1 Geographies of Student Choice GCSE Paul Weeden School of Education

2 Changing entry patterns

3 Contextualising student subject choice External Factors National Government policy National Curriculum Personalisation ‘Core’ subjects KS4 Opinion formers Media Employers Educationalists Politicians Subject Associations Local Parents, Peers, Community Local Authority Whole School Type of School; location; Student Intake; School Leadership; Policies and Practice School Departments Subject leaders, Teachers, Curriculum, Pedagogy, ‘Marketing’ Mechanism Structure of option choice system Organisation ‘Tracks’ Are there fixed paths? Allocation to paths? Subjects Compulsory + Optional Number to choose Advice Who gives advice? When and how? System Creation Who decides? Who has input? What constraints? Allocation to subjects Who decides? Action Decision making Student chooses subjects Outcome Choice and allocation of subjects Student Personality Aptitude Motivations Aspirations Perceptions

4 Comparisons with history

5 Subject entries by type of school Type of School Pupils GeographyMedia All Secondary Modern 4% 4% 6% 5% Comprehensive 85% 77% 91% 79% Grammar 5% 8% 2% 7% Independent 7% 11% 1% 9%

6 Geography entries 2007

Entries by type of school 7 Key: Type of School 1 Selective 2 Comprehensive plus 3 Comprehensive 4 Comprehensive minus 5 Modern 6 Small

City A: Changes in entries by type of school 8

County B: Changes in entries by type of school 9

Changing subjects 10

5 Case Studies Suburban Grammar County Town Comprehensive plus Market Town Comprehensive Inner city comprehensive Social housing ‘modern’ comprehensive 11

Comparison of entries – 3 schools 12

Social housing ‘modern’ comprehensive 5A*-C with E & M: 12% 2003 and 2007 English: 90% Science: Single award % More vocational 13

Suburban Grammar 14 5A*-C with E & M: 100% 2007 Triple science: 35% of cohort

Some thoughts 15

16 Contextualising student subject choice External Factors National Government policy National Curriculum Personalisation ‘Core’ subjects KS4 Opinion formers Media Employers Educationalists Politicians Subject Associations Local Parents, Peers, Community Local Authority Whole School Type of School; School location; Student Intake; School Leadership; Policies and Practice Departments Subject leaders, Teachers, Curriculum, Pedagogy, ‘Marketing’ Mechanism Structure of option choice system Organisation ‘Tracks’ Are there fixed paths? Allocation to paths? Subjects Compulsory + Optional Number to choose Advice Who gives advice? When and how? System Creation Who decides? Who has input? What constraints? Allocation to subjects Who decides? Action Decision making Student chooses subjects Outcome Choice and allocation of subjects Student Personality Aptitude Motivations Aspirations Perceptions