BTEC/T level/other vocational 25/26

.. well, the computer never lies…🤷‍♀️😈😹….

Ahhhhhh…I see what you mean.😪 ….It all sounds incredibly overwhelming today….. Maybe the “ drama” ( in that of the unknown and stress ) of last week, coupled with the happiness and relief of her results, has resulted in “ reality biting” today, when she saw her new college and perhaps is having an internal meltdown and panic….
Is her old school of a large size? I’m guessing you’re currently not also in a city? Is she used to travelling to the new city? I know you mentioned suggesting a “ dry run” for her?, do you think that may be adding to her anxiety today?

You must be truly at your wits end. You are absolutely entitled to be so 🤗. x I’d be screaming in my head …”Help me out here!! I genuinely do not know what more I can do!!!”…… It is so hard, as you have had months and months of abject stress about her GCSE revision, then her exams, and then the wait…… and then, when her results were SO much better than her mocks, it should follow that it’s “YAY!!! Sorted!!!! Excellent!!” But, it’s not and it must be maddening..as your DD changed her mind ( which you were fully supportive of) and wanted to do the BTec, had got the grades, got into the college she wanted to do it, and in the city, and, then……. 🤔🤷‍♀️🤔…… it must be absolutely confusing and, horribly, infuriating… I’m so very sorry it’s been so confusing and upsetting today, I can only imagine. I would be feeling exactly the same . I wish I could wave a magic wand,🪄 but sadly I can’t, and all I can suggest is what I have learnt to do with my DS. I would say goodnight to him, let him sleep on it… he knows he can wake me at stupid o clock if he wants to chat, most probably he’d sleep, and I’d go to bed myself. Even if I couldn’t sleep straight away, I’d just distract myself reading or watching something.

So, I think if you can try and get as much rest as you can. But, most importantly, please do not beat yourself up for feeling, frankly, a bit let down/deflated/mentally exhausted and pi&sed off tonight. You must be utterly drained.

I hope you manage to get some sleep 💤 tonight…. and, tomorrow is a whole fresh new day..💓. Sending a huge hug 🤗 x

I agree.
And despite us never putting pressure on dd, its come from somewhere...peers, school, social media...

My DD has so far done (animal care)
. Level 1 work based city&guilds
. Level 1 theory c&g
. Year out (passed english functional skills)
. Level 2 work based c&g & passed maths gcse
About to start a Supported Internship under her EHCP.

Both my ds did btech , one went to uni ( granted he only did year 1 as not for him) other ds is now doing apprenticeship in engineering. Too much pressure of kids to work out career path at 16/17

Welcome 👋

I hope its ok for me to join here.

Dd is a bit confused as he English grade on their system was a grade higher than she got...🤷‍♀️
Anyway, it's done.
Hopefully, after the induction days she'll feel better.

@Sisublondie
Just nerves/anxiety.
This isn't unusual for her but I've found it difficult to deal with today for some reason...
She got great gcse results (much better than her mocks..)
She met the entry requirements easily.
It's a large college in a big city...exactly what she wants.
I dunno.
I'm very irritated by her today 😒

Oh no?! What happened?! What has upset her?
I’m so sorry it didn’t all go swimmingly! What has rocked her? Sending a massive 🤗 x

@SuperTrooper1111
I'm gritting my teeth so hard I've given myself a headache! 😫
I've suggested a dry run of the journey which she's keen on.
2 days induction next week then a 3 day week thereafter (timetable tbc)
I think she just wants to start now

When my DD's anxiety soars about trying something new, we try to set a deadline for a debrief. So, she has to give it a week, then we'll have a chat and to see how she's feeling. Sometimes she feels better, other times she doesn't. But usually she'll agree to another deadline and we just keep trudging on until eventually she says she doesn't need a debrief any more.

I also don't blame you for losing your patience. My tongue has been bitten so many times there's hardly anything left of it!

What on earth do I say?
She was so adamant she wanted a new start and a new place.
Now its happening and she looks like the walls have crumbled in.
Sigh

Well.
She's enrolled.
But very, very anxious.
I'm afraid I'm rather losing my patience

With DD i found looking at the unit spec with her (when we remembered) really gave her pointers on what to include.

If we had done it consistently she maybe would have ended up with a D overall instead of M on her level1 theory based course.

Also if they ask for 7 bits of info on each of 3 examples, she really did have to include all 21 to get the grade. 20 was not 'sufficient '.

100% this.

Really worth getting your head round the calculations.

And for things like the D*, you basically have to have a D in every module.

Some courses will be reasonably easy to download the spec from the awarding body website - others are more complicated.

I do know that I was tearing my hair out with one of DD's L2 modules trying to actually understand what they wanted them to include. For some the teacher gave them 'example' versions of components that scored top grades so they could see the kind of thing required - that was very helpful.

Try to get hold of the exact title or link to the spec and the unit numbers they are doing.

There will likely be some mandatory units but also a load of optional ones that college chooses which to do.

(The final grade is a bit like gcse combined science, they add up points awarded for each module and then score up from PPP to DstarDstarDstar (or P to Dstar, or PP to DstarDstar of course). So you can get eg DMM or MMP but not DDP or DMP)

Perfect!!

Going forward, DS can get the bus from the next village, straight up the main road into the cool big town his new college is in….. I can l, however, foresee maybe cheeky lifts in or pick ups happening, bit of an excuse to pop to the fab delis and new places to try out…..🤔🤷‍♀️😹!

Hope you have a fab time! 💓

@Sisublondie
I think we might go in early for lunch 😃

Brilliant idea! I didn’t even think of that! ( understandable, given circs, I guess 🙄).. Yes, I absolutely would, for anything that they are able to provide you with.

Good Luck 🤞 with the enrolling!! I hope it goes well! … and you get to go to nice deli or bakery afterwards!

Ask for the exact title or a link - they can be huge so I wouldn’t expect them to be given out

Dds enrolment is tomorrow
...can I ask for a copy of the spec?

It’s really critical to download the spec and see the full detail of the units and the criteria. Some providers give it in house style and it’s really not good enough. This is particularly important for the ‘full’ qualifications (ie the weight of 3 A levels). As Pp’s have said, everything counts there and then, no cramming at the end.

Think it's 3-4 days for DD, but also still waiting for timetable. She has to do 75 hours of work experience in the first year too. She starts on the 3rd. She's asked me to accompany her some of the way on the first morning but after that I think she'll be fine. Getting excited for her now! We've spent the day gutting her bedroom of childhood crap because she's decided it needs to reflect the fact she's now a college student. Think she found it cathartic to clear out her school uniform and exercise books!