only three GCSEs?

[Marshallstreet]

Home educated dd is on a path to only gain three GCSE’s (if she is lucky).

She has been working extremely hard to get in to a selection of academies abroad for a certain activity (so sorry for being vague but it’s a small community so would potentially be outing). It turns out she has been waitlisted at all of them, against expectation, and it is overwhelmingly likely that she won’t have a place come September.

I know I have failed her by not making her take her academics more seriously but please understand it has been a very difficult situation, where she has this specific plan of what she wants to do, and enough aptitude to be seriously considered for places in these academies. She has had to be very focused on developing in this area and things have been incredibly intense, so we decided that she could go for it, as it couldn’t wait for later, while academics can always be caught up on.

Things are not great right now and we have to salvage what we can. She has one gcse from
last year which she took one year early, and is doing foundation maths and one additional subject now. I think the best she can hope for in her second subject is a 6 or 7 and she’d have to have luck on her side for that.

For September, could she go to school for a levels with only three GCSE’s? I am guessing no? Would she have to repeat year 11? we could home school a levels and provided she does well in those, what effect would her poor gcse outcomes have? Would employers and universities have an issue with it, if she does have good a levels?

Hi, we home educate and I have a child due to sit gcses in the next few weeks. I understand the comment about the small community.
My advice would be to reach out to the local home ed community and see what options are available - you won't be the only one with this issue. There are likely to be several options: obviously you could take another year in home ed and add in the gcses you need, you could also look and see if there are any local colleges that do resits. I do know home ed kids locally who have been accepted on to this route and so have essentially been able to do three years at a college. Depending on what the gcses are and what the activity is, it may also be worth talking directly to local sixth forms and seeing what they say. Perhaps the activity may count? I know some home edders who have scholarships etc on the back of their activities. If I have learnt anything from home ed, it is that there is usually another option, you just have to look around. Good luck!

GCSEs are a 2 year course so repeating year 11 wouldn’t help.

You need to talk to your nearest college and explain the situation.

Generally for a levels you need 5 GCSEs including maths and English and a 5/6 in whatever subject you want to go the a level in. I don’t know any colleges that allow homeschool students to have less GCSEs though if assessed as at the standard they may allow them to take the actual GCSEs alongside a levels in certain circumstances

I think the best bet is to look at some further education colleges. They have a range of levels of course.

There is one near me that lets people do 5 GCSEs in a year either 'stem' or 'communications' pathway. So the stem one has science and statistics and the comms one includes literature, sociology and citizenship. This is good if you really want to do A levels specifically.

What i have found is its increasingly hard to find in person places that do gcses other than maths and english retakes. But there are plenty of level 2 courses although some are surpringly wanting 4 gcses.

What’s her longer term plan? A levels might not be that useful to her depending on what she wants to do. Does she want to work, stay in education, what does she like to do?

one of DDs friends didn’t take any GCSEs and a local college has a specific course available for those with no/few GCSES to get them up to speed (a level 2 course).
Id start thinking about what she wants to do- 3 a levels is a lot of work and a big jump from GCSEs so doesn’t sound suitable anyway.
There are more options these days. There will be open evenings for colleges and it would be worth going and see what is being offered.

I’m an ex-secondary & 6th form teacher.

No experience of home ed, but what’s done is done.

Doing A levels with 3/4 GCSEs is unlikely in terms of gaining a place, an unwise regarding the academic rigour that she’s not accustomed to (yet).

But there’s always a way.

Local 6th form colleges offer a huge range of Level 2 (GCSE level) courses - GCSEs, level 2 apprenticeships etc. She would absolutely be able to do any of these courses. This would also give her the experience needed to go on to Level 3 (A level/T levels etc) courses probably in the following year.

Go and meet with your local 6th form to discuss where she is and what they can offer.

There is always a way. Best of luck to you both.

Are a levels really for her if hasn’t got the full set of GCSEs? How come she hasn’t taken more GCSEs? That path isn’t right for everyone maybe not right for your daughter

Much depends on the gap to some extent. Of where she is and where she could have been if she had not been home schooled. And, if she went to school now whether she would be able to catch up so to speak.
If there is something she wants to do that is more practical that doesn’t require lots of GCSE’s that she could shine at ?

Has she been studying for other subjects online? When was she last in school? 3 gcses won’t get her onto any level 3(A level or equivalent) courses. She might be admitted onto a level 2 taking English and Maths alongside if she does not have gcse passes in either or both. Some colleges may offer science gcses but other subjects may be trickier to find. It is also fairly late to be looking for year 12 and that may restrict her subject options, although places won’t be confirmed until post results day,

I didn't do GCSE maths at school - they didn't want to try and teach me, so I went and got it later. I still managed to get a job despite not having it. I did English and got a grade C.

Will she continue with her activity and if so how much of her time will it take? A levels are quite a steep learning curve from GCSEs so it may be the she still won’t have the time or academic practice to do them.

What does she want long term? Can she reapply to the academies abroad next year? There are a lot of BTec/T level courses that may suit her as well as continuing home school and notching up a couple of extra GSCEs.

Have a look at your local colleges, I'm sure she would be able to do a level 2 course and a couple of GCSEs this year and then she can go on to either A Levels or another Level 3 course.

Loads of schooled kids finish school with less than 5 GCSE passes so it isn't a disaster, it might just take 3 years to get her level 3 qualification instead of 2. Colleges have lots of options for kids starting at all sorts of levels.

Is there a specific reason she has been home educated OP?

She’s not going to be able to do A-Levels. Not yet, anyway.

Best thing to do as others have mentioned is talk to a college after you’ve both had a good look at courses and entry requirements. Some colleges have Level 1 courses with very low entry requirements (I know someone who did that with no GCSEs - also home educated).

Since home education is not a one-size-fits-all journey, you’re really going to have to find this out first yourself regarding next steps, using what’s available and achievable locally/online/self-studying. Others have said on here GCSEs are a two year course. They’re not; many EHE kids study and sit them in 6 months or even less. There are Nov sittings for many IGCSEs if she could tackle new subjects, or obviously next summer and beyond! My own child self-studied and achieved a 9 GCSE after 6 months of study. Many other EHE kids do the same. If GCSEs are needed, then get planning with your daughter and the path will become clear.

Colleges will be looking at a couple of things for their courses:

1. Is the DC academically capable of the course
2. Does the DC have the pre-requisite knowledge for the course.

The first is usually proved through GCSE results, so a string of grade 6-8s shows ability. It may be that the DC in question can show this via other routes depending on what has been needed for the academies that has been applied for. The maths at foundation level could be a stumbling block for showing ability for A levels in the absence of many other GCSEs.

The second : Pre-requisite knowledge for A levels is also usually proved via GCSEs. However for many vocational courses not so much starting knowledge will be required. Plus these can be started at Level 1 or Level 2 if not wanting to risk going straight in at level 3.

Edited because the s/w apparently knows better than I do what numbering I want!

How on earth can you expect her to sit A Levels when she has only managed to scrape three GCSE’s?!

A similar thing happened to someone I know that pulled their daughter out of mainstream education to homeschool.

Every time I asked after the kid, everything was brilliant and they would even be taking some GCSEs early because home education is so good.

They did their GCSEs last year, turns out things were not so good, turns out they had been homeschooling themselves for about 6 months due to parental issues (which is not going to work out well for the average 16 year old).

I think they are doing some course at a local college now, which they aren't really into.

Pretty sad really. With different parents they probably would have got a lot further. It is so ironic the parents thought they were brilliant parents, and everyone else could learn from them!

A levels would not be a good idea until she has passed at least 5 GCSEs and ideally grades 6/7s minimum in them, otherwise she will just fail A levels. I would advise looking at another path instead - get GCSEs first, maybe look into t levels, apprenticeship etc. A levels aren't for everyone.

Because op is obviously really good at it 🙄

should be illegal to fuck up your kids’ lives like this

Sorry op, but this is why you don’t let 15 year olds decide their future. Can you enrol her in a school/college to catch up on her GCSEs. She can always go back to her plan later

Well whatcdo the special academies require her to have?
How willshe cope with special academy if not used to education setting?
She can get more gcses over next few years. Uf that is what she needs wants for her career pathway. . It is fine .

Why did you Home Educate? IMO they are either self driven or not. You cannot put an old head on new shoulders. Hopefully she will spread her wings and fly without you pushing but with advice, or not.

I would say not, really.

Where I teach, for post 16 entry (A Levels) we require 5 GCSEs of grade 5+.
As pp have said, she could try a college for a vocational course?
What is her aim, ultimately?