3 CSEs - any good?

[CheckTrousersBlanco]

I was born in 1969 - hence I didn’t do GCSEs. I did all CSEs - no O Levels.

My mum said I did better than my brother a year younger who got no qualifications at all.

So mumsnetters - be honest - do you see 3 CSEs as good ?

Of course its poor OP
What do you do now though? Did you do well in life?

How old do you think we are? Born in 1966 and went to a comprehensive school

As in there were loads of areas that had got rid of grammars in the late70s/80s

My mum has no academic qualificarions.

she went to a vocational secondary school and left with certificates in shorthand and typing.

in those days you were allowed to do vocational courses and just not do O levels or CSEs.

she’s one of the most intelligent people I know and is very interested in dark age history and the Roman Empire.

Eh? Most schools were comprehensives. Only a few in the 80s (as now) required passing of 11+.

Presumably you’ve worked throughout your adult life and so clearly haven’t been held back? I was born in the same year and had to do 9 O level at a grammar school, which was pretty hard and was regularly made to feel as thick as pigshit. Not sure at 55/56 it really matters any more if you’ve had a successful life so far?

Born in 1967 went to bog standard rural comp and got 10 O levels. 3 CSEs is very basic education wise. You did ask!

Ii plus was abolished before 1974 as I didn't get to do it so had no option but to go to a very bad ex secondary modern school.

Born in 1969 and we had to take 11+ and go to either grammar or secondary modern. Only 2 comps in town were faith schools you
had to prove church attendance to go to.

Teaching has improved significantly with loads of research into effective teaching practice which has transformed classrooms. My secondary experience in the 1990s was vastly different to that of my older siblings in the 1970s and my kids now. Our understanding of how the brain works and the processes of learning has developed significantly even if Dewey and Piaget are still used.

My grandfather (head teacher until the 1970s) would be astounded (and horrified!) by the school at which my brother is head. The approach to teaching and learning vastly different.

Also support for and understanding of additional needs has also improved massively. Whilst this doesn’t make children ‘cleverer’ it does mean that children have greater opportunity to achieve.

Sorry, but no. I was born in late 1960 and took my O levels/CSEs in 1976. My school expected everyone to take at least 8 exams, some took 9. Maths and French had 2 streams, O levels for the cleverer girls, CSEs for the thickies. I was a thicky. It was a school that needed passing an entrance exam to get in, so there were no really disadvantaged girls there, but there were a few who didn't manage to pass more than 5 O levels/CSEs.

I was lucky I think in that the teaching was generally good, no excuses were allowed for homework that wasn't done, and there were fairly high expectations of the girls who went there. Without those I wouldn't have got the 8 passes that I did.

If you want to get more GCSEs then it's not too late! If you don't then that's absolutely fine. At our age I don't think it can be expected of us 😁

In my county, schools went comp in 1980, so someone born in 1969 might have done 11+ and started at grammar or secondary modern, which then became just two comprehensive secondary schools. I'm not sure quite when they stopped the 11+. I was born in the early '70s and got stuck at the bottom of junior school for 3 years as it converted to a middle school, and was then the first year of GCSEs, so many of our 4th year and mock exams were old O'level papers.

I wouldn't have been impressed by 3 CSEs unless there were other circumstances like illness, but no one will care now - experience will be more important. Mind you, I was asked to provide certificates for English and Maths GCSE about 5 years ago, despite having other qualifications I wouldn't have been able to start without English and Maths GCSEs...

I vaguely recall that the average as 3 grade 3 CSEs.

It would have been a dire result in my family (I'm a year older than you) but it's all relative I guess... My family are academic (Lots of O and A levels, we all have good degrees )... But for all that I never used my degree and earn next to nothing! 😆

Not all areas had proper comprehensives and in many there was poor access. I am born in 1962 and went to a comprehensive school - but from my year group of almost 300 only the top set for maths took O level - a handful from set 2 double entered O level/CSE and almost everyone else took CSE apart from those who left at Easter without taking exams.

I know someone born in 1959 (currently 65) who was undiagnosed dyslexia and failed 11+ and sent to a school that only offered CSEs (no O levels) and had it drummed into them they were not academic and manual work was their only option. Left school at 16 with 5 CSEs (most grade 3 and 4) and went to work as a council binman. Lucky to have parents that supported continuing education at FE college and achieved 8 O levels, 3 A levels, went to Uni in their 20s and did a postgraduate professional qualification and worked a professional job for the next 30+ years.

But the system wrote them off (and many others) at 11.

At that time you could get a reasonable job with 3 cse's rather than now when you could have a brilliant degree from a top university and still be pouring coffees

Systems generally cater to the average, not to specialist cases. Otherwise they become extraordinarily expensive to implement, effectively you need one on one teaching. You'd be looking at a very low % of people who would go through the experience you described above, and that would not be catastrophic for society (although it would have severe impact on the individual).

You could argue that the system did actually work in this case anyway as the person was able to realise their full potential eventually, even if they didn't manage to do it in a timely manner.

That's as maybe but most LA,s in England had phased out Grammar schools by the late 70,s .

I'd query what 'good' means. Good for what? Have you struggled to find meaningful work that allowed you to have the life you wanted or make a positive difference to people? If so, then yes, 3 CSEs is absolutely fine. Like you said, it's not like you're trying to apply to a Russell Group university or aiming to get a PhD in astrophysics.

I think a lot of people were let down by the education system in the past. The number of your qualifications and how 'impressive' they are doesn't mean that anyone should be able to / allowed to judge your intelligence or success, let alone your value to society. I know plenty of people who didn't get a lot of 'impressive' qualifications who have done a lot of good and made the world a better place.

I also did O levels, so very similar age to you OP.
As a peer I would have considered a school mate getting 3 CSE's to be a pretty low acheiver (but better than someone with no exams at all under their belt)
But lifetime success/attainment isn't just about that. Not everyone is an academic achiever.

My school is still a grammar school now. Not all areas phased out the 11+.

Which is why I said most ,there are only 163 Grammar schools in the whole of England ,the vast majority became comprehensive, s by the late 70,s.

In the 1970s about a third of pupils took O levels and the rest took CSEs.

Less than 10% went to University

No, definitely not good.
You sound weirdly obsessed with how old you look!

oh god

I only got grade 1 CSE English and grade 3 Biology, no maths or anything else

feel a total failure now🙄