AIBU to tell DS to leave Sixth Form?

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DS did ok in his GCSEs. He JUST got into Sixth Form (studying Biology, English Literature and Psychology).

He is already struggling and it's only been 2 weeks. He has gone back most lunch times to talk to his class teachers, by the end of last week one of them said "Look X I can't keep giving you an extra lesson during my lunch break". He comes home and works really hard to get what they went over in class, especially as his teachers usually say "go home and learn the bits you were unsure of".

I don't think A Levels are for him. He says he definitely doesn't want to move to a BTEC because he thinks it limits his future. Also, he doesn't want to start somewhere else when he is just getting settled here.

Not sure what to do.

Doing well on a BTEC will give him more opportunities than getting low A level grades - if he’s already struggling at A level it’s not the right choice for him, I’m afraid. Sounds like he’s an ideal BTEC candidate (I teach BTEC and A level and my BTEC students enjoy their time at college more and come out with good results with no exam stress!)

I really do try to tell him that and he says he has looked at them, but none of them offer a subject he'd be interested in! He's so set on staying, but it's not doing him any good.

Does he have a form tutor he can talk to about how he's finding things, or a pastoral lead for 6th form, or even head of year? Someone who can have an overview of all subjects and experience of 6th formers.

He knows what he doesn't want to do. What does he think he should do?
If it's something he's interested in, I don't think a btec would limit his options, it's just a different path. Better than wasting 2 years getting frustrated at not understanding then coming out with nothing or very little to show for it.

I think you're right - if he's struggling now, Y13 is going to be a complete nightmare for him. Does he have any friends doing BTECs? Anyone around who could sell the idea to him?
If the teachers are (quite reasonably) reclaiming their lunch breaks he may flounder so much that he works out he needs to change himself - it may be that you have to sit tight till he reaches the right conclusion on his own. Horrible for you to watch happen though.

I did a btec. I now have a bachelor's of science! I dropped from A levels to btec even though I got only A and B GCSE results.

I had anxiety which led to fainting during class exams in the first weeks. Honestly it's the best thing I ever did. If he makes the change fast (I did it in the first four weeks) it's even better. Tell him to go for an applied science BTEC if that's what he wants to do. My class was just 10, got loads of 1-1 and even extra curricular activities which gave me science awards!

Can you afford some private tutoring?

My DD started her A levels, and did badly at her end of year exams. I basically said either you leave and get a job, or do a different course. She argued loads, but did leave and started a BTEC. She excelled in it, got into Uni and got a degree. She's now got a brilliant job and earns much more than me- and I earn plenty!

Op tell him to look for an traineeship

He will get the betc get paid and have a job at the end

A levels are really hard. I don't think that's talked about enough when Y11 kids are thinking about their future. They're easily the hardest two years study I've ever done.

However, what's really positive is that he knows he's struggling and he's asking for help. If he's determined to carry on, there's not a lot you can do.

It's not unusual though for students to decide on a different path at the end of Y12. He might get to that point and decide that Btec is the right route. Or he might turn it round during Y12 and get to grips with it.

I don't think you need to worry that he needs to make a decision now. It's early days, A levels are a shock to the system. If he carries on struggling, the school may well decide for him.

2 weeks is nothing. I think lots of them find the adjustment to 6th form hard. He's working hard at home bless him, I would just leave him be and be supportive/encouraging or have a meeting with the school in a few weeks. He can always change tack next year but he might pick up.

x post!

The jump between GCSE and A Level is huge from what I remember (20+ years ago), I got OK GCSE results but struggled at A Level (left after 1st year of 6th form). I think I’d have been better doing a YTS (as they were then known as) as I’m just not suited to classroom learning and exams and I struggle to articulate facts in essays; I’m OK at English Lit and analysing texts but I otherwise find it easier to talk through my answers or have specific coursework projects. Are there any apprenticeships he could apply for that relate to a field he’s interested in?

far better to a BTec in something you are good at / enjoy rather than struggle with A levels in subjects you are not good at / don't enjoy it. My son did a BTEC - he's now 21 and for the past three years has been earning £20k a year in a job he loves with good prospects. 18 Yr old daughter has just finished her BTEC and is just about to start a foundation degree while continuing to work P/T in her chosen field.

A levels aren't for everyone. It's not unusual for kids to change courses at that age.

A levels are a huge jump up and take some adjustment so if he’s determined to try, maybe give him a bit longer.

That said, my husband has no A-levels (did a BTEC instead) and has a good degree plus a post-graduate qualification as well. It’s not a barrier to higher education, if that’s his worry?

Give him a chance to settle in, it's only been two weeks.

Is he only doing 3 subjects in Year 12? Maybe it works differently now or schools work differently, but I did four AS-levels and 3 A-levels, dropped one subject at the end of year 12.

He's chosen challenging subjects though. Are those definitely what he wants to do, related to what he aspires to? So early on in the year, could he change one of them to something he struggles less with?

I was a straight A GCSE student getting E's and D's in assessments in first half term of A-levels! Obviously I knuckled down but the jump between yr11-12 is huge. If you can afford to wait I would see how he is doing at half term, I think it's just too early to tell how he will do.

Hopefully my story will give him confidence that a BTEC can work wonders.
I didn't do so well at GCSE - I moved straight to BTEC and realised I had to push myself harder if I was going to succeed. I think the fear of failure, the fear of those qualifications being my last, my highest level of attainment, was the driving factor.
I did engineering - I was looking for the easiest route into university at the time, but I ended up doing really well. Essentially, the things I struggled with at school weren't problematic a year or two down the line. I caught up and went straight through to university.
The fear factor remained - I had to get a good degree - otherwise the best thing I had on my CV was the BTEC. I took all the opportunities I could - went abroad to work at a foreign company and learnt another language. Finished with a 2:1.
Did a master's to strengthen the first degree after learning a few things on placement. It was a good move, because the university paid for a doctorate afterward.

I'm a manager now at a engineering firm - and if I could do anything else in the world, it would be to help teenagers lose the fear around leaving school with less than ideal grades. Doesn't pay very well though!

A levels are really hard. I don't think that's talked about enough when Y11 kids are thinking about their future. They're easily the hardest two years study I've ever done

I thought GCSEs were harder. At least with A levels you can ditch the subjects you don't like/are no good at. A levels were a lot of work, but I didn't struggle academically with them. I wonder if the OP's son has chosen the right subjects for him. He's still got time to switch, I switched subjects at Oct half term of my first year.

Has he looked at advanced apprenticeships? I did shit in my A-Levels so went and did an apprenticeship in engineering. I did a BTEC at college and am just about to start the final year of my degree!! So tell him A-Levels really aren't the be all and end all