Why is nobody talking about how LITTLE kids go to college now

I agree with Bombardier - do something more proactive to improve things for your DC - meet up with their personal tutor, ask about extra curricular activities and stop rehashing an old thread just to moan about the college.

6th form was not full time at my fee paying gels school in the 80's
we had LOADS of free periods

So what have you done to change the situation in the past month OP?

Have you rehashed the thread for a reason?

I hear you. And my dd's still on holiday until 17th Sept - that'll be 3 MONTHS OFF! She's champing at the bit to go back, and has been for at least a month.

I can see your frustration. I think your problem is the 'requires improvement' rating given by Ofsted - if you read the report it will give you a fuller picture about what is happening at the college. What you describe isn't the standard offering in FE. If you want your family to attend more sessions then I would go into the college and see what is on offer. If it is a level 2 course then 2 days is possible with additional GCSE's, if it is a level 3 course then check they aren't supposed to be working on projects in college - sorry you haven't provided much information so it is difficult to advise.

the further education system is a disgrace. It so woefully underfunded and the government doesn't support it or have clear plan of what to do.

@skankingpiglet

An apprenticeship would be 4 days a week at work and 1 day in college. A full time L3 course would have no work place element to it and all the practical work would be assessed in college workshops.

A level 3 course in one of the trades would be 15 hours a week about 50% of that is practical and that would leave you fully qualified. Ideally there would be work experience but it is difficult to find because employers won't expend the effort on it.

Employers are reluctant to organise work experience or apprenticeships and the government won't college courses properly. That is why we need Polish plumbers and that won't change after Brexit.

Look to Germany where apprenticeships and vocational education is properly funded.

@Moussemoose The reason plumbing and other trades traditionally have lower contact time is it is expected you will have an apprenticeship to fill the other days/hours. You learn much more on the job than at college (I have a trade). The issue is that any apprenticeship, let alone a good one with a company that wants to train you rather than have a cheap skivvy, is like rocking horse poo these days. My neighbour's son is currently attending college to gain the same trade as I have. He's completed his first year and still hasn't got an apprenticeship (not through lack of trying). It is very worrying to me that someone can do 3yrs of 2 half days/week then go out to work as a qualified tradesperson (albeit only with a City & Guilds rather than C&G and NVQ). My trade is very varied so with so very little college contact time you would be qualified having only really covered each aspect once.
And before it's asked, I would love to take on an apprentice one day but I'm currently working very pt whilst my DCs are small. I couldn't guarantee them hours at the moment. When I am able I would like to pay it forward.

Send them to sixth form instead? My ds has to be in school from 8:30-4pm every weekday no exceptions, they are allowed off school grounds at lunchtimes but thats it.

It’s not that the college doesn’t care. There’s nothing they can do - like other colleges they don’t have the money to buy new software and teach 5 days a week.

The college is giving you 'flannel' because they can't say........

"the Tory government has not care or interest in FE. FE is chronically underfunded because in the U.K. we only care about academically bright young people. If you care so much contact your MP and lobby them. Also did you vote Tory because if you did you are to blame."

From the summary of the Ofsted report it seems that the College has a number of problems with regard to the quality of provision. The College will now be under scrutiny to improve. I am guessing that your concerns are for a student moving from year 1 into Year 2. I would be contacting college - not to complain but to find out about progress and predicted grades for the end of year 2.

It 'requires improvement' according to the local newspaper. (June 2018)

I work in Further Education. We offer BTEC (approx 15 hrs) - over 3 days ( leaving 2 free days for placement/self study) and A levels (approx 16 hours) timetabled over 5 days (so with some study periods) Plus enrichment and tutorial - another 3 hours. Some students also take additional qualifications, some also English and Maths retakes.
If following a 16-19 programme the student will have a personal tutor. My advice would be to contact the tutor to find out what the college is offering - could it be that your kids are choosing to do the minimum? I would do this before deciding to complain.

Something is odd about that college, mine attend 2 different ones (they didn't want to be together ) and both went five days a week from 9-4. There's free lessons within the day for self study but each a level had 5 hours of taught lessons, GCSEs 4 hours (other courses had various)

"Vocational education is dismissed in the U.K. "

It shouldn't be.

Moosemouse I think we are talking at cross purposes here. I was thinking about some of the courses that were on offer at DS' college, not plumbing etc. I would hope those sorts of courses would have quite a large practical element.

I remember doing my A levels at school over 30 years ago. I had no lessons from Tue break time until Wed lunchtime because of how the timetabling worked. It's nothing new really.

As PP said, at college they tend to only have to be there when they have timetabled contact time. Our colleges often have their Extended Diplomas (3 A level 'equivalent') over 3 or sometimes 4 days because they don't have to deal with multi-subjects like A levels, and it is a waste of time someone travelling in for an hour each way just for 1 or 2 lessons, so they compress the teaching with few breaks.

The further education sector has been decimated by government funding cuts. My local college has had their budget reduced by £5m per year. A lot of teaching is done online because they can’t afford paper and printing. Teachers are being paid by the hour to save money - few of them still have full time jobs with sick pay and holiday pay etc. Reduced classroom hours means they pay less wages to teachers. And it makes it easier to cut the opening hours for canteen and library etc, thus saving more money.

I doubt that the college has the money for up to date software. The teachers are probably as annoyed about it as you are, but if they want to get paid they have to work with what they’ve got. And if they update the software, they have to also pay someone to update the workbooks and teaching materials. Colleges don’t have that sort of money nowadays.

MargaretDribble the vocational courses don't need it???

While A levels do?

That is the problem right there. Studying A level Media is SOOO much more important than Level 3 Gas Installations. No it isn't.

No it really isn't. Nope. No. You're wrong.

Vocational courses like Gas, Electrical and plumbing are significantly more important than A levels in Art, business or media. These people will carry out activities that are life threatening and impact on the safety of society. But you know A Levels matter more.

Vocational education is dismissed in the U.K. then we need to import Polish plumbers and people complain and vote for Brexit. The whole fucked up nature of U.K. society in one thread.

I can see that if you are doing 'A' levels study time is essential, but some of the vocational courses do not require it.