DS not doing great in Y12 - not sure what to do

@claryHe is not confident enough to move out of home, so it would need to be a uni course in London (luckily not too far). At the moment he's lost all self confidence but we can look into this again I think, especially as a PP said, with a foundation year. I will try. Thanks for the encouragement.

Hi OP, sharing a positive story. My DS was where yours is - bright but absolutely refused to work for A levels and got CCD. Difference was that post A levels he really didn’t want to go to uni. He took a year out and worked - that made him realise I think he wanted to do something different. He’s now on a foundation year at a uni. He’s not perfect but in terms of study he’s a changed man! I wasn’t sure if the foundation degree would be a waste of money - thinking he might not apply himself. But actually it sounds great and I’ve realised that as a child of Covid he just doesn’t have basic study skills, and the foundation year is giving him that and some confidence. I also teach at uni and you can definitely see the benefits for the foundation year students that join my course. I’d pursue time out if you can to get him to consider his options, and take the pressure off re results. If it helps my DS said that he didn’t want to try and fail as then people would know he’d tried - he preferred just not to try. I wonder if there is anything similar going on? My DS had a very academic older sister so maybe felt pressurised. All the best to him, this could very well turn around though it is very frustrating to stand and watch.

Following @PrincessOfPreschool post, bear in mind that if exams are the issue, there are many uni courses where no exams are needed. My dd did not well in her A levels but amazingly well at uni as all her work was assessed via coursework where she was able to excel (plus doing sthg she loved).

Could your ds consider uni for this Sept @PrincessOfPreschool

OP, I totally sympathise. My DS1 was the same (couple of 5s, mostly 6s, 7 in maths and RE). He hated A levels and was struggling by the end of Y12. In fact at the end of Y12, I tried to persuade him to go to college and found some courses I thought he'd love. He absolutely refused and felt like I was undermining him even though I just wanted him to thrive and not hate every minute he was at school. He soldiered on with tutoring and got B (Product Design), D (Maths, predicted C) and D (Physics, predicted E). He didn't want to go to Uni, he petrified of exams and worried about the debt. He wanted an apprenticeship in a specific industry but with those grades it wasn't happening. He worked for 8 months at B & Q then they were overstaffed and let him go but his already low self esteem was shot. He's been doing nothing now since last Aug, not even signing on as he doesn't feel he is able to do anything so won't search for work (therefore can't claim Job Seekers).

Not to put the fear into you! But my regret is not encouraging him to go to uni to do a course he would have been capable of. Even if it didn't lead to a job, it could have been 3 years of better mental health whilst he grew up a bit, which is worth the 30 grand fees. No price on good mental health. He may have been in a similar position after finishing Uni but he would have 3 years of being older and wiser and hopefully more confident being out of school. Only you know your son but you need to work with what he wants as well as what he's capable of. The job and apprenticeship market is so hard right now. Maybe the 3 years of uni will help him.

If he wants a gap year then no decision is imminent. Apply to uni, defer his place and then likely he will choose to do something different in 2 years time.
My 16 y o tells everyone something different when asked what he us going to do after A Levels: police, army, apprenticeship etc but I think he will do a ucas application of the off chance.
Keep your options open.

Going to university is not just about getting a job after 3 years. It's a journey of self- discovery, of the whole self, and also provides a good base from which young people can go on to do other things. It teaches people to think critically, to negotiate relationships (ie housemates), to manage money, to live independently, to manage time, to construct arguments, to shop, cook and do housework - these are all vital life skills. Your son can get into uni with a CDD and he should do psychology if that's what he's interested in and has a passion for. Six forms like to encourage pupils to drop A levels if they won't get great grades but don't let them bully him out. Your son sounds great - you should support him.

Maybe in Year 13 his grades will have gone up. I think its normal in Year 12 that grades are based on what they have learned so far in the course. Is there a parent portal? There maybe predicted grades in there or could you speak to his tutor at the college?

Why is he doing A levels? Why does he have to think about university? Why are you concerned only by his grades? What would he really like to do?

My dd was predicted DDC and came away with ABB no way did we think she would do that well. Don’t write him off year 13 is the one that counts and if it doesn’t then even the fact he’s sat A levels puts him way above the average with employers. A grade doesn’t define you, personality does. Some are academic some are not. I used to tear my absolute hair out when dd was in year 12 she wanted the UCAS to do a police degree apprenticeship, got the grades and is now doing something else entirely. Hang in there!

There are lots of options these days. Could he do a degree apprenticeship so work while studying?

I know kids who failed some of their A levels (as in formally failed not my opinion failed) and still go into foundation courses at uni. foundation courses help kids access further education.

Is he otherwise enjoying school? Does he have friends / social life / learning to drive etc? IMO this is actually more important - a happy teenager will be ok, and even if his grades aren’t amazing, will do fine but if he is unhappy then I think some help / light guidance towards thinking about his future might be needed. It’s hard being 17, there’s a lot going on. He definitely still has time to turn those Ds to Cs (or even higher) which would buy him more opportunities for university if that’s what he really wants to do.

Apols @WinterFollies when I said NYU I meant NTU - Nottingham Trent. Some of the newer unis are very well respected indeed. I agree uni open days might be an idea. He needs to be inspired to do what he is going to do next.

Is he happy with the A Levels he is studying? or would he rather do something else (he has the option to restart Year 12 if he wants to).

Regardless of the grades, if he's unsure about his future path then taking a year out and working while he takes some time to decide is always an option. My DS did something similar (although he ended up only taking a few months) and I think being able to step off the school "treadmill" and think about what he wanted and what he didn't want really helped him.

Have you taken him to any uni open days yet? I took my ds16 to one at Birmingham and it was helpful to make realise the grades he needs to get.

Well I agree with @Unomum21 that there will be a place for him somewhere to study psych but I would caution that while he could certainly thrive, equally he might struggle. Uni requries a good deal of independent learning and a student has to be motivated to do well.

Unis want their students to do well but equally, they will not allow them to breeze through doing no work. I know of numerous examples of YP who were asked to leave after retaking years bc they just didn't do the work needed. I'm not trying to be negative, but if your DS does no work that could be him.

Possible places to look at for a psych degree with 96 UCAS points (CCC) would be UCLAN (university of central Lancashire) or university of Staffordshire. Places like Leeds Beckett or NYU would be asking for higher grades. I think becoming a clinical psychologist would be a big ask if I am honest but there are other possible careers in that area.

No it's not, ideally you all want the best marks, but not everyone can get them. Get to some university open days, that might help motivate him as well. Good luck!