DS got all 5s. Can anyone from college setting help?

[GseeEsE]

He wanted to do 3 Alevels, ICT, Graphics and Business studies.

All 3 need 2x6s. He got all 5s.

I feel so sad for him. He had a massive upheaval during his GCSEs and had to go live with a family member

He's lloking at BTechs now.

How many do you usually do? It's 3 Alevels isn't it? But how many techs.

I'm just really confused from the college website

I work in a college (but marketing so not particularly helpful), but I would recommend just giving them a ring and speaking to someone. They will be prepared to have loads of people contacting them today and will be set up to answer any questions.

There are lots of options post 16 - NVQ’s BTECs and T levels. All the school 6th forms around us ask for 6’s but the 6th form colleges only ask for 5’s so it might be worth looking at different settings as well as different courses. My dd got all 5’s (had a very tricky year) and has a place to study 3 A levels.
But I second giving his college a ring.
well done to your ds and good luck finding him the right courses.

The norm is to do one BTec.

He's got a guaranteed place as its a feeder college so didn't even really look anywhere else.

I'll give them a call

I thought so.

Computing is equivalent of 3 Alevels
ICT is one.
So I thought it would be better to do computing but he wants to do ICT

I got way worse than the equivalent of 5s and still got to do A levels. I doubt they’ll care much tbh.

You're looking at a Level 3 Extended Diploma which is the equivalent of 3 A levels.

Unless you have a college where he can mix and match and maybe do 1 A level and a Diploma (2 A level equiv).

FE teacher- he’ll go onto a Level 3 BTEC, assuming they do the new format they have 2 exams in the first year and 1 in the second. He’ll pick a single BTEC that will be equivalent to 3 A levels.

The college will be fully staffed and you’ll be able to ring and speak to someone and likely be seen and be enrolled immediately. Make sure he takes his results slip with him as they can’t enrol without it. Good luck!

Thanks

I just rang the college and they said they can't help. He just had to speak to someone at enrollment

The sixth form college my dc is going prefers 5s but accepts 4s for a levels

Perhaps it's a crap one 😂

Well done on a commendable set of results.
Sounds like he may well be able to do 'A' levels at another college, but just to mention a Level 3 BTEC diploma is the equivalent to 'A' levels (roughly speaking 2, or 3 if extended diploma) and can equally lead to university, higher apprenticeships etc. The BTEC assessment is often more course based which suits some students a lot more than 'A' levels.
All excellent opportunities and choices.

If his college won’t accept him with his grades another one may. It’ll take him a bit of work but he’ll find a placement. Good luck to him

He could just do 1 level 3 qual. Ring the college and see if they'll accept him

Definitely speak to college when enrolling. Bear in mind though that students who do A' Levels with lower grades often struggle with the content. A BTech is sometimes the better way - especially for the subjects OP mentions.

But, if he really wants to do A' Levels ... had he been working at 6s in the run up to the exams? Is he near the ⅚ borderline? If yes to both, the college might be willing to take a risk.

Ex careers adviser here. Have a look for your local careers service and give them a call. They’ll be able to take you through all of his options. Resits are an option but only if you feel he really underperformed, if he was predicted grade Cs although good, you may find he would have struggled with A-levels. I’d advise against doing a mix of A-levels and small btecs as this can make any next steps tricky. If going down the Btec route he’d be best studying a more comprehensive one focused on just the one subject. I hope that helps a little. With btecs being a more vocational option it’s important he’s thinking ahead to what type of career he’d like to go into.

Sorry, I got the grades wrapped around my neck, I’d look at all local options for A-levels as he may be able to get a place elsewhere. I’d also speak to school and see if there is any leeway due to the upheaval. If not resits may be worth looking at. Start enquiring about anything you may think could be an option as there may be waiting lists already so time is of the essence.

Do you think if we got a letter from his high-school or SS they may have some wiggle with the 2 x 6s?

He had to go stay with his Nana and there was SS and police involvement. It was an extremely stressful time and was directly during his exams.

I think this could be really useful but I’d also contact places today and explain verbally as places can be hard to find and time is of the essence. This is bound to have impacted on his grades though, I’m sorry this happened. You may need to push to speak to someone with decision making capabilities rather than standard admin staff. This is where your local careers service can be really useful as they should be able to support with this and will have contacts.

IMO / IME getting a 5 at GCSE then doing that subject for A level is too big a jump
A Level 3 BTEC is the same as 3 A levels
My DS did this and went to Uni
My DD is doing this and may go to Uni when finished
He could do a BTEC in business / marketing?

They are enough to get into A levels - and he can have a supporting letter from school to help.
Have you asked the school which places might accept him?

Some schools will definitely be more lenient as they will need the numbers and if he’s got English and maths at 5 that should support him.

Whilst he may be disappointed all is not lost.

Two years ago my son got 1 Grade 8 (music), 2 Grade 5's (maths & English) and 2 Grade 4's, the rest were 2's and 3's. He knew that he wanted to study music and enrolled onto a Btec Extended Diploma. It is a different style of learning, much more real world skills and they can be excellent preparation for university.

Last week he got his results of D star D star D which equated to 160 UCAS points. He had the pick of universities to stdy music at. There were only around 5/6 places closed to him with a Btec.

How about looking at apprentiships instead of further education? I know a few who have done well with they're GCSEs and uni my neice included and can't get a job doing what they studied for. Also struggle to find one doing retail work as employers know they will only want to work there until a job comes along they want to do.

I would speak to someone there especially if it's a feeder college as there may be some leeway, especially as he's only a grade under.
Also could you look at any local sixth forms offering those courses? They might have different thresholds

As someone else has said, you may need to speak to someone higher up. DD did worse than expected at GCSE and we had to go to the Principal to get permission for her to still do the Level 3 course she wanted. She ended up with triple Distinction-Star. Good luck!