If the time is nearing for you to help your child choose which GCSEs they’re going to study, you’ll need to do your research and become as clued up as possible so that you don’t feel out of your depth. Bear in mind that they will likely be studying between eight and ten subjects, ensuring their education is varied enough to help them prepare for a more specialised education at Sixth Form. Such variation means that the choices your child makes now won’t have too much of an impact on their future career, so be sure to ease the pressure a little bit.
Of course, if your child is dead set on a particular “dream job”, choosing the subjects will be a slightly easier process. For instance, if your child wants to become a Chemist or an Astronaut, it’s worth studying double or even triple science at GCSE level. Alternatively, if your child knows he/she wants to travel abroad before embarking on a career, they might want to choose a modern foreign language.
Some schools might even offer vocational qualifications alongside their traditional GCSE subjects. They offer both theoretical and practical learning in a manner that is directly related to a particular job, advancing skills required for that type of employment.
You might have some ideas in mind regarding which subjects you’d like your son or daughter to study, but it’s important that you let the choice be theirs. There’s no point in them studying a subject that they don’t enjoy or aren’t very good at because it’s unlikely that they’ll receive good grades. With that said, try and discourage them from choosing a subject if you think they might be selecting it just because their friends are or they are taught by their favourite teacher.
If you require some additional advice, don’t hesitate to contact your child’s school for some professional guidance. The main thing you can do for your child though is to remain calm so that they don’t feel too overwhelmed with the situation.
