teaching them about religion, culture, ethics, philosophy. It has literally dozens of applications and transferrable skills.

Exactly! So much more than actual religion.

Mini did A Higher RE (A-Level equivalent) and her exam paper submission was debating the morality of the death sentence. I think there was one traditional religious question on the paper.

[sally maclennane]

I always think of RE and RS being different things. RE is what we all had to study at my Catholic school, we had no choice, and I think we did it once a week until S4. RS was a subject people chose to do, like History or Geography, and is more like what Ruby/Duo described. I think in Scotland it's called Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies?

[Topcat]

History is absolutely hideous just in case people think that it is learning about Romans and Ancient Egypt etc. Its not.

RE is called PB (Philosophy and Beliefs, I think) down here. I delight in calling it Peanut Butter anyway, which sends The Child absolutely mad. Its only been going on for three years so far.

[Luce]

I loved history and would have taken it at A Level and maybe even degree but the history teacher was batshit so I dropped it at AS Level where I scraped a C grade. She didn't believe in 'running before you could walk' and our history books were from the 1960s. Mad old boot.

I think it is still called RE but it definitely is more ethics based, even though he also has a separate Philosophy and Ethics class. I love that he loves all that stuff like I did, I'd have no idea how to talk to him about school if he was all maths and physics!

[emma_p]

I absolutely loved my history teacher (I had her the whole way through school) and it definitely contributed to my decision to study it at university. Mrs O'Brien https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/bi ... en-1761174

I already can't help George with maths and physics!

[Ruby]

History is absolutely hideous just in case people think that it is learning about Romans and Ancient Egypt etc. Its not.

I am assuming you're doing this on purpose.