DS wants to repeat Year 13

Sorry, just that I am on the Navy website at the moment, they take people without GCSEs or A-levels and give them the opportunity to sit them and then progress further. This is just to illustrate that there are other options. www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/roles-and-specialisations/services/fleet-air-arm/air-engineering-technician

It doesn't matter at all - but I have a sneaky suspicion he didn't get the grades he told you he got. Have you seen the AS certificates even? How do you know he got Cs and a D last year?

Knowing for certain what grades he has (not what he's told you he has) will mean people can give you much better advice as to a more suitable route for him.

He needs to be looking for an apprenticeship or a job right now, I don't think more education is right for him at the moment.

Rather than looking back now is the time to start looking forward. He has some decisions to make. Messed up A-levels happen and there are still options, not always the easiest but they are there.

What does he want out of life and how does he see himself getting there?

You might have to think left field - for example engineering apprentice with the Royal Navy (only mentioned as he likes karting so a possible link)
The key is he will need to think where he wants to end up and then you can plan from there.

Well it's good that the VP is willing to meet. I recommend (and sorry if I've missed this as I did read the thread but may have glossed over any references to this) he tries to decide on a plan that he wants to work towards in advance of this meeting.

Sitting in front of a student who hasn't worked hard/attended telling you they will now work harder and are sorry almost never leads to a changed outcome. It almost always reads as I don't know what to do with my life so can I stay here a bit longer please!

But if he can go in and say I need x and y qualification to get onto course z. I want to do course z because ... and I've applied for this work experience/voluntary position across the summer holidays to support my future education tends to make it harder to say no because it is quite hard for the VP to actually say no to a young person's genuine wish to achieve something.

Even if this plan is fluid it would suggest to the VP that he has started to take his future more seriously.

Having said all this, I don't want to give a message of false hope. In a time of terrible budget cuts and increasing teacher shortages then the VP will go into this meeting knowing that they'll be crucified if by the school business manager for taking someone who they will get no funding for, and will be a negative drain on the budget every single time they photocopy a resource for him or support him in any way that every other student will get £4K+ to cover.

I've never seen his gcse certificates

Oh dear..... OP I do not believe, assuming England state school, it is possible for him to have a Biology GCSE. I think you perhaps need to see those certificates....

IGCSE people only have letter grades.

He won't have Cs for Maths and English - he'll have a number grade - presumably 7 for English and a 4 for Maths? Have you actually seen his GCSE certificates?

And only one science - that's not possible is it at state school?

I'm a Head of Sixth Form, and I've had a few similar conversations with students this week who are now regretting the last two years. As @eviltwins and others have said the school won't get any funding as he has finished one level three qualification. We have let a couple of students carry on despite this but this is due to extremely mitigating circumstances (one has a terminal illness and another was raped so they both are completing one subject this year and the other two next year). I would be shocked if the school were interested in supporting your son given that he has shown no willingness to change since year 12.

I've been telling parents and students that the options are:

• wait until 19 and do an access course which can lead to undergraduate and foundation courses.
• complete A Levels next year as a private candidate. This requires loads of self-discipline and independent study as the school cannot assist in any way.
• Get a job and review whether he wants to re-enter education in the future.

Having seen this each year, I am sure that this is most likely going to be a harsh lesson for your son as schools are generally forgiving places and give so many second chances (I know because I give them myself all the time!) so the reality of legislation around funding comes hard to students as it is the first time they've ever really been told no by the school, but I have seen young people where taking this shock on board and becoming more motivated has really been the making of them.

Finally, I really would not recommend waiting until August. He knows his one A Level has gone badly, and even if it has gone better than he thinks it is only one subject, so he should spend the next couple of months putting a plan together rather than waiting for his inevitable results day.

Our local council have a careers advice for young people.

He would have got numbers for Maths and English. Why do you not know your DS's GCSE grades? You claim to be an interested parent but you say "he may have converted it"???

Btw, what were his ACTUAL GCSE grades? As you will know if he took his GCSEs at the right time, they won't all be letter grades....

Why would he wait until results day? What changes on that day for him? You know he only took 1 A-level, and didn't really bother much with that - so theer's nothing 'different' between what he can do now and what he can do on August 15th.

The fact he took the A-level means his school funding is finished - that's it.

Crammers Like these

Many thousands of pounds per term ... and that's even supposing that your son doesn't need to board...

PS
If he is thinking about university, has he looked at a Foundation year?

Didnt read the thread.....
Its worth asking round at colleges ( FE included).
If he STARTS A levels while he's 18, he will be funded for the whole thing. He WONT be funded if he already has the same qual

It is possible that, once he has grown up a bit, he may be able to have a second shot at getting a decent education - but that won't be in a school setting, and is likely to be alongside (or part of) a job, in order for the funding to work.

So for the moment, once he is back from his holiday, he needs to find a job. A proper, paid job, using his AS level and GCSE grades, probably minimum wage and not what you 'wanted for him'. Obviously he will pay you rent, though he is unlikely to earn enough to live out of the family home for a while, depending on where you live.

Once he has regained some kind of structure in his life, then if he wants to find a more congenial job, he can start to research how to start working towards some further qualifications needed for them. He may be lucky, and may find a company willing to take him in at the bottom and gradually train him internally. You may find something more structured like an apprenticeship which comes with a day release for more formal education. He may have to follow the old-fashioned 'work in the day, study at night' route.

But his days of full time state funded education are over form the moment - unless and until he , over time, through less mainstream routes and access courses, finds his way into university education through a less conventional route as an older student. If he is bright, motivated and organised, there IS a way or this to happen - but he has blown his 'easy' way along this route by his behaviour during the last 2 years.

The other route would be for you to pay for a 1 (or 2 - don't know if they do 2 year ones) year crash course at a crammer - but those are essentially private school and don't come cheap at all.

EWO wouldn’t get involved as KS5 is above statutory education age.

S will be blanket for study leave and probably put in by whoever is in charge of attendance at the school.