Organising the courses
In 2006/07 many schools are teaching GCSE Science alone in Year 10. There are obviously reasons for choosing to begin just one new course this year.
However, some schools changed their curriculum plan from 'series' to 'parallel' in the autumn of 2006, in response to concerns from teachers, parents and students.
Some schools are finding that doing GCSE Science and GCSE Additional Science ‘in parallel’ (or ‘alternating’) in Years 10 and 11 is leading to a more varied and better balanced science programme for students than doing the two GCSEs ‘in series’.
Schools teaching modules of the Additional science courses in parallel (or alternating) with GCSE Science may be better able to engage students who are intending to do both GCSEs.
Read more about this here Running the courses.
Those doing Separate Sciences also need the parallel model in order to complete the courses in the time available.
