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 :(

Should he not be back trying to get a decent set of GCSE passes with good grades. He’s need them to move onto higher education. What does he want to do long term?

Yes, this - better explains why I wonder there is an element denial or lack of awareness by OP.

I'm confused. I thought you didn't in the UK and haven't done so for years, so why are you talking about GCSE's and functional skills exams?

It was no more than him and a group of young lads indulging in basically a bit of teenage horseplay. The problem was that another student recorded it on their phone and it went around tik tok.
No drugs, smoking, violence or girls were involved but the school really didn't like it.
He admitted afterwards it was stupid and he wasn't thinking! Suspension would have sufficed to teach him a lesson.

No on gets expelled a few weeks before their exams and banned from sitting them. Not for “nothing.” So something very bad happened, and it sounds like he was also in with the wrong crowd if none of his friends passed their exams. Possibly in the group of wasters really? With poor behaviour and poor study ethic and all the rest of it.

He needs to sort himself out. He should be trying to get his GCSEs now, and planning for the future and sorting out his behaviour as well.

It won't have been a minor incident. As predicted, this type of minimising his behaviour has eventually had a long term consequence. L2 Business is equivalent to GCSE.

When I say friends, i meant most of the people in his year group. He still got to sit the exams just was not allowed back at school.

He's not doing a higher level course. He's doing a Level 2 course, which is the same level as a GCSE.

He only got 2 GCSEs.

What was he excluded for OP? I doubt it was as minor as you think

no I think it’s standard that you should pass your GCSEs. Why are his friends all doing so badly? It’s not a high expectation to pass 4 GCSEs. They have been at school studying to pass the exams for years. You have to be pretty uninterested to be taught from year 10 and then to fail the paper.
if studying is not his thing why does he want to do business as a qualification?
it’s definitely not unreasonable to expect people to show competence at the bare minimum before awarding a place on a higher education course. Imagine how it would be to study on a course where the other students were not able but were given the place anyway. It would be incredibly frustrating.

No need to be confused, he doesn't live with me full time he lives with his dad.

So on that basis the expulsion shouldn’t have had much of an effect on his grades surely?

Level 2 is gcse equivalent. So if your ds has less than 5 he cannot progress onto a higher level course. You need a basic level of maths and literacy to grasp the content. Lower levels, if offered, will basically be embedded numeracy and literacy.

No. He geniunely did struggle with them but got the functional skills no problem.

Level 2 is equal to 4 GCSEs - a lot of BTEC l 3’s have a minimum of 4 4’s including maths and or English. The level 2 is the 1 year pathway to L3 and he needs to suck it up!

my daughter is on L2 childcare because she needed a 5 in English for T level and got a 4. Not all kids pass 4+ and it’s not easy for everyone or down to lack of effort- my daughter has an acquired brain injury following illness and it impacts her memory and processing skills. I was damn proud she passed maths, English, art and one science!

she’s going to do an apprenticeship next year

He needs to realise that not everything in life that’s worthwhile is completely fascinating for him but that he still needs to engage if he wants to get anywhere.

Not necessarily. As long as they meet some basic requirements and have motivation for the course it makes sense.

So he was allowed to sit the exams but failed? And you think he should now be given the chance at a higher course? Why? If he can’t manage a few GCSEs then he’ll fail that too.

He needs to sort himself out and take his school work seriously, and get some GCSEs now then look into higher education or go for an apprenticeship in something he is capable of. But he does need to sort himself out. He’ll be an adult before he knows it and he needs a way to support himself so he has to find that way. It doesn’t need to be academic.

bit of teenage horseplay.

Nobody gets permanently excluded a few weeks before their GCSEs for this. It sounds like you are massively minimising what he did to excuse his behaviour.

You telling him that 'needing 4 GCSE's to do Business Studies is ridiculous' is not doing him any favours either.

In two years, this child will become an adult who will be entering the workforce believing he's hard done by and the world owes him a living because his mum seemingly excuses everything he does.

Why doesn't he knuckle down and get a set of GCSEs this year (without engaging in any behaviour that would get him expelled) at college to show his hard work and commitment, and then go and study business studies with those under his belt.

I might check that with him because it doesn't say which level gcse on the website. He has just told me they won't let him do it for some reason!

Still confused. If he was allowed back to do his exams (which is what you've said), then he should have been taking GCSEs not functional skills.

Tbh you seem very relaxed about his poor behaviour which resulted in expulsion and his poor work ethic. 2 GCSE (unless there are mitigating factors) is extremely poor.

Is it me or is education getting much harder now?

It is a lot harder to take/re-take GCSE later than it was in past deacde - many on here are oblivious to that - and many courses want 5 GCSE at level 4 or higher for next stage courses.

There are a few paths though - depends on area - but local careers service might be helpful to try.

DS school was bloody awful before GCSE exams accusing him of all sorts and surpised when we could porve was all rubbish - but while they made vauage threats it would have been quite extreme to expell right before GCSE exams and not allow them to at least be sat.

If the course needs 4 GCSE or equilents - you can try talking to them but that likely there min requirment so it's how to get that though alternative level 2 qualifications.

The college told him this not me. He is technically already earning money so he does not think the world owes him a favour at all thanks.

He still got to sit the exams just was not allowed back at school.

Does he have level 1 passes or did he fail them all completely?

TBH it sound like you have half a tale - and I think Ds and his resident parent should be talking directly to the college and see what path they are suggesting.

So by GCSE equivalent I'm guessing he has Functional Skills rather than an actual GCSE. To do a Level 2 Business studies course at our local college they state that you have to have at least 4 GCSE's at Grade 3 or above. If a student has not reached that level then it is unlikely they will be sucessful at Level 2 study straight off hence they would be asked to do a 1 year Level 1 course first.