To be tired of teachers exaggerating

[onarailwaytrain]

Dd and DS (twins) in year 11 at the moment and all we have heard is how they have to get their GCSEs, their lives will be ruined if they don't, they will never get to college and never get a good job. Etc.

Dd in particular is unlikely to get many cs or above. AIBU in thinking the teachers should back off a bit?

And mechanics will need C grades! That is the new policy.

I would like everyone at the Dept for Education to read this thread. Our education system today is a hideous mess of unintended consequences. We (teachers) are trapped in a system that is all about one thing - 'producing results'. Most of us are desperately trying to do this while attempting to nurture, educate, challenge and inspire the next generation in our spare moments.
Sorry.

Part of the problem is that what one student feels is attacking his/her self-worth, another finds a motivating boost. Teachers can't win.

At my school, FWIW, I'm working with the G&T kids in yr 11 as part of my job as a form tutor and am dealing with how to manage stress and pressure.

It's not all about the teachers - life IS easier with those magic C grades in Maths & English.

And if everyone got 5 a-vs we'd be accussed of dumbing down the curriculum!

Can you look up something like this and investigate what type of jobs are available at KFC? That way you can show her what opportunities are available to her and that the teacher is quite frankly talking nonsense.

Is it worth investigating the maths version of dyslexia? I think its dyscalcula or something like that. If you know your DS has dyslexia it's not impossible that your DD might have this.

The Dept of Ed should read it.

If nothing else perhaps it has made people aware that things changed in September of last year.

Op
I know a few people who left with a handful of GCSEs and they work. Hairdressers, gas fitters, van drivers,nannies etc. some female friends have had children and never worked.

And they could go to college to brush up on exams later.

Nothing of value to add, other than that I'm thankful we home educate.

OP hug your DC and approach the school. If a teachers choice of words (even if said with the best intentions) are making your Son feel suicidal, people higher up the totem pole within the school need to know.

OP I really feel for you. My Dsis has three DCs, none of whom are academic. The eldest though, is getting there, the middle one is below average in everything. BUT, she is wonderful with animals. So she is planning on doing a weekend job in a local farm activity centre and they have said they will support her to do an 'animal handling course' when she finishes school.

It may be that your DCs will find something they are passionate about and will end up undertaking an apprenticeship or NVQs.

There are ways through for all if there is someone to guide them. I have no doubt that you will guide them through this but I agree that the teachers need to back off.

The new rules will mean they can't get in an apprenticeship without the grades.I think that this is what the teacher is worried about. Apprenticeships have never been easy anyway- my son wrote about 200 letters to get one, and he did scrape the 'passport' C grades.

Most teachers did the GCSES/a levels/degree route. Many don't think there is any other valid route to success because they have no experience of it. Schools have always had a monopoly on education but now with vocational routes such as studio schools and UTCs which can recruit from 14 head teachers will be worrying that their numbers will drop. I expect the GCSES-are-king talk will become all the more common from schools.

I think your anger is misdirected. Why is it that in british society certain vocations are seen as less worthy? What kind od society bases teachers' pay on results?

And yes while it is possible to do well without 5 good gcses, the chances are lower. The jobs you could get 40 years ago have been outsourced. There are fewer unskilled jobs available, so yes the chances of being unemployed if you are not skilled are statistically higher.

Your dcs will be able to get a reference from their school, so its not like there is no rwcognition for them being good kids.

Perhaps if your dc had an idea of what they were going to do post 16 it might help them get through it. You can help them with that. It really sounds as if the school is failing them. Are there any specialist colleges with different teaching techniquws? I know someone with a hearing problem fwho went to one and got as and bs at a level, after getting es and ns in a normal sixth form.

And what was it that bill gates said in his 10 tips? The world doesnt care about your feelings. yes, some teachers are arseholes. Your children will meet arseholes in all walks of life, so they need to develop ways to deal with them.

The thing is it is much harder to make your way in life without qualigications.

The industries that traditionally employed the unqualified are decimated.

Anything remotely vocational needs a college course which in turn needs a C in English and maths.

Only very low paid work is available for the unqualified. And given the cost of living in the UK and this governments view of in work benefits, it's difficult to see how anyone will be able to survive in the future ...

Very true redexpat
I think that most people posting haven't got an unacademic child who has already gone through the system and is in work.
They seem to think that it is easy to get apprenticeships and get in courses.
The reality is that there is huge competition. Many with A'levels are going down the apprenticeship route rather than get in debt at university.
My son did an apprenticeship but it was very hard to get. We had no connections. Firstly he went to college and had to do tests in core subjects to get a place. Then he had to find an employer and that involved he 200 letters. Most he never heard from, some he had to go to a centre and take their test. This was a DS who was dyslexic and not expected to get a C in English( how he got one is a mystery to me!) In the nick of time ( a week before the course started) he got one. And that was now 10 yrs ago before university fees went up.

The teacher is not passing in this news well but people seem to be shooting the messenger!
Those C grades are a passport to make life easier- they need to do their utmost to get them.

I can understand why importance to an extent should be stressed, and that they should be encouraged to do as well as possible.

But by no means does poor gcses = end of your life.

I had 12 A's and A*s at GCSES. I did 4 (full) A Levels and had 4 A's. I took a 'gap year' before Uni and never went back, so no degree. I have a decent job, management level, with a good salary.

DH on the other hand left school with a handful of D grades and started working in a hard-sell call centre. 10 years later he's worked his way into retail, worked his way up, and is now a higher level manager for a multi-million retail chain, earning double what I do.

He got an E at maths GCSE and now manages a multi million £ budget. His current company only looked at results he'd got from previous positions and never even mentioned any maths/business qualifications.

True theWordFactory - the very hardest part of being a parent to me has been launching them into the adult world of work. Anything else pales into insignificance and that is what has given me sleepless nights - 3times! The real world is tough- like hitting the brick wall! I can't see how pretending this is not true helps. The competition is huge- there is generally someone better. Coming 2nd for one place is no consolation.
I have 3 sons, all with good work ethics, all with excellent school reports and 2 went through university - it was tough for all three.
At least parents ought to face it to be ready to help.

This was over 10 yrs agoTeracotta- I could tell you countless stories like the boy who started shelf stacking in Tesco and now trains graduates- this is not today.

I'm a teacher - English. I teach almost exclusively bottom sets at ks4 and a level, am v experienced etc... My biggest concern for your kids and the 18 in my set 5 this year is this - if they don't get their c grade in maths and English then they will have to resit at college by law. Again and again until they either pass or finally turn 18. I can't think of anything less soul-destroying (and I had to situ driving test 5 times so I have some insight ).

Yes, it could theoretically impact my pay. It could certainly lead to some sticky conversations with my senior leaders as to why X only achieved an E when he was targeted a D. But my overwhelming motivations in pushing those kids are their future and my own personal pride in having done a good job with them. So I DO push them and make no apology for that. (Never make them feel like failures tho, or tell them they'll only get a McJob as that is utterly counterproductive IMO)

The dc DO know what they want to do post-education, which is a much better position than lots of 16/18yo.

See whether they'll be able to get onto the relevant courses for cars and elderly care and carry on with their English and mathematics at the same time.

Then you will be able to back up your assertion that there is a route to success for them without the Cs this year, which should help to take the pressure off them, boost their confidence, and give them evidence to refute any teachers' scare mongering.

Personally, I would have been grateful to have been told the reality beforehand and not stuck my head in the sand saying 'I'm sure it will be fine- x,y and z did brilliantly without 5 or 10 yrs ago'. My youngest took over a year to get a job with a 2:1 degree- he had treble figure competition for every job.
You don't walk Into any job these days. It is better to know the reality.

For mechanic apprenticeships they will need the C grade- the big thing at the moment is to improve the qualifications of carers.

My DB got two Cs the first time he took GCSEs, because despite all the times he was told by his teachers and my parents that they were important and he needed to work hard, he thought he knew better. He got another four GCSEs at college the following year, then not great A-Levels, worked in a factory then a call centre, then moved into IT and ended up as a consultant IT expert charging £30-40 an hour. So it's perfectly possible to do very well without a string of brilliant GCSEs, as long as you are prepared to start working in a quite low paid job and work your way up.

On the other hand, I have a PhD, but I earn considerably less than him and started my 'real' career considerably later.

Though as Delphinium has said higher up the thread... That's not today. That was 20 years ago. So I don't know.

i dont think teachers should back off from pushing the kids my younger one needs pushing shes so lazy , but the older one did get frustrated like yours , she was predicted an e in maths ,she just didnt get it , but after a stressful 8 month push managed to scrape a c and is now really thankful for it , you might be surprised with their results (i was ), and if they dont get great marks so what as long as they tried their hardest .