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

bit of teenage horseplay.

Nobody gets permanently excluded a few weeks before their GCSEs for this. It sounds like you are massively minimising what he did to excuse his behaviour.

You telling him that 'needing 4 GCSE's to do Business Studies is ridiculous' is not doing him any favours either.

In two years, this child will become an adult who will be entering the workforce believing he's hard done by and the world owes him a living because his mum seemingly excuses everything he does.

Why doesn't he knuckle down and get a set of GCSEs this year (without engaging in any behaviour that would get him expelled) at college to show his hard work and commitment, and then go and study business studies with those under his belt.

So he was allowed to sit the exams but failed? And you think he should now be given the chance at a higher course? Why? If he can’t manage a few GCSEs then he’ll fail that too.

He needs to sort himself out and take his school work seriously, and get some GCSEs now then look into higher education or go for an apprenticeship in something he is capable of. But he does need to sort himself out. He’ll be an adult before he knows it and he needs a way to support himself so he has to find that way. It doesn’t need to be academic.

Not necessarily. As long as they meet some basic requirements and have motivation for the course it makes sense.

He needs to realise that not everything in life that’s worthwhile is completely fascinating for him but that he still needs to engage if he wants to get anywhere.

Level 2 is equal to 4 GCSEs - a lot of BTEC l 3’s have a minimum of 4 4’s including maths and or English. The level 2 is the 1 year pathway to L3 and he needs to suck it up!

my daughter is on L2 childcare because she needed a 5 in English for T level and got a 4. Not all kids pass 4+ and it’s not easy for everyone or down to lack of effort- my daughter has an acquired brain injury following illness and it impacts her memory and processing skills. I was damn proud she passed maths, English, art and one science!

she’s going to do an apprenticeship next year

Level 2 is gcse equivalent. So if your ds has less than 5 he cannot progress onto a higher level course. You need a basic level of maths and literacy to grasp the content. Lower levels, if offered, will basically be embedded numeracy and literacy.

So on that basis the expulsion shouldn’t have had much of an effect on his grades surely?

no I think it’s standard that you should pass your GCSEs. Why are his friends all doing so badly? It’s not a high expectation to pass 4 GCSEs. They have been at school studying to pass the exams for years. You have to be pretty uninterested to be taught from year 10 and then to fail the paper.
if studying is not his thing why does he want to do business as a qualification?
it’s definitely not unreasonable to expect people to show competence at the bare minimum before awarding a place on a higher education course. Imagine how it would be to study on a course where the other students were not able but were given the place anyway. It would be incredibly frustrating.

He only got 2 GCSEs.

What was he excluded for OP? I doubt it was as minor as you think

He's not doing a higher level course. He's doing a Level 2 course, which is the same level as a GCSE.

It won't have been a minor incident. As predicted, this type of minimising his behaviour has eventually had a long term consequence. L2 Business is equivalent to GCSE.

No on gets expelled a few weeks before their exams and banned from sitting them. Not for “nothing.” So something very bad happened, and it sounds like he was also in with the wrong crowd if none of his friends passed their exams. Possibly in the group of wasters really? With poor behaviour and poor study ethic and all the rest of it.

He needs to sort himself out. He should be trying to get his GCSEs now, and planning for the future and sorting out his behaviour as well.

I'm confused. I thought you didn't in the UK and haven't done so for years, so why are you talking about GCSE's and functional skills exams?

Yes, this - better explains why I wonder there is an element denial or lack of awareness by OP.

Should he not be back trying to get a decent set of GCSE passes with good grades. He’s need them to move onto higher education. What does he want to do long term?

I think the expulsion changes things rather a lot. I would suggest that he needs to knuckle down and put up with the "boring" courses, he is at risk of throwing away his education. What courses is he doing? Are they GCSEs?

I mean this kindly, OP but are you in some sort of denial? In the absence of serious SEN, I think 4 GCSEs (what grade?) and expulsion is not great at all. Although it may seem good if many left his school with no GCSEs, which I find mind boggling.

Although I’m going back many many years ago than I care to admit……. I found gcse business a challenge as a ‘reasonably’ academic (with effort) person……. I don’t think 4 GCSE’s to study it at a higher level is unreasonable. That is no disrespect to your son, he just needs to find something to suit his needs and abilities, just like everyone does x

I think he should apply himself and complete his current courses rather than declaring himself “super bored” so early on.

I expect college need to see he can apply himself!

Right, well if it's the environment he struggles with then can he study privately for the exams and try to get a few more under his belt?

I don’t think I understand. Putting students who aren’t able to achieve GCSE’s on a higher level course is just setting them up to fail and wasting everyone’s time and resources, surely?