Sports BTEC - for child with no clue re future plans!

@jeebiesheebies in your shoes I would be encouraging him to head into one of the industries with a skills shortage, such as construction. A BTech in sport won't hinder that at all, but he could also consider practical subjects like DT or BTech Engineering if he has access to them.

There are far more students with sport qualifications than are needed for the sport economy, so it is not a high paying industry. There is even a surplus of trainee PE teachers, meaning that those who are qualified to teach shortage subjects, such as maths or science, alongside PE are more likely to get the best jobs than those who can't. The obvious good news is that sport can be pursued as a hobby alongside other career paths.

Sorry about the non sequir above, I meant to post on the general btec thread.

Finally received DD's certificates for her June Maths GCSE and last academic year's L2 Diploma. I was beginning to think I had dreamed it all, so nice to have them to admire (and so she can show at job interviews if needed.)

My friend's son is doing this course: Business of Football BSc (Hons) Degree | UA92 https://share.google/bMgkjbhIu0ag6WWrc

After doing business beech (I think) He is football crazy though!

Thanks for the update. I think we have very similar scenario here. Good luck with the final exams and 6th form choices!

OP don't forget that the sport industry is huge with so many opportunities. One of my closest friends is running her own business as a PT and fitness instructor.
What sports is your son doing for PE? Lots of kids around me are lifeguards, swimming/football coaches, footballs referees (can very well paid) and our local pool runs sport and leisure apprenticeships.
One of my friends son's qualified as a PT at 19yrs so picks that up as a sode hustle.

Spotted this thread and having similar discussions with my DC. How is your son finding PE GCSE? Is he comfortable with the science content? I had one DC do the lower level Sport BTEC (gcse equivalent) and the content was pretty dry. My second DC is doing GCSE PE which is tougher science wise with much more evidence of sporting ability required.
BTECs are great for the more practical elements and coursework versus the PE GCSE your son will be familiar with.

I understand what you're saying OP and I think that there's some justification in your concerns. A lot of people have very poor understanding of what post 16 qualifications in sport/PE involve - there was a thread on here fairly recently about A level PE which demonstrated a broad range of misconceptions and prejudices. My DS did A level PE which attracted a fair amount of scorn from some quarters, though thankfully not from University admissions tutors. If I had a DC who was putting all their eggs in this particular basket I'd probably share your concerns though I'd be hoping that people involved in recruitment were somewhat better informed than the general public.
However, I also think that there is a lot to be said for young people playing to their strengths. If your DS is really interested and engaged in the course, puts the work in and gets a good grade I'd say that is a far more positive result than if he does something he is less interested in and just scrapes through.
I'm not familiar with the BTEC syllabus but I believe that on the whole the courses are more practically based than A levels in the same subject. He might have to think a little bit harder than some other candidates about how he "sells" the course and his experience if he applies for unrelated jobs or future study but I'm sure there will be loads of transferable skills involved. If he was in the position of choosing between 2 courses that he liked equally and was probably going to do equally well in I'd say choose the one with the broadest content, but if not, I'd pick what he has a passion for and is likely to do well in over something he feels he has to do because it's "sensible" but has no real interest in.

An extended diploma at level 3 is marked similar to the science dual award.

All the units individually get P, M or D. Then the points from all of them are added up and the final grade starts from DstarDstarDstar all the way through eg DDM, DMM, MMM, MMP to PPP.

We are in a similar position... my slight reservation about the BTEC route is the grading .... As I understand it the distinction/merit/pass are broadly equivalent of A/ C/ E at a level. So where uni courses need eg 2 or 3 Bs i am thinking it means getting more Distinctions, which could be a struggle for my very non-academic but hardworking DS. It's hard to know whether that is a genuine concern without knowing where/what he may be applying for in 2 years time.

He’d be aiming for the type of universities that would accept a BTEC as an acceptable qualification - tbf that's most universities, certainly many that are very well thought of, including plenty of RG unis and as I say, Loughborough for a course that has very high A level reqs.

Places like Warwick and Birmingham put in a number of caveats and do not accept Btec for every course – but that might be bc the relevant course is not available as a Btec (Eng lit for example).

As far as apprenticeships go, like I say, best to have a look at a few (not with a view to applying now obvs) to see what kinds of levels they accept. https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/

@jeebiesheebieshe had played sport at county level, done lots of volunteer coaching at various levels including getting involved in a mentoring project. He managed to get some experience coaching alongside someone who coaches a national youth sport. All of this helped him to see he wanted to keep sport as a hobby, and not relevant for his chosen subject, but I think it helped demonstrate that when he’s interested in something he likes get involved in it!

FWIW a mate of DS2's who took sport Btec got in to Loughborough to study sports science – which as you may know is a very high bar. A Btec is accepted instead of A-levels by many universities (not all) – though I know you say he doesn't want to go to uni. But just to know not having A levels is only a barrier to unis like Oxford (and obvs any course where the subject doesn't fit).

He should know there is quite a bit of science in post-16 sport quals. DS took A level PE and A level biology and used to say heh was basically doing double biology. I don't know the Btec spec so well but it's worth looking into if he is not so keen on science. If his love is actual sport, what does he think he might do at 18? Might be worth looking at a few apprenticeship options just to see what kind of thing might be available.

BTEC Level 3 and A Levels are equivalent and create the same UCAS points. Obviously, if he was going to uni and wanted to do something academic, it wouldn’t look as good as the a level history English etc. But if he wanted to go down the sports route, Or something related to that, It is the equivalent of a level and wouldn’t be looked down on. If he is certain he doesn’t want to do something academic at uni than it would be the better option for sure. The only other thing to consider is that it is quite limiting only having a qualification in the one subject.

My son did an extended sports Btech. He was accepted by a Russell Group university for a subject he hadn’t studied since GCSE. This was partly due to his wider experiences, and on his UCAS personal statement he was able to demonstrate his commitment to the subject.
He had no idea at 16 what he wanted to do. We went with the idea that if he is studying something he is interested in he will do well, and that would help open doors at the next level, when he had a clearer view as to what he wanted to do next, and that appeared to work for him.

My DS did Sport BTech and Science BTech. TBH I think he took them because he wanted an easy life. He went on to do an Accountancy Apprenticeship and had bought his own house at 24 so it all worked out for him.

Check out the syllabus for the BTEC and look at entry criteria for apprenticeships, a wide variety of subjects - UCAS now have apprenticeship information. Then work backwards to ensure maximum choice at 18. Gain a full awareness of the course elements, plus try to talk to someone already on year two of the BTEC, but don't just listen to the 'sales' talk from the college. Demand for apprenticeships is increasing, which means that so too is the pool from which employers can choose, so think about what work experience/ additional experience he can also add at 18. Also start applying for apprenticeships at the end of Year 12, not as he finishes the course.