To think that 4 G.C.S.E's needed to do business studies is ridiculous

[magicalmadmadamim]

My eldest DS is 16 and been at college since September. He has 2 G.C.S.E equivalent certificates in English and Maths.
I'm sure back when I was in college business studies was always a foundation course?
He really wanted to do business studies and they have put him on some really rubbish courses that he is super bored with.
Is it me or is education getting much harder now?
Hardly any of his school friends passed any g.c.s.e's :(

Life isn't all about Alevels ...

not sure why you think him being expelled was OTT as the incident you described was appalling. Somehow excused as he was his friend. Even worse for the poor child who was ridiculed in person by his so called friends, and then had it circulated round the internet. If my son did that i’d be telling him he got everything he deserved, not making excuses and suggesting it was an over reaction. Also a GCSE course is 2yrs, so the fact he didn’t sit the actual GCSE’s shows he wasn’t on track anyway. Sounds like he spent his secondary messing around, which is really disruptive to kids who do want to learn.

Whilst most of his friends may have no qualifications, this isn’t the norm for kids his age. Great if he can make money from this server, good luck to him, but yes he needs some qualifications. But how is he going to manage a business studies course when he can’t pass GCSE’s. Business studies involves maths. I’d get him to actually sit GCSE maths and English as this functional skills won’t get him far when faced with competition from others who have GCSE’s.

You are wrong. I’m not sure how me googling exam papers for both or either would make you right.

For a teacher your comprehension is really bad
You dont seem ti understand what equivalent means ?
Nobody is suggesting functional skills are GCSE,s they are saying they are an equivalent qualification, which many colleges and Apprenticeship, s accept.

100% there is more to life than A-Levels! Due to SEN, my DD only passed 3 GCSEs above grade 4 and the rest were 3s. She applied to do Level 3 in animal care but was refused a place because all her sciences were Grade 3. She's now doing Level 2 and is on course for distinction – passing the course is the equivalent of four more GCSE passes, including animal biology. That's enough to get her onto the Level 3 course.

So basically you are saying if somone doesn't do Alevels they are a write off?

@Passingthrough123 Glad the animal care is going well. DD's favourite practical lesson was dog walking!

My DD's favourite is doing health checks on ferrets and chinchillas!

I bet thats fun🤣

Target training lemurs was also a favourite!

So much fun! She's having a ball and is doing better in her assessments and tests than she ever did at any subject in school. Despite what some PP think – cannot believe that person is actually a teacher – some kids who barely scrape their GCSEs will soar if they find their passion.

Loving the unusual animal anecdotes. My son was born extremely prematurely and had a brain bleed at birth. He has multiple complex disabilities. I can’t put into words how proud I am of him for passing maths and English Functional Skills. I have lived experience that they are counted as GCSE grade 4 passes. He went on to get a Distinction Star in his Computer Gaming T-Level. To get onto this course he needed maths and English GCSEs or Functional Skills. And yes, I’ve seen exam papers for both. They spent months on my kitchen table.

@CatkinToadflax That's fantastic!

Yeah but he's got a Minecraft server so that's ok....!

Thank you so much ☺️ Sounds like your DD is doing similarly well.

Business studies is not an easy at A level or equivalent. I think you needed 5 at the when I went to college in 2000. It’s quite complex depending on the specific curriculum.

That's a fantastic success story! Well done your DS.

Thank you so much, and to your DD. Nice to know our children aren’t ’write offs’ after all!

Absolutely! Still can't believe a teacher dared to write that. Pity the poor kids in her class who are struggling.

Racist bullying is a big deal, interrupting prayer is disrespectful and the fact the child was in the prayer room meant they went looking for him to do this.

The school absolutely behaved appropriately expelling the kids for this islamaphobia. And your dismissal of the seriousness does him no favours. He was 17 not 7, he knew this wasnt OK and intentionally did it. On camera.

Additionally hes late and disrespectful to teachers to make classmates laugh. Thats a behavioural issue and it would also make me worry about his self esteem that he thinks its appropriate to do the wrong things to feel liked.

I think you being in another country and dad working long hours is a massive issue for him. And "Minecraft" mining, I think you said he makes money on - crypto is crashing and he needs to think of his future.

Id be talking to him and the school, to work out how to best help him work towards qualifications or an apprenticeship that works for him

Functional Skills is equivalent to GCSE in that they are both Level 2 qualifications. They are different in approach.

it’s similar to how a Level 3 Btec is an A level equivalent qualification. Different emphasis & ways of working/assessing. Many employers and universities will accept them but some specific ones will not.

FS maths & Engkish will allow you to progress to employment, apprentiships and L 3 college courses, even university. They won’t allow you to progress to A level maths for example.

@magicalmadmadamim re not passing GCSE a whole host of reasons.
Unfortunalty teaching for the cohort has gone out the way in many schools.
Ideally each lesson should be adapted for the learners but you can imagine how hard that is when so many have needs and no fault of theirs but teaches have no send training. .

It's a travesty though and a shame on us

His intent doesnt matter.

Ive absolutely no idea why youre brushing over it like it was no big deal. He went with lads he doesnt usually hang around with to the prayer room, and then proceeded to ridicule his Muslim "friend" whilst hes praying while someone films it? Vile. They went looking for a target. If you suggest thats not the case, nothing you say will convince me this gang of teens went there to say their own prayers or reflect.

School is absolutely right in showing this zero tolerance.

@HarshbutTrue2 his parents like many over the UK probably thought the school could cover every angle and were doing their job.

Can he retake the GSCEs?