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

They aren't exactly the same of course.
But for government funding purposes they count as an 'equivalent qualification' which is why if you have FS Level 2 you don't have to resit the GCSE at college.

A woman I worked with applied for and got a new job. It required maths and English GCSE grade 4 or above. She said on the application form that she had both. She didn't, she had functional skills level 2 in both - it was a genuine mistake, she too had been told they were the same thing. After she'd been offered the job they asked her to provide the certificates of her academic achievements and when they saw she had functional skills the job offer was withdrawn. They are very different qualifications in their content and rigour.

I'm not commenting on anything else in this thread because it may get me banned!

What are your teaching qualifications and experience?

Maybe because I used to teach both.
Please Google exam papers for both

So education costs the institution money so they want to invest in people who can and will pass the course if DS is only capable of 2 GCSEs then he may not have the ability to do well on the course.

However if in his friendship group many got non and he just got 2 AND hes been expelled it may be the situation is also impacted by his behaviour. Id be focused on helping him address his struggles opposed to directing my energy towards the business studies acceptance standards

Grade 1-3 GCSE is a level 1 pass.
Not a fail. I repeat not a fail.

A bunch of Grade 3 GCSEs is enough to get on to a Level 2 course at college which can then lead to a Level 3 course at college.

The only subjects that need to be re-sat are English and Maths until you get a Level 2 pass.

There is more to life than A levels.

You need to change usernames to HarshAndWrong.

Grade 1-3 gcse is a fail. I repeat, a fail.

No, they are level 1 passes.

Where did you get that stupid idea.
Functional skills is a completely different qualification.
Grade 1-3 gcse is a fail. I repeat, a fail.
Grade 4 is a pass. The student will not have to resit. Grade 4-9 are passes.
However, many courses ask for a grade 5 which is considered a Good pass. A level courses usually ask for a minimum of grade 6 at gcse as an entry criteria

@HarshbutTrue2 I am not deluded thank you.

Once you have Functional Skills Level 2 pass you do not need to resit the GCSE because GCSE is a level 2 qualification so at the same level as the functional skills one you have.

Normally you don't get the option to actually sit the functional skills, but in this case the DS has done so.

I don't need to google FS papers as my DD did FS English and I also looked at FS maths as we were wondering about her doing it too. FS is not the same as the GCSE but includes the useful bits without the more esoteric bits.

My DD took FS English privately. Once we had formal notification she had passed she was able to drop the English resit lessons at college.

Of course for some courses, especially A levels, FS would not be deemed sufficient but for a number of purposes they are sufficient.

Apprenticeships are very competitive to get - he’s need excellent grades and a good work ethic to get onto one.

I don’t know many children now (without SEN’s) that haven’t got 4 GCSE’s. I think it’s always been a requirement for a lot of courses but yes ‘business studies’ was pretty easy to get into when I was at school, but I think GCSE’s were harder to achieve when we were younger.

Could your dc do some resits to get into a better course?

Yes. All of this.

I think the school were completely in the right to remove him. That's not 'horseplay'. He's a racist bully. Let's hope he's learnt a lesson from the schools actions as he's certainly not learning them from either of his parents who seem to be minimising the seriousness of his behaviour.

You are deluded.
Let me explain again. It is part of the funding agreement between the government and colleges that all students must retake English language and maths as part of their main course if they haven't already achieved the necessary grades - usually a grade 4.
Functional skills is not equivalent to a gcse. If it was it would be called gcse. Please go and Google functional skills exam papers, Google gcse papers and compare them. There is no comparison.
The average 12 year old can pass functional skills. Yes really!! They are simple.
There is no way this boy will ever be able to tackle A levels. He lacks the application, he lacks the motivation and he probably isn't clever enough.
His parents have neglected his personal development and education for years. I am afraid he is a write off.

Being expelled for being a racist bully is not an overreaction on the schools part. You and your child should be very glad the police weren’t involved.

my son faced racist bullying from a ‘ friend’ he went to a very dark place for a while there, it was terrifying as a parent.

seeing ignorant parents dismiss it as horseplay seriously makes my blood boil, stop minimising the vile behaviour of your child.

Business studies covers a number of different topics, requires essay writing, accounting etc. and is normally a step up from GCSE's.

Top post.

The thing with business studies is that most people who run their own business would be told they haven’t the qualifications to run a business

The best thing you can do for your son right now is to relocate to the Uk and be a hands-on parent to him. See him every day. See him working, understand his course content. Work with and support his tutors. Let him know how much he’s disappointed you but also make sure he’s aware that all is not lost if he changes his ways immediately.

He can be a positive contributor to society, or he can continue to be someone who mocks others, disrupts and disrespects peers and authority figures, blames everyone else for his own behaviours, doesn’t take any accountability, thinks the world will simply deliver all he needs if he carries on with his hobby.

you’ve let him down. As has his father. But from what you’ve written, you don’t see yourself as responsible.

At DD's college you need approximately 4 GCSE Grade 4/5s to do a Level 3 course, and 4xGrade 3s to do a Level 2 course.
You can progress up the levels by getting a Merit in your vocation course.

It certainly doesn't make sense to require 4 or 5 GCSEs at level 4 and above to study some Level 2 courses, which are GCSE equivalent. Particularly when they are practical courses which people who are not great with exams can excel at, and no GCSE resits other than Maths and English are possible unless you pay and study privately at great expense.

Then people wonder why there are so many NEETs. Because apparently you are supposed to stay in education or training to 18, but they put loads of barriers up to doing that if you fail or are not ready for exams at 15/16, as many are not.

Wow that's awful! Any chance he could retake his English GCSE or go abroad? Absolutely ridiculous policy though.

DS learned a trade in college. He came top of his class with a 97.5% average score

Rules were changed when he got to the final year and because he didn’t have an English GCSE he was blocked from completing rhe course. So will never qualify

Most ridiculous thing was if he went abroad to do the final year he could come back qualified to the UK and even if he didn’t speak a work of English he would be qualified and able to work

So he's a racist bully, as well as lazy, rude, and immature? Dismissing his actions as "teenage horseplay" rather than addressing them seriously is doing him no favours whatsoever. Didn't you and his dad respond to that despicable behaviour at all? Or did you just downplay it and allow him to think he was a victim?

He needs to start being accountable for his actions. As for his complaints that he is bored and the work isn't challenging enough? How utterly ridiculous. He hasn't shown he is capable of passing the most basic exams. He ought to get his head down and prove he can achieve the results he needs. Though TBH, his academic work would be the least of my concerns if he were my son.

If I did what your son did, I’d be sacked from my job. Discrimination and bullying on religious grounds is illegal. Totally right that he was expelled.

You - and your son - are minimising his behaviour by calling it horseplay.