To think that 4 G.C.S.E's needed to do business studies is ridiculous

However I would like to see where you read it as forewarned, etc etc... the people I'm training with have connections and have recently had people finding work after training with them, as in within the last 6months. I think there's a bit of a slump generally right now though, games industry had a boost during covid and that bubble seems to be bursting too. In 10y it might be different, LLMs might be amazing, or more specific coding iterations of AI might begin to dominate. Part of me is dying to swerve back into mending and creative writing... Or something like waste management or funeral directing. Y'know, something we'll always need. 😅

Onward and upward. He's young, he has time to grow and reflect. The sooner he accepts the course for what it is (and tell him the vast majority of adults have crappy things they have to get on with too, but they always pass) the sooner he can turn in what he needs to make the next step. It's a game, he has to play by the rules, but he can progress from here. It must be difficult trying to manage this from a distance OP. Brave to post on here honestly, I got flamed for the stupidest thing on here last week and signed out for a week 😆

He actually only got two GCSE equivalent grades, not four.
Certainly not enough for entry to a BTEC level 2 in business studies.

Good question, answer tbd honestly! Not seeing tonnes of entry level posts. AI isn't that great at coding. There are in fact people setting up full time purely advertising their services fixing vibe coding fuckups. Like anything, the more you can do for yourself without it, the more you can integrate it as a tool into your workflow. I found out very quickly that it's a bit stupid and you need to know what to ask it (and whether its answers are contradicting something it did mere seconds ago, which happens constantly) and whether the answer is what you genuinely need.

Trading is quite complicated and technical. I'm not saying it can't be done, but you'd definitely need to understand maths to do it.

However, if you read Andrew Tate online he is inspiring a generation of teen boys to move to Dubai and make their fortune trading online....... 😆

You don't scrape a pass. You either pass or don't pass. Even if you score 100% you still get a pass. My sister had to do it to move to the next level in her nursing degree.

This boy did functional skills with a provider. He didn't attend all of his GCSEs so we don't know if a 4 is 'all' he would have got.

I get that people are trying to show the op that her son is far below average even for a summer boy, but that's not going to help her enthuse him to carry on going with a course .

Had the misfortune of reading this thread. Only had the equivalent of grade 4 in maths and English. He "likes economics" and wants to "do some investing". No great economists scrapes a pass in functional skills maths

Why are you making so many excuses for him. I had a summer baby, 4 years and 2 weeks when started school, flew through it and got a university degree, 2nd one nearly 5 when started, fecked everything up, failed it all, cried and then did 3 years at sixth form and got to uni. If they want to learn they learn. They have to realise it themselves. But please, stop making mummy excuses for him.

Why does he only have 2 GCSE’s? No wonder they will only let him do a foundation course.

You are totally right, by law to keeping on studying for English and maths if grades are 3 and below. Great advice

It's going off topic a little but to reassure you. My son did manage to pass 5 GCSE's mostly Grade 4/5 and did a Level 3 Btec at college. He is now in his final year at uni (albeit studying a practical/vocational type subject).

There were several students on his course who had "failed" their GCSE's (in the Grade 4 and above sense) but because they had managed to get at least 4 GCSE's at Grade 3 they did a 1 year Level 2 btec instead and progressed onto my son's course a year later. Many of them also went onto uni.

@lilkitten This is the thread Page 20 | BTEC/T level/other vocational 25/26 | Mumsnet we are nearly at the end but presumably someone will start a thread 2 in due course. Jump in!

@trappedCatAsleepOnMe thank you, I'll take a look. Trying to inspire him with some ideas of Post-16

@lilkitten It's not a-level courses being talked about here.

It's likely a BTEC course - I think OP DS is on a level 1 Btec course which may have had functional maths and English as part of it as he got grade 1 or 2 at GCSE for those - if you get grade 3 I think you have to resit GCSE in those - and he is looking at getting on a level 2 Btec bussiness course which needs 4 GCSE at level 2 pass or persuably level Btec 1 course being completed.

In further eduation section there's a thread for btec and other vocational courses posters who kids are doing those courses and found a path right for them - it may help you nagivate what alternatives there are.

Most colleges will ask for a minimum of 5 GCSE's grades 4-9 for A levels, some ask for at least 8 though and at higher grades) but OP's son is not doing A levels. He wants to do a Level 2 Btec course, for which you need 4 GCSE's (presumably at Grade 3)

I'm not sure how it works today, I thought it was five GCSEs needed for A-levels. However, I'm still figuring out the landscape - my DS has an EHCP and is studying functional skills, which I've been told could still help him get onto a college course (though the EHCP may be the difference). If it's an A-Level I imagine you need more GCSEs, but are there other foundation courses he could do either there or at a different setting?

You know he can sit GCSEs privately if you pay for the exams? If he's so talented the level 1 course is beneath him why don't you take this route?

I’m sure he’s not, kids make mistakes just sounds like he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, getting on in college should do him good. Ignore the negative comments im sure he’s a good kid at heart.

When you give birth that child is Your Responsibility. Your Responsibility for a minimum of 18 years. You need to put their needs first for 18 years. Many parents still feel responsible for their adult children and grand children.
Responsibility means always being there for them, potty training them. Why do so many parents think this is not their responsibility?
Responsibility means making sure their child attends school right from the word go, instilling good attendance and good manners. Responsibility means listening to your little one read every night, even when you are dead on your feet. Responsibility means attending parents evening two or three times a year for bloody years, liaising with the school over any issues. Correcting the child for poor manners and poor decisions. Its much easier to instill good attendance and good manners at an early age. It is easier to guide small children into good friendship groups. Once they are teenagers it is difficult to enforce stuff you taught them at an early age. It is virtually impossible to introduce good manners and an interest in education. I'm afraid he's going to have to work this out for himself. Op can try to support him but doubtful he will listen.
There's some very unpleasant insulting comments on here. Some of the terminology is not nice at all.
I'm guessing op, and many other posters, have not personally navigated the FE system. The pathway can vary depending on the child. Other posters have A level kids. It's totally different and not helpful to compare.
Education has also changed since the 1990s so that's not a helpful comparison either. It continues to evolve.
A good college should be assessing all students upon arrival. Colleges pick up more sen issues than schools and are able to put measures in place to help the students. Of course, there are some back chatting smart alecks who refuse to attend learning support and accept this help. I bet their parents are oblivious. The initial assessment will also determine which course is the most suitable for the student. Different posters on here have recounted different experiences. That's because kids are different and the colleges have encouraged different pathways.

just as a bit of hope OP I was in a similar situation to your son as a kid, I was expelled at the beginning of year 11 and was sent to a pupil referral unit were I took functional skills, I did however have a maths gcse as I took this early as I was in top sets but when I when I left I only had the option for functional skills English. When I left for college I only had 1 gsce and 1 functional skills. I then did a business level 2 course. It was actually an entrepreneur course which was brilliant so there are courses out there that will expect functional skills maybe worth looking around different colleges, the course I did was run by Peter jones and there was an option to carry on with level 3. I really hope your son manages to find a course that suits him and wish him all the best. Kids make mistakes and they learn from them.

He should definitely try to stick at what he's doing. Teaching wise they are more than halfway through, even though that feels weird to say in January.

I teach on these sort of courses and although colleges have their own rules they can usually progress onto a level 2 course if they get at least merits on their level 1 course and have attendance above 90%. Some courses have higher GCSE requirements than others but your son has passed functional skills level 2 so that should be okay, and academically he should be able to get merits or distinctions at level 1 if he puts the work in.

School students bring in their school reports to interviews so the college has a good idea of what their GCSE grades will be. They might have already filled up the business course for next year but your son could ask if there's a waiting list.

As for the technical skills unit in his current course, if it's btec you can find the specification online. Maybe there will be aspects he is more interested in coming up. Maybe it is really easy, level 1 is easy. The hard part will be in hitting the distinction criteria rather than scraping a pass, and that means listening to the teachers rather than arguing or back chatting. You can't argue with the mark scheme. If you don't do what's asked you don't get the marks. Teenagers do sometimes struggle with this, at an age where their brains tell them they know better than the boomers who are teaching them.

If they argue or backchat, or skip lessons etc. this will likely be visible to the person interviewing them for the next course, so if this is where your son might have issues he'd have better luck applying to another college instead. If his grades aren't merit or distinction he could ask if he's missed the deadlines to improve those assignments. If his attendance is below 90% he might be able to bring his average up if he is 100% from now onwards.

Good luck with it.

I feel a bit mean saying it, but you asked for people's thoughts. No, I think that's quite a low bar. But perhaps if he's struggled with his GCSEs doing business studies at a higher level probably isn't right for him. Maybe speak to an advisor about something he would enjoy that isn't academic.