A-Levels University, doing a Language at GCSE Level?

[IronSpider]

My son is choosing his options at for his GCSEs. He likes pretty much everything and is higher ability for every subject including languages, which he hates with a passion despite not struggling.

He has picked separate sciences, Drama, and then History as his humanities. It was choice between History and Geography. The school has a policy that they 'prefer' you to do a language unless you have a learning issue like dyslexia. He wants to drop French and do both History and Geography, both of which he loves. The school are stating this will impact him for better Uni and 6th form choices later on as they look more fondly on having done a language. As someone who didn't go to university, is this actually true?

Looking at the school academy he's in it seems to me they are themselves marked higher for having more students do a language so it's in their interests to play this card. On one hand they are saying pick subjects you love, but on the other hand they seem to want to lock you into a language lesson you really despise.

 

[IronSpider]

I think doing a language would be likely to open up better future opportunities these days. It's something I wish I had concentrated more on, but it wasn't pushed in the 90s.

Is french the only option? I wouldn't pick french.

Drama is pretty useless, drop that and do geography and a language.

I would have felt the same way about drama, useless. But I've seen the confidence it's given him over his mates that want the world to swallow them up rather than even read out loud in front of people. So many kids this days are locked up in a bedroom never going out that I think this is a worthy skill to have confidence later for public speaking and even interviews.

There's no way at A-Level he will do a language so I do feel this is more in the schools interests than his.

 

[IronSpider]

What path does he want to follow for career?

No idea, he's 13 and not discovered girls yet. Let alone choosing a career path! Then again i'm in my 40's and still have no idea!

Personally I think the most important thing is to be studying what you like and are actually interested in. This is more important than anything else. Therefore, I would say if he can he should do what he wants to.

Yeah that's what I think, but everyone keeps throwing the threat of not doing a language hampering his future schooling. So I was curious if anyone else had uni problems because of not doing a language even if you aren't studying a language.


This is what the schools in my area follow:

English Baccalaureate (EBacc)

www.gov.uk

As you can see the schools are scored on these core subjects, so it's in their interests rather than my childs to do a language.

 

[IronSpider]

I presume he's already doing maths/English.

Yes they are his strongest subjects.

I think I will try and fight this out with them but I bet they play the trump card of not being able to timetable his favourite options with History and Geography.