Average GCSE grades,5 passes,but not English.

[Northernnurse2020]

Please be gentle,my first post. My son got his GCSE grades yesterday and got 55 in Combined Science,5 in Art,4 in Maths,Distinction 1 in I media,but only 3 in English and Spanish.Geography was a write off with a 2. He was hoping to do an apprenticeship and has a meeting with college tutor next week. I'm hoping he can resit English alongside college course if they allow him onto the course. Please tell me I'm not the only one with an academically distinctly average kid 🤪.( I'm actually quite proud of him as he's had more than most kids to put up with in his life, having his dad die when he was small and a profoundly disabled sibling who takes a great deal of my time) It appears like the rest of the world have kids who have glowing GCSE results!! Tell me I'm not the only one whose kid hasn't........

My DS quite average as well! Four 4’s and four 5’s and hopefully Level 2 Merit - waiting for this one to be confirmed.

When my eldest was at college there were a fair few retaking English and/or Maths alongside their course. I think some might have had to start at a slightly lower level in their chosen course if they didn’t quite get the grades so fingers crossed your DS can still do what he wants 🙂

This was us 2 years ago. Luckily my DS did scrape English and maths so didn't have to resit alongside his L3 BTEC Extended Diploma in Sport but plenty did on his course and he had space on his TT as a result. Fast forward to now and he is about to go to uni to do Sport and Exercise Science having got 3 unconditional and 2 conditional offers, all of which he met in the end with his BTEC results. It will work out, I am sure, and your DS will find his place. For us it was an adjustment as our family is academic and we had to do lots of digging for info about vocational choices. It has been 100% the right path for him.

My Ds did an apprenticeship. He did well in maths but just scraped a pass in English.
His apprenticeship course were so used to no one having passes in English and maths we had to fight for him not to have to do their maths course!

My son failed spectaculaly at GCSE (According to his internal I'llgetometer) and he had no plan B except for my plan b which was an engeneering BTEC college as he passed all sciences, maths and computer science but failed English, Geography and French. He hated it and decided to re-take year 12 at a music college which he is loving. Thanks to Covid - he passed his english this year on his 4th re-sit so your son should be fine.

As an ex - FE tutor we always saw people for enrollment after results days to ensure that the student was on the course that they wanted to do - so long as it was right for them - so it may just be a formality/reality check - good luck

Not everyone is academic. If your son did his best, then that's an achievement it itself. I think its grossly unfair to keep banging people who are (metaphorically) square into a round hole. People are good at different things - everyone is worthy.

Hope all goes well in the next stage of your son's career.

Thanks to Covid - he passed his english this year on his 4th re-sit so your son should be fine.

That's some impressive determination to keep trying and a personal quality that's far more important in life than just getting everything right first try.

A friend of mine's DS got 2 passes, I think, a couple of years ago. He is now working in a highly technical area of construction earning between £20.00 and £30.00 an hour. His work is very much in demand, so he can haggle. He has been offered a short term role in some Middle East country tax free.

He loves his job

I I echo everything pp have said about determination and other paths to happiness/ success

But as far as the resit goes, can I recommend the Mr Bruff books and free online tutorial videos - it’s easy to find on YouTube. He really is excellent and while you can support him by buying the books he makes pretty much everything available free too.

My DD too OP- I actually posted in education but no replies! Am feeling very alone- it feels that she is the only one of her friends that didn't get what she needs. She got 4x GCSEs at grade 4-6 and 3x grade 3. She'll have to retake maths and I don't think she'll be allowed to take the A levels she wanted to do. She's taken it in the chin but I feel bad for her and worried. She has ASC and dyslexia and missed a lot of year 10 due to anxiety. It's probably best if she does retakes but we feel alone!!

Thanks all for the insightful and supportive comments.Hoping he'll get on course and can do resit. @girlofthenorth I hope you can talk to your daughter's sixth form or college, given dyslexia and anxiety stuff, I'm hoping that all the kids in this year are provided with a little leniency given the craziness of last few months! Here's hoping.

Does anyone know if there is a Mr Bruff equivilant for Maths. My daughter is really struggling to pass it. Thanks

My daughter got a 7, 6, 4 x 5, 3 x 4 and a 3. all her friends, bar one seemed to get all 7-9s and it she was really embarrassed and spent a lot of time crying but they were enough and the fail we are appealing.

Half the issue is social media and the smiley local paper faces of only the top scorers rather than a balance, it puts so much pressure on them.