Parents angry after pupils forced to dump a GCSE

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Parents angry after pupils forced to dump a GCSE

Greig Watson & Miya Chahal

BBC News, Nottingham

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Neena Edwards said the blanket policy was unfair to children who enjoyed their work

Parents of pupils at a school in Nottinghamshire have said they have been left “angry, mad and disappointed” after it was announced children would have to drop a GCSE subject.

Year 10 pupils at The Brunts Academy in Mansfield currently study nine areas, five compulsory and four optional.

But the school has said it is cutting this to three options after Easter, saying this will allow “increased time and support” for the remaining lessons.

But parents said the decision had been taken without proper consultation and it had been done to suit the school, not students.

‘Underhand and unfair’

In February pupils were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their workload.

Last week the school sent out an email saying 75% of pupils had reported their workload was “challenging” and adjusting the curriculum – by dropping the weakest subject for each pupil – would “build greater learning confidence”.

Parent Neena Edwards said: “I’m angry, mad and disappointed.

“It was underhand and unfair. It is taking away lots of opportunity for the children.

“The way it was done – they were given this survey and like any 15-year-old, when asked if they had too much homework, they all said ‘Yes!’.

“Each child should have been able to make their own decision and rather than a blanket policy it should have been done on a case-by-case.

“My son is quite happy with what he has, he chose those options for a reason.

“They have all of these children’s lives in their hands and they don’t care, that’s what it feels like.

“I’m about to do the secondary school application for my daughter and I won’t be sending her to Brunts.

“It feels like they are running it like a business, not somewhere to teach kids.”

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Sally-Anne Branfield said the lack of consultation had left her “a little bit shocked”

Parent Sally-Anne Branfield said pupils were not told what the questionnaire was for and nothing was mentioned to parents.

She said: “I see the benefit for the children that may be struggling with the additional option but I still think we should have got a choice in it all.

“My child is happy and feels they are managing all the subjects really well and enjoys the subject she is being forced to drop.

“I’m a little bit in shock this has all been decided – quite a big decision – without consulting parents and to do it with what in my opinion was a covert questionnaire.

“If they had asked a direct question to the kids of ‘Do you want to drop an option?’ I can guarantee my daughter would have said no.

“I definitely think it is for the benefit of the school and not the children.”

‘Cover story’

Parent Alex Draper said: “There was no warning, no consultation, there was simply a decision made by the school.

“It seems odd to have studied a subject for the best part of a year and then to have it dropped.

“Regardless of which subject they are forced to drop, there was a lack of consultation.

“They claim there was a consultation ******* listening to the student voice and teachers but that has not been our experience.

“I have lost a lot of respect for the school – it feels like a mess.

“It feels like a cover for the fact they can’t deliver the education our children need.”

A spokesperson for the academy said: “Our students’ education is our absolute priority, and we are committed to ensuring they have the best possible opportunities to learn.

“As such, we continue to offer a well-balanced ambitious curriculum that provides students with the opportunity to be successful on their future pathways.

“We are confident that by creating this additional learning time, all students will be empowered to fulfil their potential.”

“While this decision has been welcomed by many students and parents, we understand some families have questions about what this means and we are in the process of scheduling individual meetings to ensure the curriculum meets the individual needs of each child.”

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