My lad is in Year 9 and currently picking his options. He’s a smart kid with a good work ethic, so we expect him to do well. However, he’d rather do Drama than French, which means that he won’t qualify for the Baccalaureate.

He has no intention of taking Drama or French any further beyond GCSE and is projected to do well in both, it is just that he prefers Drama.

How big a deal will this be for him going forward?

The EB is just good for the schools ranking, it has no real world benefit for students!

So schools WANT students to do the core subjects + a humanity (Geog or History) + a language as it ticks a box for the govt/DofE.
Students don’t have to though and can do a free choice of options, though they may feel pressured one way or the other if they are bright.

Is there not a favoured uncle or aunt that can in a roundabout way approach the subject of how important it al is in the future and sometimes you’ve got to cut the cloth so to speak and look to future prospects.

Maybe the same conversation coming from mum,dad or the school can have a more rebelling effect.

Im trying to do this with one of the nephews. He’s doing economics like his brother, though after that degree the brother did another in law, and is hopefully about to start with a good law firm, whereas the other nephew only wants to finish his degree and take any job(probably to get back to the playstation lol )

He’s also very smart and quick witted so has the potential to make a hell of a good lawyer or even barrister. And im afraid he’ll end up with a job that pays the bills, but has no real prospects.

He’s begrudgingly coming round to the idea of doing French, which he is better at.

His cousins are at college and in year 11. Will have a word with them.

I asked specifically about the EBacc at a teachers’ conference at Oxford and they said they pay no attention to it. I always saw it as a way of inflicting a traditional (Gove approved) curriculum on the kids. Forcing kids to do what they’re less interested in is a surefire way of delivering resentment and underachievement.

He’s begrudgingly coming round to the idea of doing French, which he is better at.

Looking back on my school days – I know I wish I paid more attention in and carried a language right though school to become fluent. Such a good skill to have!

Looking back on my school days – I know I wish I paid more attention in and carried a language right though school to become fluent.

The obvious problem with this is that you continually need to practice languages, so the fact that I did well in German O level means nothing now, 35 years later. I doubt that I’d be any different if I went on to study it at A level, unless I was speaking it regularly.

But, on the other hand, I agree with the sentiment because I wish that I’d done anything at all musical when I was in school because I might have slightly different skills now. And I’d love to play the piano well!

Is there not a favoured uncle or aunt that can in a roundabout way approach the subject of how important it al is in the future and sometimes you’ve got to cut the cloth so to speak and look to future prospects.

The OP’s son is what 14/15? I doubt you are going to convince him that he needs to do a subject he doesn’t enjoy for some subjective notion of career prospects; especially since the EB doesn’t actually seem to enhance those prospects so the question is which GCSE will be more valuable French or Drama? The answer – unless either are required for Uni or a particular job – probably neither. If one takes more effort to pass for that particular child it may mean that they don’t devote quite so much to the other subjects they are planning to pursue and they may be a bigger issue.

Im trying to do this with one of the nephews. He’s doing economics like his brother, though after that degree the brother did another in law, and is hopefully about to start with a good law firm, whereas the other nephew only wants to finish his degree and take any job(probably to get back to the playstation lol )

He’s also very smart and quick witted so has the potential to make a hell of a good lawyer or even barrister. And im afraid he’ll end up with a job that pays the bills, but has no real prospects.

You know there are lots of good jobs other than law etc which will do more than just pay the bills. IMHO for things that require a second degree there’s a lot to be said for going and working for a while first (building up some cash reserves) and working out what you actually want to do other than go to work, come home, put something in the microwave and play PlayStation – on repeat 5 days a week. I doubt any uncle or family friend would have convinced me at ~ 20 that they were so much wiser.

Will a Baccalaureat be of any benefit to him? He can still go to uni and get a degree without doing French GCSE. It’s even possible to go to uni with no GCSEs if you have the right portfolio.