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 :(

Even if he got expelled, if he was able to go back and do the exams he would have passed most of them with an ok grade if he had been doing work for the last two years. Most of the GCSE coursework is covered way before the exams start.
He should have been able to achieve much more, so it sounds like he was doing a lot of messing about.

If he can't get 4 GCSEs realistically he is not academic enough to do business studies. I'm not saying this to be harsh. This is just the reality.

It sounds like you are making excuses for him, sorry OP! Two GCSEs is pretty appallingly imo; unless he's really thick, he can't have applied himself on any level. I didn't go into school the last three or four weeks when doing my GCSEs, because I found it easier to revise at home and got 10 GCSEs A* through to B. He would presumably have already handed in any coursework beforehand, and so the marks from that would already have been decided?

I'd try and (subtly) get him to view it as a bit of a life lesson. If you're not arsed working towards something, the options you get might well be fewer and more dull. If he works hard at the courses he's currently on, he'll be likely to have better options going forward. But if the spin is "poor him, he didn't do anything wrong but now he's being made to do something beneath him because he's clever really and deserves better", he'll happily believe it, which won't serve him well.

A level 2 course is GCSE level so the two passes should be enough. I work in a college and we would take into account more than just exam results.

Ah so you technically minded son runs a minecraft server (and up all hours admin'ing it) and that is not connected to why he didn't pass GCSEs ?????

He was 'busy' earning pennies from his 'business' when he should have been revising

You son has two low level functional exams in maths and english. It is not difficult to obtain them, you barely do more than write your name down to get a pass in Level 1

I sat the functional skills 2 maths exam a few years ago, and I can tell you it is an absolute walk in the park, it is + - x / questions, simple probability and the 'hardest' maths is how to calculate the circumference of a circle.

I would suggest your son knuckle down to BTEC level easy with a functional element, accept he is in his 'bonus year' to get those GCSE passes up to 4. If not, its an apprenticeship route or armed forces for him. If he gets on with it and increases his GCSE (or equivalent) tally he can progress onto Level 3 education (A levels or equivalent).

Boundaried parenting, getting rid of the minecraft server for a year and regular studying at the kitchen table may help. This includes stop denying his laziness and avoidance of study. Stop blaming the school, and get yourself clued up your childs education, at least to a level where you know what is happening. Even if you are not the resident parent you are entitled to be included in every communication between the school and the resident parent, to get copies of reports etc.

You are far from blameless in this mess.

I wish I had read all nine pages before replying, your son sounds like a nasty character. He needs a lot of help at home and in school. I vote the Army, they pick up where parents can't and will discipline him into being a reasonable human

I don’t think 4 GCSE’s is a lot to ask tbh for something like Business Studies. Does he hope of having ahead business one day? He will need some skills and education for that - why did he not do well academically? Was he committed etc or just wasted his time. Those are also required skills- yes there are the actual grades, but it’s also about being able to stick at it and tackle the challenge despite the rest of life going on. That’s part of the learning. Does he have a mentor or tutor/teacher you can speak to and find out what options he has? Hopefully this will kick him into gear and he can take a couple more GCSEs so he can then follow whatever he likes. Tell him to forget his mates! X

It sounds like he has had extremely inadequate supervision for several years, what with his father’s long working hours and your long distance parenting. He is either of extremely low ability, or hasn’t bothered to learn a thing at school since primary level, with the incident that led to his permanent exclusion being the final straw after an extended period of disruptive, obnoxious behaviour that would have been harmful to the education of all the other children in his classes, not just to him. Unfortunately, the consequence of this behaviour not being confronted by his parents years ago is that he is now unable to prove he is capable of tackling anything more complex than the tedious courses he is currently studying. Just telling the college he is finding the work boring and easy isn’t going to cut it. The college have no proof he isn’t thick as mince, lazy and with an atrocious attitude to work, and have no great incentive to take a risk on him given his behaviour record. Why are you even persevering with a school-like environment if he responds so poorly to it?

I'm in Scotland, so our schooling system is different, but all my career has been in FE & HE. In my experience, Colleges are really keen to get kids into the best courses and qualification opportunities they can. If your son is being told there's a barrier to the Business Studies course, it will be for a reason. The last thing they will want would be to set him up to fail, so they must be reasonably sure that he's not ready for this.

I suspect that the poor exam attainment (sorry) in his GCSE year; you say he sat and failed the GSCEs, and only then took the functional Maths and English; coupled with his behaviour issues, have made the College rightfully concerned about what is achievable in this year.

I would again suspect that it's a year for him to knuckle down, concentrate on behaviour and conduct, attendance, timekeeping, etc.. and plan to aim to get into the Business Studies course for Sept 2026. Otherwise, I can completely understand why the College feel it's a risk too far, unfortunately for your son. There are other routes, which take longer, and won't be as structured, but it's a salutatory lesson for him to see what the consequences of his actions are. (Yes, he's a child, but he's really a young adult, and needs to learn acceptable behaviours.)

I feel that this boy has been failed. Failed by his parents and failed by his school.

I also think there must be a back story. Why would a mother move a long distance away from her child? Was it an abusive marriage? Has the boy been abused by his father? Is the boy dyslexic?

It all sounds terribly dysfunctional. It's no wonder he mucked about in class, because he wanted the attention he wasn't getting at home. He behaves badly because he has no boundaries.

There is more to this than the OP is telling us.

Why has he only got 2 equivalent GCSEs aged 16? What Grades are these GCSEs? To count as credible passes they should be grades A-C or 1-3 . Personally as a teacher I would like to see him broaden his base of qualifications. If he has struggled academically vocational based qualifications maybe better like NVQs. Im of the opinion Business Studies as a GCSE is not very valuableonnits own but IT could be more useful. Work experience is also very useful. He needs to be able to grow a CV to be attractive to employers The problem is that I've found with so many less academic kids is that theyve wasted those 2 vital years 10 and 11 and if they dont pull up and put some work in and engage in education or training they can find it very difficult to get a job or to move on. A Level courses typically ask for 5 GCSEs and even vocational courses will ask for these GCSEs. The competition is great for places. You might not like what Im saying but its the truth Im afraid.

Ah my school didn't offer gcse business actually but that sounds great. Glad they do that now.
Funnily enough, I now work in corporate and do use what I studied, so I would say Business is probably one of the most useful subjects you can study if you want to go into a business in any capacity

Once he gets to 18yrs hes an adult. He needs to get up in the morning off his backside and get his bum in gear. Nothing like keeping a fat cuckoo in the nest. If he thinks that the tax payer will provide and he can sign on. He can think again. He won't get any benefits. There's plenty of these cuckoos thinking they can earn money influencing, gaming etc. Sitting in front of screens through the night, sleeping in the day. It doesnt work out . This lad has lacked structure and discipline, poor parenting and yep schools lose interest in nuisances, they're happier when they dont turn up but it breeds depression, mental illness, loneliness and trouble. Sadly, its getting a bit late by 16 when a boy still has little to offer.

Well then what the hell is your excuse?

There are routes into extended education for those without formal qualifications. They are called access courses and they are usually offered to mature students who missed out on getting GCSES. GCSES have never been the only route. What this boy needs is to sort himself out. He has been part of a group of under achievers, hes lost school time, made himself a nuisance, got himself expelled. Got no sense of direction bored by most things, no application. His got his screens, hes fed and watered and warm what incentive has he got? Why should the college admit him to a business studies course on such poor form on his part ( the OP doesn't tell us the level of this course..perhaps GNVQ, perhaps an A Level) even 4 GCSEs is a low requirement. Of course if the lad has special education needs thats a different matter. This one is just lazy, immature and needs a wake up call.

Ridiculing someone practicing their religion does not equal ‘teenage horseplay’.

I feel sorry for this kid. You’ve failed him as a parent.

If he's interested in economics and investment he's going to need A Level Maths for any decent econ and finance degree, a far cry from functional skills maths.

You absolutely do not need 4 GCSEs to take BTEC Level 2 Business Studies! Level 2 is the equivalent to a GCSE (Level 3 is the equivalent to an A Level). The actual course is irrelevant - to take any Level 3 course you need 4 GCSEs including English and Maths. There are no entry requirements for Level 2 courses and if he already has Level 2 functional skills in English and maths then he’s more than qualified. Go on the exam board website (Pearson) find the course details and it will have the entry requirements on there. Show this to his college and question why they are stopping him from doing the course.

Completely incorrect mumof1or2

Most FE colleges require four GCSE or equivalent passes at Grade 3 to take a Level 2 Btec course.

Pearson (or any other exam board) don’t set entry requirements. That’s up to the college & it’s based on their knowledge of who is likely to pass the course.

I know I am going off topic but are there enough jobs for software developers to retrain in this field? I read AI has reduced the demand for developers substantially.

toerag??

He has one parent living abroad, not sure for how long, and other parent working long hours.

He is a neglected child who has gone off rails. He needs guidance and support, not being called names.

I completely agree. This has been a proper pile-on, and rightly because the boy has been lazy and ill motivated and an Islamophobic bully and seems now to want to be bailed out again and again. The OP seems in massive denial about how poorly he has performed, both academically and morally.

But at the heart of this is a child who has not been parented.

Is he getting full marks in his assessments?

Firstly, your son messed up. You're ex dropped the ball. He did messed about and didn't take it seriously. He got poor results.
Secondly, your son is reporting all this so take it with a pinch of salt.
He needs to get his head down. This is the consequence of a wasted chance.

YABU, if he can't pass GCSE's then he is unlikely to do well at business studies which involves a good understanding of maths at the very least. The entry levels to the course are there to enable the college to select students who have the potential to do well.

Being at a functional level in English is a pretty low bar to be starting from.