As parents and carers of children at Swanmore College we would ask the College to reconsider the forthcoming changes to the GCSE curriculum which will reduce the number of subjects on offer to our children.
To quote the Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman “Childhood isn’t deferrable; young people get one opportunity to learn in school and we owe it to them make sure they all get an education that is broad, rich and deep. There is more to a good education than league tables.”.
The decision regarding GCSE options is curriculum based and did not involve the Governing Body which is why we are addressing these concerns directly to the Headmaster. The decision has been made behind closed doors and we are calling for transparency.
Only year 9 parents / carers have been surveyed regarding the proposed change. The time given to respond to the survey was less than 2 ½ days. There was also ‘consultation’ meeting for year 9 parents / carers on 26/3/18 where the College put forward a one-sided perspective but offered no right of reply.
Families of years 7, 8 and the of the children due to join the school have not been consulted at all.
We believe that this decision should be postponed so there can be a full and proper consultation with affected parties over such an important decision for the children and the school.
As parents and carers we feel that our voices have not been heard.
UPDATE:
17/4/18
Year 9 children will be allowed to continue with their 4 options.
Please continue to sign if you have children in affected years 6, 7 and 8.
Thank you!
Updates
March 28, 2018
I started this out of pure frustration, but reading your stories has shown me that this is clearly much bigger than just my own concerns. It is truly humbling to see so many families coming together to demand a seat at the table for our children.
16 Comments
Clear and honest reasoning behind the school's decision on this gets my vote, together with a proper consultation. Parents and pupils should be entitled to gain all the facts, discuss and consider a flexible GCSE package that maximises the child's individual capability and potential at school.
I feel all children should receive a broad spectrum education. Not limited just for the sake of higher grades.
Great idea for the school to get rid of all the “difficult to recruit for” subjects, shame for the students who wanted to study them. My child has lost three of the subjects he wanted to study at GCSE. And now he has to choose his path in life at age 12 with limited choices to choose from. Had he known this last year, he may have chosen to go to a different school. These changes should have been identified by the time children were in Year 5 at primary school so informed families knew what’s going to happen. Unfair to change after a child has started
I am very disappointed. The reason we chose Swanmore was because of the breadth of the curriculum they offered. All this is being swept away in favour of a reduced offering and for what? I'm not sure it's entirely in the interests of the children not to challenge them. It seems to me that the college gains far more than the children do because they can manipulate their results. I'm also not clear on what the process will be for choosing which exams the children take, what happens if the school make a decision that the parents and pupil completely disagree with - who has final say in what exams the child takes? Can we override the school's decision? It's all wrong and there has been so little consultation that it all looks very underhand.
I think it’s been extremely underhanded and pushed through. This consultation should be given the right time and everyone’s views to ensure the best possible outcomes for young people. It’s another example of poor partnership working by Swanmore College. I have children who would benefit from this and I have children who certainly won’t!
Parent of a year 8 pupil who does not want to drop one of her subjects
Well said! I totally agree that this issue deserves a far more thorough and transparent consultation period.
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As parents and carers of children at Swanmore College we would ask the College to reconsider the forthcoming changes to the GCSE curriculum which will reduce the number of subjects on offer to our children.
To quote the Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman “Childhood isn’t deferrable; young people get one opportunity to learn in school and we owe it to them make sure they all get an education that is broad, rich and deep. There is more to a good education than league tables.”.
The decision regarding GCSE options is curriculum based and did not involve the Governing Body which is why we are addressing these concerns directly to the Headmaster. The decision has been made behind closed doors and we are calling for transparency.
Only year 9 parents / carers have been surveyed regarding the proposed change. The time given to respond to the survey was less than 2 ½ days. There was also ‘consultation’ meeting for year 9 parents / carers on 26/3/18 where the College put forward a one-sided perspective but offered no right of reply.
Families of years 7, 8 and the of the children due to join the school have not been consulted at all.
We believe that this decision should be postponed so there can be a full and proper consultation with affected parties over such an important decision for the children and the school.
As parents and carers we feel that our voices have not been heard.
UPDATE:
17/4/18
Year 9 children will be allowed to continue with their 4 options.
Please continue to sign if you have children in affected years 6, 7 and 8.
Thank you!
Updates
March 28, 2018
I started this out of pure frustration, but reading your stories has shown me that this is clearly much bigger than just my own concerns. It is truly humbling to see so many families coming together to demand a seat at the table for our children.
16 Comments
By reducing the curriculum and then further reductions in options being taken at GCSE is not necessarily in the best interests of the children. Every child has a right to achieve their full potential. School need to conduct a proper consultation not an implementation plan. Situation being poorly managed.
Clear and honest reasoning behind the school's decision on this gets my vote, together with a proper consultation. Parents and pupils should be entitled to gain all the facts, discuss and consider a flexible GCSE package that maximises the child's individual capability and potential at school.
I feel all children should receive a broad spectrum education. Not limited just for the sake of higher grades.
Great idea for the school to get rid of all the “difficult to recruit for” subjects, shame for the students who wanted to study them. My child has lost three of the subjects he wanted to study at GCSE. And now he has to choose his path in life at age 12 with limited choices to choose from. Had he known this last year, he may have chosen to go to a different school. These changes should have been identified by the time children were in Year 5 at primary school so informed families knew what’s going to happen. Unfair to change after a child has started
I am very disappointed. The reason we chose Swanmore was because of the breadth of the curriculum they offered. All this is being swept away in favour of a reduced offering and for what? I'm not sure it's entirely in the interests of the children not to challenge them. It seems to me that the college gains far more than the children do because they can manipulate their results. I'm also not clear on what the process will be for choosing which exams the children take, what happens if the school make a decision that the parents and pupil completely disagree with - who has final say in what exams the child takes? Can we override the school's decision? It's all wrong and there has been so little consultation that it all looks very underhand.
I think it’s been extremely underhanded and pushed through. This consultation should be given the right time and everyone’s views to ensure the best possible outcomes for young people. It’s another example of poor partnership working by Swanmore College. I have children who would benefit from this and I have children who certainly won’t!
Parent of a year 8 pupil who does not want to drop one of her subjects
Well said! I totally agree that this issue deserves a far more thorough and transparent consultation period.
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By reducing the curriculum and then further reductions in options being taken at GCSE is not necessarily in the best interests of the children. Every child has a right to achieve their full potential. School need to conduct a proper consultation not an implementation plan. Situation being poorly managed.