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?

There's always something you can do at college even with just 3 GCSEs, but if this is a child who could get 5/6s or higher then a level 1 or 2 college course probably isn't the ideal route for her. Better to take another year to study and sit GCSEs. Can you afford online schooling or anything like that?

It would be the discretion of the school, there is no requirement for GCSEs to do A levels. However some require a certain level of maths English or science. My DD went to a private 6th form college and loads of kids turned up from overseas without GCSEs and did A levels.

She could do some sort of B Tech if she had maths and English.

Yes, state schools are stricter - your best bet is a private school, OP.

You haven't necessarily failed her.
You and she took a high risk choice, but it didn't work out (yet).
That can be viwed as a reasonable choice with an unfortunate outcome.

Shame you didn't have a plan B already set up, but all is not lost.

If you post on Further Education with likely grades and interests and general academic ability you will get some good advice

well done! How was your son able to access a levels at his school? Having only three gcse wasn’t a roadblock?

You are correct. My fault entirely

Even way back in 1979 the minimum number of O Levels you needed to do A Levels at local 6th form colleges was 4. Minimum of 4 GCSE and 3 A Levels or 5 GCSE and 2 A Levels for entry to higher education now. However, the reality for almost everything is 6-7 GCSEs.

Local FE colleges might have catch up options

FE College and vocational qualifications will be your best bet, I'm an A level teacher of many years and I do not know of any school in my area that would take a student with 3 GCSEs.

Our minimum requirement is 5 and they would need at least a 6 (sometimes a 7) in that subject to sit it at A level. It's a big academic jump from GCSE to A level and it would not be in the best interest of a student who had only achieved 3 GCSEs to let them sit A levels. It is setting them up for failure.

I think it might depend on subject eg PE a level if the child’s passion is sport, photography a level might not have pre conditions etc.

And this is why home education should be monitored.

Angela Rayner has more kids than GCSE’s ….

And the home educator assessed as suitable

It wouldn't be repeating Year 11, it would doing GCSEs or other Level 2 course in Year 12. Many teenagers do this, some alongside a Level 3 course, some just doing GCSEs, and this is fairly normal for home educated teenagers, at least where I am, as there is far more support, easier to access, and cheaper than going private candidate. It's not uncommon for local colleges have programmes for those who got few to no GCSEs to try to get up to at least 5 as quite a few opportunities require at least 5.

3 GCSEs might be able to get onto some Level 3 courses, depending on your local provision. It may cause limits later due to the expectation for her to have at least 5.

My DS was home educated due to additional needs and was in a local programme with other kids like him where he did 2 GCSEs in Y10 and 2 in Y11 plus a Level 2 BTEC over the two years. Years on, we still consider the best of a bad situation - the school he was meant to attend for Year 10 fell through. Looking back, him taking an additional year of more GCSEs would likely have benefitted him rather than going straight into Level 3 BTEC. He like many teenagers just moved forward on inertia and what they should do.

Please do not home educate for A Levels. If it hasn't worked for GCSEs, it's really unlikely to work for A Levels, and doing well there is not going to automatically outweigh what's happened at GCSEs. I mean, I'm a migrant with a degree, but no GCSEs, and have had to multiple times prove why I have none and what I have instead.

How about a foundation year at college/ sixth form, to see if she can cope. She will need to adjust to a very different life and it won’t be easy.
A levels are much harder than GCSEs, so I would be aiming for something different.

Idk why your dd has been home educated. My dd is just about to sit her A levels and has struggled in her studies. I’ve now found out she’s very likely twice exceptional, so it’s being able to access the learning in a group environment, rather ability, as she theoretically could get very high grades. Idk what is going on for your dd. But if she’s anything like my dd, she will really struggle at A level, especially because unlike my dd, it doesn’t sound as if she has learned all the study skills she needs. If you did get her in, I’d expect to be paying tutors alongside as A levels are a massive step up.

Bottom line, I agree with everyone else saying just because your dd wants to do A’s, it doesn’t mean this is the correct route for her. Better to study a few more GCSEs then look at what she wants to do in a year.

Whats gcse arw they though?

She's not going to cope with the high standard of A Levels with only 3 GCSEs. You're setting her up to fail with the expectation she'll cope. She's be better off going to an FE college and doing some Level 2 qualifications so she can catch up a bit educationally. I'm not sure if they're 1 or 2 year courses. But after that she could do A Levels.

Go along to the local FE college and ask.
She is only 16, she has another 3 years of free post 16 education

Assume its a sport. So main thing is she still going to be doing the sport, in which case carry on home school for another year and try and get more gcses.

If she's not doing the sport anymore then foundation course at college

I work for a college. We have a couple of current students who were home educated up until 16, and came to college without any GCSEs. I queried why they were on the lowest level of their vocational course, as they were both very bright and didn't quite fit with the other Level 1 students, and the lack of GCSEs was the reason why. They have spent the last few years working up the levels, alongside studying for core subject GCSEs, and are now in their final year of college. They could go to university if they wanted to, but the one that I see most often wants to travel first.

However, has your DD asked the academies directly why she has been waitlisted, rather than accepted? I appreciate that it's hard, and she will be horribly disappointed if she's given it her all, but perhaps it's more than her lack of GCSEs, e.g. she isn't quite at the standard of other students, or didn't interview as well for some reason. If she doesn't get into any of the academies this year, and the lack of GCSEs is why, perhaps she could do fast-track GCSEs through an online college or a crammer. Alternatively, she might choose to study something else (e.g. a course at a vocational college to boost her qualifications) for a year in the meantime.

Either way, good luck to your DD!

What about all the children who leave school without GCSE passes?

The FE college where my child is going waive the minimum number of GCSEs for home educated students, but do insist on maths and English at certain grades, depending which A levels they want to study.

Alternatively, many start at level 2 and progress to level 3.

You’d need to contact your local sixth forms / FE colleges to find out. Many posters replying here won’t be familiar with progressing from home Ed to FE.

Or she could sit more GCSEs and go to sixth form or college a year ‘late’.

Home education is about giving your child an education. It isn’t about following the National Curriculum

For example if you taught your child the piano to a very high level, that would be considered giving your child an education

Apart from a few bits of Maths and English most of what we learn isn’t something we ever use beyond having the ability to pass an exam and box tick

I was assuming the academies were vocational institutions which do not focus on academics for entry but practical assessment, perhaps national/international achievements, and interviews.