1
Geographies of Student Choice
GCSE
Paul Weeden School of Education
2
Changing entry patterns
National Entries for GCSE Geography
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
Year
Nu
mb
er
of
en
trie
s
3
Contextualising student subject choice
External Factors
National
Government policyNational CurriculumPersonalisation‘Core’ subjects KS4
Opinion formersMediaEmployersEducationalistsPoliticiansSubject Associations
LocalParents, Peers, CommunityLocal 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
AdviceWho gives advice?
When and how?
System Creation
Who decides?Who has input?
What constraints?
Allocation to subjects
Who decides?
Action
Decision makingStudent chooses subjects
Outcome
Choice and allocation of
subjects
Student
PersonalityAptitude
MotivationsAspirationsPerceptions
4
Subject entries by type of school
Subject Entries by Centre Type 2009
5
6
Geography entries 2007
7
Distribution of entries by Local Authority
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Minimum entry
16.0% 17.2% 16.4% 11.0% 11.5%
Mean entry 32.8% 31.0% 29.5% 28.6% 27.9%
Maximum entry
47.0% 45.9% 46.4% 42.4% 41.9%
8
Rural / urban patterns
Major Urban: in settlement >750000 Large Urban: 250000-750000 Other Urban: < 26% rural Significant Rural: 26-50% rural Predominantly Rural: 50% rural
% of geography entries 2003
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Major Urban Large Urban Other Urban Signif icant Rural PredominantlyRural
Type of LA
% o
f L
As in
gru
p
low est entries
middle entries
highest entries
Changes in performance
9
Proportion of students gaining an A*-C grade
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Year
Perc
enta
ge
of to
tal e
ntry
GeographyFemale A*-C
GeographyMale A*-C
HistoryFemale A*-C
History MaleA*-C
10
Comparisons with history
Geography and History GCSE entries
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
Year
En
trie
s
history
geography
Changing entry by gender
11
Entry for Geography and History by Gender
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Year
Per
cen
tag
e o
f to
tal e
ntr
y
Geographyfemale
Geog male
Hist female
Hist male
Types of school (Newsam)
12
The five fold school classification Selective
highest 10-20% of the student cohort.
Comprehensive plus all abilities majority in the top 50% of attainment.
Comprehensive balanced profile approximately equal numbers in each attainment quartile
Comprehensive minus all abilities – majority in bottom 50% of attainment
Modern comprehensives very few students in the top 50% of attainment. At least 50% in the lowest attainment quartile.
13
Entries by type of school
14
Key: Type of School
1 Selective
2 Comprehensive plus
3 Comprehensive
4 Comprehensive minus
5 Modern
6 Small
City A: Changes over time
15
City A: Changes in entries by type of school
16
County B: Changes in entries by type of school
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The relationship to deprivation
18
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Entry patterns for other subjects
History Entries 2007Mean = 30.9 %
Religious Studies Entries 2007Mean = 24.4 %
Media Entries 2007Mean = 10.0 %
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Conclusions
GCSE is a quasi-market – yearly fluctuations Falling entries for geography
In top ten GCSEs Gendered entry 44-45% Girls; 55-56% Boys A*-C grades rising
School location: Regional / local variations South > north; Rural > Urban; Higher deprivation = lower entries
Other subjects history > geography in 2004 pattern of entry different
21
Contextualising student subject choice
External Factors
National
Government policyNational CurriculumPersonalisation‘Core’ subjects KS4
Opinion formersMediaEmployersEducationalistsPoliticiansSubject Associations
LocalParents, Peers, CommunityLocal 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
AdviceWho gives advice?
When and how?
System Creation
Who decides?Who has input?
What constraints?
Allocation to subjects
Who decides?
Action
Decision makingStudent chooses subjects
Outcome
Choice and allocation of
subjects
Student
PersonalityAptitude
MotivationsAspirationsPerceptions