BTEC vs GCSE?

They want schools to be able to deliver careers advice and have tasked them to offer impartial advice and guidance but really this is impossible for a school as filling their 6th form and getting results will have an impact on this.

I have the absolute upmost respect for teachers but they are not qualified careers advisers nor do they have the time to give each student the appropriate level of support. It will get left to underpaid support staff with already huge caseloads. They will put them through a quick qualification and brief them on what the school want.

Seems daft doesn't it when there are fully qualified, experienced careers advisers being made redundant and going off to work in other roles.

Half the young people don't know what the word 'manufacturing' means. They could miss out on being a furniture maker or dressmaker as they come under that category.

The first page says 'for example if you are good at maths and want to work in an office you could work in Finance'. How many young people know what the word Finance means.

It's as if they are saying 'we don't know how to do this careers advice thing for young people hopefully someone else will come and take over and we can pay them to do it instead'. Wait and see...

The Government believe that young people do not need face to face independent careers advice and think a shoddy online alternative will suffice.

Time will tell

Good God I've just looked at the National Careers Advice Website - the section for young people is absolutely NOT going to be read by any young person. So badly designed and laid out. It's like telling a young person to go and read a really boring essay and then ask the right questions.

I do hate this government.

Sorry! Specific learning difficulty. Dyspraxia for example.

I am very left handed and can write very fluently, so I'm not about that bit of your OP. Does she have a SpLD related to writing?

We've dropped it too, because of best8 / progress8.

This is the major issue for DD, she finds the pressure to write quickly/neatly and performs badly, despite 'knowing it'.

Rather than trying to avoid exams, could you look at other solutions eg getting her assessed for extra time in exams or using a computer or a scribe.

Hobnob, our science dept are dropping the BTEC route due to the difficulty of the new spec

It does massively depend on the subject. We offer triple, core and additional and BTEC science routes for Key Stage 4. We would very much only expect the less able students to follow the BTEC, and they would not be able to access A level science courses with that as a qualification. That is made very clear to both parents and students in year 9. The addition of the BTEC external exam has made it much harder to have a clear choice for students who perform very badly in exam conditions.

Op, I can tell you about Business; the tested unit is finance and its an on screen test, so no writing but typing! The other units are coursework and therefore can be all be done on the computer.

Our dept did look at the BTEC ICT and we went with the GCSE as the BTEC was a lot more difficult!

The rules are changing about what schools can count in league tables, so I suspect many schools will cut down on their BTEC offering anyway. Four years ago, at my school, students were taking three or four BTECs, and the one I taught counted as 4 GCSEs (though it didn't take up 4 options IYSWIM) whereas now, they are limited to one BTEC option. It's not necessarily the best thing for the students but schools are playing so many political games as the moment.

Still, not what you need to worry about, OP. If there are BTEC options that your DD wants to do because she enjoys that subject, then she should consider them. If you want more specific info, you can look at the Edexcel website as the BTEC specs are all there.

I teach both BTEC & GCSE and in my subject (Performong Arts) there is very little difference between the two courses. Very similar content, very similar ways of examining. The poster who mentioned external assessment is correct - all new generation BTECs now have this. The new generation BTECs are also far less open to "corruption"
(Under the old specs, some schools did indeed play the system, and this has helped develop the negative view of BTECs IMO) I have never had a student denied entry to 6th Forms / colleges on the grounds that they have BTECs. I also teach L3 BTEC and have had plenty of students go on to take up places at university. In some subjects, IMO, a BTEC is a more appropriate style of learning and assessment than a GCSE.

One more thing - if you're going to comment, please get it right - it's BTEC and not Btech.

Ditto noddy!

My son is left handed too doomed

You need to be clearer OP. What subjects are you talking about. Please be less ignorant with this talk of "left handedness" and "the thick" also.

I'll be happy to talk you through the difference but some context is needed.

For the record, BTEC's do not only come in subjects such as childcare and car mechanics, what nonsense! And as for University, the OP isn't talking about level 3 quals, she's talking about level 2. Let's not confuse things.

Level 3 btecs are highly respected and hard work to get through. You can get into an RG university on one of them.

It is not neccesarily easier either you are mightily ill informed Millie

Yes there are uni offers and uni offers and ds house mate a girl also from our home town needed 3 As at A level for same course Agree te attitudes here are dreadful from some posters

I think that everyone that has posted here has a point, & represents the different opinions of society, with different values, leading to judgements about what is "best".

This is why it is so important to look at every DCs choice as an individual one for that child. What are they good at & what do they enjoy doing/ learning about? Just as it's the rare person who is good at EVERYTHING in school, most students will be drawn to certain subjects or areas...

Going to the extreme of stereotypes, there are practical students from middle-class homes who may be automatically expected to follow the academic A levels and then degree route, who MAY have been better advised to consider the BTEC apprenticeship/ degree route instead. The BTEC route might lead to exceptional success & brilliant grades, with the advantage of no student debt, and a job on graduation...

Similarly, academically bright students from households with no history of Higher Education might be persuaded into the practical, vocational route when they could have been outstanding at university.

Either way, it's a shame if the student feels that expectations push him/ her down a road, without being aware of the other routes that can be taken & how these might affect his/her future...

I think it's a good thing that there are other options apart from gcse's
My ds13 is at a very high achieving state school but I think he will be better suited to a more practical career.
I for one will be very supportive if he takes some BTECS.
I really just want him to enjoy learning and to get the most out of it. Rather than picking subjects because he has too.

I also think it's unfair to say its for thick students.

Millymollie - [http://www.independent.co.uk/student/into-university/az-degrees/marketing-and-advertising-2328239.html this article]] shows that marketing isn't as low down as you think and thanks for rubbishing my son's choice