Another one bombed A levels

It could be worse! bit.ly/15qPPaW

Hang on. He[or you] was thinking a vet, then this week navy and chiropractor?
Am I reading that right?

What does he want?

It is ok not to know, but those 3 ideas are so so varied.

Sorry, just read your last post... Glad to see a plan!!

I'm another one saying this is entirely common and that it's actually hard to predict which students coming in at the start of the course will struggle and which will make the transition.

It's not only about his exam technique but will also be about his study technique and revision technique. As one parent put it, her son has had to throw away everything he though he knew about school work and learn how to study all over again. It's not about laziness at all but quality study.

He definitely needs to decide what it is he wants to do and if it's A levels, make a positive decision to re learn how to study. He can do it if he does this. He needs to make sure that the Navy option is something he will be positively choosing rather than using it to run away from his failure. Otherwise that will be hard to live with in the future.

Good luck, it really sucks deal with this.

It's not uncommon for students to struggle in a new school and sometimes it's particularly true of boys. I have known a number of boys repeat Y12 and do significantly better. It's definitely an option and having already covered the material (if they continue with the same subjects) can boost confidence.

Hi OP,

Sorry to hear about this.

As others have said, and you know yourself, it doesn't make sense for a boy who got all As and Bs at GCSE to be failing within a year. Sounds like something is definitely wrong in his current college.

The great news is that he's willing to return to his old school and re-take the year. I'm sure it feels dreadful now, but in fact it's only a year. Even students aiming for the most competitive of courses who have failed at A2 rather than AS level can sometimes turn things round and get in for the course they want.

I hope your son can return to his old school (assuming he does want to continue with A levels), re-take the year and get things sorted out.

Very best of luck to you :)

He seems to be fluttering around a bit. I think he needs to take a bit of time to decide what he really wants to do. I don't see why taking sciences is a good idea if he doesn't know what field he would like to go into. I would also say that many kids struggle with a level as they are simply not accustomed to having to work and study. If you are reasonable bright then school will get you through your gcse without you making masses of effort yourself. This is simply not the case with a level. He may do better at sixth form as they will probably support him more than at college where students have to take more responsibility for themselves. However I can't help thinking he needs to have a proper plan for the future so he has a real purpose to studying. Just taking subjects because he likes them or because they might be useful isnt really good enough.

The navy might be the right way to go?
Dont know if the timing is right or not.
Dont know enough about navy careers.
It might be that he gets in, and never looks back.

Dont know anything about Homer!

says he will just forego a gap year.

Well, that shows a lot of maturity you can be proud of.

He will do well.

FWIW, my DS fucked up at school around 17 and is now going into his 3rd and final year at uni....

Mozzamum47. Banking and Accountancy are not that interesting and will probably bore the pants off him. Get him to write to EVERY bank and accountant you have ever heard of to see what work experience they offer. Or spend hrs trawling through their web sites. He will not look an attractive proposition though so you need to think how he can sell himself when competing against all the people with A grades. Is he brilliant at maths and economics? That is what the banks want. Is this really what he wants?

Firstly, did this College actually have a good track record in delivering A levels. My local FE College is dreadful at A levels and is way below what the schools achieve. However they do not have the best students and do not have the best teachers either. Vet science was clearly unrealistic with A's and B's at GCSE. This is a fiercely competitive course and only a handful of Universities offer it. Did anyone from his college ever get onto a vet course? Get him back to school. It is your only chance. Could he go to a different one? If he started again he could even change subjects. Do 3 not 4. This can be ok, but not for vet science. Be realistic.

Rusty - we are in the same boat. My DS2 has just failed his AS levels big time. He is not motivated and lacks confidence and inspiration. We have talked to his school who certainly believe he is better than his marks dictate. I am now looking for inspiration for work experience to try and focus his mind on long term goals and ambitions rather than his failure. In order to do this he needs to look for work experience within the financial sector and I would love peoples thoughts about how he goes about this. Does anyone know companies who even still offer work experience. He is certainly not thick. He underwent surgery in October last year and then had a bit of hiccup with post op medication (the consultants prescribed triple the dose he should have been taking) this meant that it took 4 months to try and re-balance his meds. Please people any ideas would be gratefully received. Banking and accountancy are his preferred goals.

Hi rusty

You could have been writing about my DS! He's likely to change school/college for a repeat year - he certainly wants a fresh start.
On the funding issue - not to worry. Level 3 courses (which include A levels) are funded to age 19 so, like us, you'll be OK.

(Used to be funded to age 25, I believe - that is quite a difference now, isn't it?)

Good luck to your son. I think your practical and supportive approach to all this will benefit him enormously -

I do think I have to say that getting A's and B's in GCSEs does not make him a straight A student.
Having said that, going from that to failing all his As, apart from E in english is quite a leap.
And it doesnt sound like the college suited him.

But is there something going on at home at all, or even was he bullied at college?

Personally I have no qualms at all about you guiding and supporting your son if he is putting the work in too, which he appears to be doing - unless he has been faking it to you and others.

what grades did he get? what occupational area of work does he want to go into?

The student I mentioned went to Oxford to study History! With determination to find the right courses for the individual student re-sitting can be a brilliant idea. I wish I'd done it.

I know of quite a few who have repeated year 12 , the most successful have moved to a new institution and some have changed subjects .Two I know we'll have gone from Es and Us to As and Bs so it can be done

I have seen mixed results for repeaters. The most successful actually realised before his exams and withdrew from them to resit the year. I think what that shows is it has to be the student's decision not their schools nor their parents.
Good luck and things tend to work out fine (from an A-Level underachiever who went on to achieve highly at university).

Made of Stardust- sorry but you aren;t living in the world most of our children are. There are precious few jobs for 16 year olds anymore, and all have to be in education until 18.

OP my son has dreadful AS results, fortunately he had such a bad year that it was obvious that this was going to be the case. We looked at alternative schools and colleges, and in the end have found one which really enthuses him. His main qualification will be a BTEC which is more continually assessed, and I think will suit him more.
His school sixth form were supportive (and would have allowed him to resit), but strongly recommended him going somewhere else as it is very hard to repeat the year and watch all your friends applying to university. It can also be that repeating the year leads to repeating the mistakes.

What does he want to do long term? Sometimes students who struggle with AS levels, do really well on BTECs, so this is worth considering.

What about an apprenticeship? Some of them come with really good long term prospects. In our engineering depts, there are lots of students being sponsored to do degrees that have come through the apprenticeship route.

Ultimately he needs to decide on a plan, and you have to support this even if it seems like a bad idea. Get him to look at the options for working, training or education and decide which is for him.

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