GCSEs past 16 y.o. - How??

[chocorabbit]

DN came back from abroad a few months go after being away for 2 years. She was expected to start her A-Levels. She was meant to have finished her GCSEs but apparently she hasn't! My husband's family have been shocked to find out as DN's family abroad was meant to care about her education and we thought she was doing really well. She has started "revising" from a few textbooks but for sure I can tell her maths is extremely poor and totally inadequate for her age :(

Now MIL says that from what they have found out she is not allowed to do her GCSEs, even though belatedly, because she is over 16. MIL said that the way around it is to do some NVQs or apprenticeship courses first and then she would be allowed to do her A-Levels.

But how can any apprenticeship courses teach her 2 lost years of Maths, English, Science if you want to continue for a-levels/degree etc? Is there a way that somebody could still do their GCSEs? If for example she wants to later study History/English/psychology or similar for her A-Levels or a degree what does she need to do now? If you could help I would even mind being told about any private schooling/tuition possibilities as a last resort.

Thank you very much!

[ChillySundays]

I would speak to your local college and see what is available. As far as I understand there is three years post 16 education (up to 19 yrs old) of free education.

There BTEC courses starting at level 1. If I have understand the system properly level 2 is equivalent to GSCEs. You then move onto level 3 which equivalent to A levels. These are very specific courses in that it's one area eg: sport or business studies.

One of the local college here is doing a GSCE course where the student studies 5 different subjects - this includes maths and english. I presume this course is aimed at pupils who have not got good enough grades or have failed some. it is only a year so presumable like a revision course.
The college should also be able to advise on apprenticeships and there is this website - www.apprenticeships.org.uk/

She has missed the first half term so some places may not let her start or they will be a fair bit to catch up on

Have to say I am a bit shocked that the family could have let this happen

Good luck

[mummytime]

You need to talk to your local FE college (or some Sixth Form colleges too). She can do GCSE after 16, and if she has none she can do them for free. Whatever course she does she will have to do Maths and English GCSE.
Once she has GCSEs she can go on to do A'levels.

HE is a possibility but if she is so far behind that might be tricky.

[chocorabbit]

Thank you all for your answers!

From what I understand they have asked the colleges and were told that because she is over 16 she can't start GCSEs. That's why I thought to ask here. I have been told that she has to do an apprenticeship for 4 days a week and one day to go to a place (the college I guess?).

From your posts it seems that it depends on the individual college.

[ChillySundays]

Maybe it is that particular college. It is worth asking at other colleges..

[FozzieMK]

My DD (18) took a level 2 BTEC full-time last year at the local College and alongside it took an English GCSE. This year she is taking a level 3 BTEC and is taking a maths GCSE alongside it. Both GCSE classes are full of pupils over 16 so I don't understand why they will not let your DD take them??

[mummytime]

You could also contact the LA, my LA is very active with over 16s who are NEETs or in danger of becoming NEETs (Not in Employment Education or Training), and they have special advisors to work with them.

[titchy]

How old is she? She is entitled to free level 2 and 3 courses until she is 19. They need to phone round further education colleges ASAP and find one that offered Gcse resits. Not all do. If she's over 19 this wouldn't be suitable. Does she know what she wants to do? If so a BTEC Level 1 or2 in a specific area might be the way forward rather than gcses. An apprenticeship or NVQ is not likely to be sufficient for a science degree tbh.

[IrianofWay]

I don't see why she isn't allowed to. DS fucked up his GCSEs and did his english again at college alongside he BTEC.

[ZivaMcGee]

Is the problem that she didn't do any education or that she's come out of it with qualifications that aren't GCSEs? Because one of my friends was educated abroad and had a mix of qualifications. When she moved back her college was able to get her foreign qualifications translated so to speak so they could tell what they were the equivalent of.

[LIZS]

She is arriving pretty late in the term to enrol though. It may be that the GCSE courses are too far advanced for her to join now or are refresher courses for resits. Most colleges offer free GCSE/Level 2 courses for adults in English and Maths. If she enrolled on a NVQ course she would get English and Maths tuition alongside but not other GCSEs. What did she do in those 2 years , is anything she achieved transferrable ?

[chocorabbit]

I am really grateful for all your answers! I am going to forward them to my husband who can talk to his side of the family.

I really have no idea as to which college they have contacted or don't even know any colleges or how such things work as none of my children is at secondary level yet so your information is invaluable to me! I'd rather she did her GCSEs than NVQs or apprenticeships but she is very shy so doesn't talk much to me. I'll try to ask what she exactly likes without her feeling that she is being forced.

[chocorabbit]

I don't know what she did during those 2 years. Everybody was saying that she was doing GCSEs and we were told that she had passed them with good marks

I understand that any foreign qualifications/studies are meant to be transferable. MIL said that they [college?] won't accept what she's done. DN asked for some help with her maths revision and she couldn't make simple variable calculations so I guess she won't know anything about factorisation, simplification, identities etc which I could help her with but she is too shy to ask for more help.

[LIZS]

DN asked for some help with her maths revision and she couldn't make simple variable calculations so I guess she won't know anything about factorisation, simplification, identities etc

but surely those topics are normally covered way before Year 10 . What was her education like up to the time she left UK ? Was she with her parents abroad ?

[chocorabbit]

She was with her grandparents abroad. Here she used to go to a mainstream school and lived with her parents but I don't know anything else as her parents live very far.

I saw the text book purchased in the UK for Y7-9 covering such topics at the beginning getting harder later. She obviously doesn't know them and has to learn them now before she moves on. I am sure they are age appropriate (the book's age, not hers!) as I remember doing a lot harder maths topics at her age so I agree, they are not age appropriate for her :(

[LIZS]

She won't have simply forgotten those things so I'd question not only how she has spent the past 2 years but the time preceding that. There are private crammers like Bellerby's who would get her through exams with intensive courses but I'd worry she hasn't yet grasped sufficient basics to succeed and they cost ££££. FE and 6th form colleges would check her level before recommending a course, so she could be working towards GCSE(L2) but start at an entry level.

[chocorabbit]

That's what I was also thinking LIZS. But I can't ask her parents about her grades and levels before she left. I don't know if MIL can find out.

So far I have checked and there are options about english and maths gcses so we need to try to find more than that.

Thank you all!

[mummytime]

Something she could do, if there is a Learn Direct centre nearby, you can usually go there and have your present levels assessed and they will give advice on the next steps. Often starting with some free courses.

[chocorabbit]

Yes, there is a Learn Direct centre near us!! I didn't even know it existed or what it was about! I have always seen teenagers and young adults in tracksuits wandering around smocking etc. so I thought it was a teenagers' rehabilitation centre

My husband asked yesterday which colleges they have contacted so we know where to go after that but there were no clear answers.

I have also found the email address and telephone no of the LA's head of education as it has also been suggested.

So many excellent suggestions from all of you, I hope they don't waste them!

[sashh]

I am a teacher and work through agencies so I flit between colleges and VI forms.

Some FE colleges do GCSEs, all should be offering English and Maths but some do others as resits.

She will be able to do a course at college, starting at level 1 or 2. Level 1 is equivalent to D grade GCSEs, Level 2 is equivalent to A*-C GCSEs, from there she can go on to a level 3 course.

If she really wants to do GCSEs then correspondence courses and possibly a tutor.

[ChillySundays]

I hope the family appreciating the trouble you and DH are going to. I hope also hope that they do something with the information

[chocorabbit]

MIL, my husband and her father will definitely appreciate it.

Today I went to our local Learn Direct centre and the lady I spoke to confirmed that DN could do all her GCSEs as resits which is different from learning from scratch and also told me the nearest Colleges which we can contact. If MIL or her family don't like it, find the area is "bad" and use other excuses fair enough, I won't bother more.

Thank you all for your support :)