Post GCSE - what next?

[cinderfrickingrella]

My DD sat her GCSEs this year. She applied for a sixth form place and got a conditional offer and also applied for some apprenticeships (based on predicted grades)

She didn't get her predicted grades. She got a 4 in Maths and a 3 in English.

She had some interviews for one of the apprenticeships and completed a trial week. All has been very positive and looking like she would get a place. They have just realised she applied with predicted grades (it does state predicted on her CV) and it is now looking like she won't be able to continue with it.

So now I don't know what she will/can do next. All the apprenticeships seem to want a 4 in English and Maths. Her sixth form won't take her for just resits and she didn't get the grades to study any of their courses.

It is my understanding that she must stay in some kind of education until 18. Does she just continue to apply for apprenticeships (college courses have already started).

She is very down about it all as she had her heart set on the apprenticeship. I want to have all the info I can so I can support her, I'm just have my difficulty finding it. It's a bit of a minefield.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

She needs to tell the company that she is willing to resit. Most apprenticeships have qualifications within them arranged through a local college or online provider, and they will also include provision for gcse Maths/English or Functional Skills level 2 alongside a level 3 course. She could approach the nearest further education or sixth form college herself if the apprenticeship falls through.

Please call you local college and see if they can offer anything. Sits only a couple of weeks into term. If she is bright enough to consider A levels I am sure she will catch up, There is bound to be something she is interested in and they can support an English retake. You need to act asap.

Just out of interest, did she get a 4 or above for English lit? It's worth seeing if the apprenticeship provider would be happy with that, while supporting a resit of Eng lang?

Can she not join the local college and do a course there, she can also re-it her english. Call the college and I am sure they will be able to help, it won't be too late despite the courses already starting.

She got a 3 in both English Language and Literature. There has been mention of a functional skills test, but I just feel they are disappointed now they know she doesn't have the grades at GCSE. she aced the interview and trial week.

Her predicted grades were always unattainable. I asked for them to be changed several times, we even put a grade lower than predicted on the CV we sent. It just makes me so sad for her.

I have looked at the colleges locally, but again, you need to being doing a course to do a resit. Will call them.

Yes she could do a course alongside her resits, that would certainly be best. I would look at courses with her tonight and call tomorrow.

Contact local FE college. They will probably offer BTEC and A level courses as well as English and Maths resits. BTEC can be started at Level 2 or 3 in lots of different subjects and can be combined with GCSE resits. BTECs are more vocational and coursework based. My son would never have managed A Levels but did amazingly well on a BTEC (Level 3, A Level equivalent) The steady coursework and regular feedback/stream of grades suited him. He scored a 4 in English and 5 in maths in Y11 so no resits but course mates had resits. After one or two years she could move onto an apprenticeship . I'd move quickly though!