Don't want dd to be under pressure in year 11.

[Forthisthread222]

Dd is behinde at school. She's just finished year 10 so will be going into year 11. She got the following marks end of year grades.

English language 3. Predicted 4
English literature 2. Predicted 0
Maths 1+ predicted 3-
Combined science 3-3 predicted 3-3
RE 2+ predicted 2
Business study p2 predicted p2
Geography 3 predicted 4
Creative media p2 predictive p2

Personally im not worried about her grades. I feel like there are alternatives in education that she could study at college or other educational settings. We are not an accedemic family. Well apart from my oldest ds . But everyone else not at all.

Dd feels under alot of pressure the school is very strict. There's definitely no school home life balance. I dont feel theres enough down time theres always something lingering.

I feel her grades dont define her as a person and her mental health is much more important. She's on the waiting list for CAMHS. She's in contact with samaritans. I know she was doing something with kooth but shes not mentioned them in a while. I dont think anything will come of CAMHS. But we will have to see.

I have given her lots of hugs told her not to worry . Told her to do her best for HER not the school its her who matters not them. I told her education is for ever. And theres alternatives in education such as animal courses, photography amd other things.

I would push on the English and Maths as she'll struggle to get on many courses without 4s/5s in those.

I'd say the best thing is to look into all the alternatives, have a plan for education going ahead that she can do with those sorts of grades and, as you are doing, just encourage her to do the best she can do.

Surely she's doing the wrong type of courses if she's getting those grades. Would it not be more satisfying to be doing a course she can complete with a good mark. Does the school do AsDAN awards or other more suitable courses. Why would they force a child to study a course where they can only get 5 percent, that's cruel surely.

Can you get additional support for Maths and English Language as they are needed for so many things?

I'd speak to the school about sitting fewer subjects and doing more study in key subjects.

No she won't.
With those expected grades across the board she would be far better off starting at Level 2 or Level 1 and she can access those levels without 4s/5s in English & Maths.

That said, trying to pass at least one of those will lighten the college timetable which would be very helpful.

Thank you . We were looking at this place . Obviously cam look at others to . I think she wants to come away from the feeling of school. Although she knows there will be classroom work as well . I think she may feel different. She saud shes definitely interested

https://www.capel.ac.uk/campuses-and-facilities/enfield/?utm_term=capel%20manor%20college&utm_campaign=&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&hsa_acc=6923087498&hsa_cam=22585320167&hsa_grp=179538906683&hsa_ad=753694981385&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-448701023982&hsa_kw=capel%20manor%20college&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22585320167&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyvfDBhDYARIsAItzbZHhclknsteKEDmY4n8EcRcpUNZRuubi72O7ouuSIZhLtU8M1tazjuwaAu4jEALw_wcB

I’d not even mention the ‘try your best’, I think it’s better to say ‘just have a go’.

If she needs Maths and English she could have a go at Functional skills; lever 2 is equivalent to GCSE level 4. Functional skills is often easier to interpret as it’s real life situations a lot of the time.

I dont think anything can be changed now can it now shes going into year 11.?

A lot of these courses require four GCSEs at grade 3 or above, though

OP, my DD is at agricultural college and so far has done 3 years of animal care, working slowly up. It has been so good to see her confidence increase as she is on courses she can do rather than doing a bunch of GCSEs she struggled with.

Level 2 tends to need 4 at grade 3. Level 1 does not.
And below level 1 there are entry level courses.

Functional Skills Maths/English tends not to be offered by schools, and Level2 not even offered at many colleges.

Not everyone is academic. You sound like an amazing and supportive parent.
Years ago children who weren't academic left at 14, and often worked hard and progressed in their own way. The government is obsessed with pushing everyone as far as possible into further education which isn't always appropriate.
Im sure she will do great with something vocational.
Just try and encourage her to focus on English and Maths as theyre the subjects most useful to real life.

Thats a great alternative!

No she won’t. There are courses at FE colleges for people with no qualifications at all. For some vocational courses, even students with a clutch of grade 9s would start at L2 rather than L3 because of the need to gain the technical skills. GCSES aren’t the be all and end all for everyone.

May be an idea . I may ask to talk to senco . I know she had a dyslexia screening.and they gave her extra time for exams but nothing came of the screening but she does still get the extra time.

In apart of year 10 she was going to year 9 for 1 of the lessons. But dd said she felt embarrassed so stopped going.

Im not sure if your suggestion would work because she may need some sort of gcse even if its not key subjects to get onto another course. If she fails key subjects them she has nothing if doesn't study non key subjects?

I will speak to them thougj because I see where your coming from.

I don't know what she has been forced by school to take, but there does seem to be some quick wins here:

Giving up Eng Lit and RE will create some time for her to focus more on Maths and English Language. You may not worry about her grades, but often a 5 is required in these subjects to get into anything so English lang and maths are well worth prioritising above Eng lit and RE (useless to her in this situation and wasting her time/energy/stress). If you can afford a tutor for Maths/Eng, then this could benefit her enormously.

Thank you. Im glad your dd is OK. This is the sort of thing I think may be good for dd.

Please can people stop scaremongering with all the need a grade 5 for English/Maths nonsense.
Yes maybe for someone aiming at A levels or T-Levels, but not for someone starting at a lower level vocational course.

I think an hour of maths a day in the summer could really bring her up especially if she just does Foundation GCSE which is simpler.

She's already scoring some 3s?

This is going to be controversial.

Sometimes I think pushing a student from a grade 2 to a 3 in English/Maths is counterproductive. Once you have that 3, Government funding rules make it necessary to work towards the Grade 4 in GCSE, but there is still quite a mountain between just above a 2 and a grade 4.

Only getting a 2 means (as far as I understand) a college can offer Functional Skills instead. (Though a lot of them don't and just do GCSE anyway.)

@Forthisthread222 Have a word with the college re what they do with English & Maths so you are informed, in case you want to focus effort for y11 on just 1 of them and try to get some of those others 3s up to 4s instead.

The other thing to be aware is the level of writing skills needed for courses, even if they are vocational. There was a definite step up for DD between her Level 1 and Level 2 courses, and the Level 3 course my eldest did was also a clear step up from DD's Level 2. It isn't the Eng Lang GCSE level stuff, but being able to write coherent sentences, and answering in enough detail what the assignment is asking for is still important.

Yeah there are some but she'll have so many more choices if she gets the passes in maths and English.

Thank you. I was hoping if dd can get onto a course like this. That she will build in confidence. Which will help her achieve more with each level she does ?

Taking a different angle on this.
You say there is no home-school balance.
What from school is taking over and reducing the opportunities for her to do something that would be beneficial to her (physically, mentally or academically)?
If you look at what is taking over all evenings and weekends, that might give you the ideas of what needs to be disregarded.