Really bad GCSE results - really lost as where to go from here

Yes, perhaps I have over-stated it a bit but I do think your son needs those gcse qualifications in this competitive era. Even if he does get a place on a training course he loves or an apprenticeship, he may miss out on a permanent job in the future because all the other applicants do have the gcses!

Perhaps a balance between taking charge and letting him take responsibility.

Sitting down together and making a list of what all the possible options are:

resitting GCSE's

doing the level 2 course at college

finding an apprenticeship in something that appeals to him

etc

Discussing the possible options, what he would have to do to achieve them and what the consequences would be for his future.

The OP doesn't want to take total charge, but it is always good to have a more mature person around to act as a sounding board.

I think the OP needs to take charge of the situation;her son is only 16 and sounds rather immature at that. Twenty five years ago I failed to get the A level grades I needed for university through lack of revision. My parents cared about me but left me to it as they had no experience of higher education themselves. I thought I had no option but to find a job instead;I found myself a 'nice' job but not a career. As I grew older I came across so many other people who had re-sat their A levels at 19 because their parents had taken charge and found somewhere for them to do their re-sits (and in some cases different A levels on a one year course).These people then went on to have much better careers than me!There will be a solution - he is so young - but you have to seek out the options for him and phone as many places as you can. One option - could you afford a private sixth form college for one year? I think there are a number that would do one year intensive gcse courses or re-takes.
Believe me, what seems like a 'wasted' year at 16 is nothing - good luck!

I would definitely encourage him to redo his GCSEs. It's one year out of his life which may seem like a lot at 16 - but as parents we know it's no time at all! He got 6 D grades so it shouldn't take too much to push them up to 6 C grades at the least. If he had a host of E grades and U grades and had worked his socks off then I think it's a different story.

I wouldn't want to narrow his options down too much at his age when he was so close to getting 6 GCSEs. Yes it may work out and he may fall in love with this area and be very successful, but I would feel like this is a bit of a risk. There is never going to be a better/easier time to get these GCSEs sorted out.

If school haven't been helpful - what does his maths tutor say?

DD3 didn't do well in her GCSEs, She did a couple of courses at college before finding the one that suited her, She did BTECH First Diploma in IT which is GCSE equivalent got a merit in that she then did the subsidory Diploma passed with a Merit and went on to do the extended Diploma and got Distinction merit merit and is off to do a. computer degree at uni in a couple of weeks. She didn't retake any GCSES
but did an equivalent qualification in Math and English. She is 21 and has taken awhile to get to this stage but has Dyspraxia and another learning difficulty and has proved that
all is not lost if you have bad GCSE grades,

I don't necessarily agree that the same would happen at college - a different environment, and a little extra maturity can make all the difference.

Of course the OP needs to provide guidance and support her son in getting the best qualifications possible.

But I do think the OP is making excuses for him as to why his grades were so bad (school issues, teacher issues, other pupils distracting) when the truth is if he isn't stupid (as she herself says) then it really isn't that hard to get 5 A-Cs and he needs to own that.

Otherwise the same will happen at college ime.

I think OP is right to be concerned that her ds will have no qualifications at all if she doesn't help him , he may be 16 and others were building empires and bringing up children by then yadda yadda but as a parent I would feel exactly the same as OP. 16 is still a kid in my eyes.
If you can help him to get to the retake course or do an apprenticeship so he has something to show on a cv that will atleast be something .

To the trod?! To be trod, that should be!

Guidance, yes. Spoon fed the next phase of their life, no. There's a fine line in my experience to the trod between the two!

Come on people, have a heart - the poor lad is only 16! Yes, they do need to begin to take responsibility for themselves but still need a lot of guidance.

I would push him towards the local FE college - they can be excellent at turning people like him round.

I think you need to let him take more responsibility for this. It can't always be someone else's fault (teachers, other disruptive students, yours). What does he want to do next?

Is there any chance he could travel to the college 30 miles away? A one year course to re do those basic subjects sounds by far the best option?
Lots of DCs around here do long journeys. DS1 has a 70 minute trip each way to 6th form and does reading or revision on the bus.

If needs be, look into the possibility of resitting as a private candidate. It really will improve his options if he has Cs in English and Maths.

can he go on further with the level 2?
can he get work, an apprenticeship, with the level 2?
if it is equivalent to a gcse, then at least it is a gcse

I disagree I think op should lead him in the right direction to the gcse grades that he needs.
or some form of qualification.
he needs Qualifications

Sorry, painful as this is, I agree with PotteringAlong.

"if I don't pursue getting the gcses now whilst he is young,"
"I tried all I could at home to help but obviously my help did not help."

Not clear where your son is in all of this, what does he want, what is he trying to do. All your statements are about your plans to redress this, not what he plans to do. What has he done before that HE (not You, He) will do different next?

Would he redo year 11 if the school let him? You have to find out what he would be prepared to do before you have a conversation with the school. Also if you don't like the school that much then unless he really pulls his socks up nothing is going to change. If a child is lazy I don't know what teachers can do. They can be really inspirational for 29 children but try all manner of things for the 30th but nothing works!

Are there no vocational college courses that he's interested in? I know some were taken as equivalent GCSEs a few years ago, I don't know whether that's still an option.

Firstly though he needs to change his attitude to work. Does he have vision, hearing, stress related problems etc? I would find out all the options available but let him decide what he feels would be best for him at the moment. And try not to fret too much because it's never too late to go back and try again. The wake up call might happen in the future, just be supportive when it does. Good luck!

BIL was in a similar situation to your DS a few years back. MIL and FIL tried to encourage him to do retakes, but he wasn't interested.

He registered on a college access course and then studied a practical, rather than academic subject.

At 19 he got himself an apprenticeship with a building company. He's now 21, self employed and doing brilliantly.

Speak to your DS. Try and be calm and not angry (hard, I know). See if you can get to the bottom of what he wants (for himself, not what he thinks he should do to please others) and support him in his choices.

I'm not a teacher, only a parent, but I woukd be looking at resitting the gCSEs, what travel time is the 30 miles?

You need to stop doing it for him.

You clearly have his best interests at heart but there is no bottom line. Despite you saying he doesn't fit the criteria of a failing child he DOES - by your own admission he's capable but cannot be arsed. And what happens when he can't be bothered? Mum comes along and sorts out lots of options and gives you a choice to pick again.

No GCSE's is, ultimately, his problem. If he narrows his options, so be it. But he needs to learn that there are actions and consequences, otherwise I fear you will be having this conversation with him again and again.

or are there apprenticeships?

will the school sixth form be a better environment?
plenty of dc retake gcses.
have you looked at your current school sixth form?

The FE colleges around here do gcse programmes - usually 5 including maths and English. Entry requirements are 4 a* - d grades. This seems like the best option as your son appears to be just the sort of student it caters for...