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?

It certainly shows the need for oversight of these parents claiming to be home schooling, especially considering the ridiculous amount of scrutiny the professionals get from Ofsted!

No it wasn’t

all three are in humanities which he get a GCSE in (as well as English)

so it limited his choices he wanted to do economics but was unable to

and he has since retaken maths

I would get directly in touch with schools, I was calling/emailing everyday as I would not let him be overlooked simply because he didn’t do as well as other children

How hard can it possibly be to get into if they take students with 3 GCSE’s?

You don’t have a hope without English, maths and whatever she wants to do an a level in

Probably because my ds has taken all humanities a’levels, not the most popular courses

but it is a very popular school with very good results

is that an issue for you ?

3 youngsters that I know have all gone on to Uni with either 1, 2 or 3 gcse’s and one had an a level in their chosen topic for Uni
the others had none.

some A levels don’t need a gcse first so look and see what your child wants to study

talk to the 6th form schools / colleges near you and explain the position, some will see a dedication to pursuing an eclectic pathway as a positive, same with University - go to open days, give them a call

You've taken one thread and decided you know best, huh? Well, you don't. You know precious little about home education, how it works and how we raise our children.

My children have never attended school yet know how to mix, who to avoid, how to respect boundaries, follow rules, society in general.

I, like thousands of other home educating parents, raise our children to be respectful of others. We teach them that we all have different life choices and to be kind and supportive of others, even if we do not understand or agree with their choices.

My children have been on the brunt of incredibly rude schooled children who accuse them of being liars, when they have spoken the truth (e.g. "What school do you go to?", "I don't go to school." "you're a liar, everyone has to go to school" yada yada.

I can truly state, as a former teacher, and having recently gone back to working in a school, that my children are incredibly well-behaved compared to the majority of school children.

So many uneducated judgemental people turn up on every single thread that mentions home ed. You're all so tiresome.

ETA my eldest is actually starting her GCSEs a year earlier than schooled children, so not sure what lesson I have to learn from this thread? How about we just support the OP in order for her to find a solution to the issue?

GCSEs are not compulsory, legally, the OP has done nothing wrong here. Many home educated children do not take any GCSEs, they are not the right path for every child. Children can and do succeed in life without qualifications.

Home educators are answerable to the LAs, so there is oversight, but again, as GCSEs are not compulsory, nor should they be, there is no legal issue here.

By the way Ofsted are there to ensure schools run as they should as the schools are acting on behalf of the parents. Home education is the legal default in the UK, you have to register with a school to opt out. The LAs then directly oversee the home educating parents/guardians.

There are 2 important questions to help you make plan B (which as you acknowledge it was bloody stupid not to have been preparing for in tandem with her 'dream' - talented children specialising in sport, dance, music whatever at specialist schools are also pushed academically as it's fully accepted that the vast majority won't be successful in making it their profession).

1. What other careers/studies is she interested in?
2. Where is she academically? If she's missed out completely on several years, she's got to catch up before she can do A Levels. If she doesn't know the basics of, say science or maths, she won't be able to build on those at A Level. Humanities subjects at A Level need the ability to construct arguments, evaluate sources, structure an essay, decent spelling and grammar). If she's done little academic work for 3 years, she's only working at the level of a 13 year old? How will she fill those gaps - otherwise she'll be set up to fail.

I don't think you should "home school A Levels" where you've accepted that you did a bad job trying to home school GCSEs. Try to get her into some sort of formal education ASAP.

So can you clarify OP, is the route she's not been successful in getting into a sports based academy or ??

I do know that football and rugby academies will only keep students on if they keep up with their academic studies

I have met people, whose home educated children reintegrate when they are older, so I don’t doubt you there.

Do you see on the flip side see children, who don’t do well but who on paper should? I think my dd would have done well with homeschooling as long as I could have integrated her in a lively community. But idk if that goes for all kids.

This is so sad 😞 poor girl ending up with barely any gcses because her parents thought they could teach her better than qualified teachers. There is no way one person can be an expert at teaching secondary level maths, English, chemistry, biology, physics, a foreign language, design technology, art, drama etc.

Even on this thread you are being evasive and limiting loads of details which could actually helps us help your daughter @Marshallstreet

what about them? At least those teaching them were teachers, which was my point.

I find it disturbing that anyone can decide to educate their child. Someone who could have scratched together two GCSEs and can’t spell for toffee, for example.

Speak for yourself. Very telling you think only a bit of English and maths is useful.

Hi OP - I think this might have been a slightly unwise thread. Home ed seems to provoke really strong feelings. My understanding is that there are a really wide variety of experiences that are labelled as HE leading to everyone feeling misunderstood.

I did not HE, but I have a DD that really struggled at school so has gone a more squiggly route. I think you need to get over the guilt, the idea that every child in the country has to do a particular exam at a particular time in their life is crazy really.

You are also doing some very binary thinking: why are the only two choices overseas academy or A levels? If the academy thing is vocational (and yes really love to know more sports, arts, finishing school?). There must be other ways to pursue it. 5 GCSEs including English and maths are a baseline for lots of things in UK so worth targeting but A levels less so. You may be better off with NVQs or BTECs with maths/ English GCSE alongside. Are A levels because you are now thinking university route - there are other routes to entry. Maybe she'd be better doing as mature student.

I think you need to stop focusing on A levels and either find something sh will enjoy for next year and just do that whilst you regroup or focus on much longer term planning and work out a route there.

I don't think this is what happened.

I think what happened is the family took a risk to focus on a specialism of some sort and therefore chose to only study for 3 traditional GCSEs, and unfortunately the specialism route hasn't worked out (yet, they are waitlisted not rejected) and they didn't think through a backup plan sufficiently. All the eggs in one basket.

Go and talk to the local colleges. There will be options for sure. Go along and get some real facts.
A local Steiner school's pupils move on to 6th form college and tech/art colleges with few GCSEs. They go on to uni and other tertiary ed just fine.

@Marshallstreet this, and to collate what PPs have said both you and your DD will now need to manage your expectations for next academic year.
Unless those 3 gcses were top grades I think it highly unlikely DD will get a school 6th form place as she won't have demonstrated sufficient aptitude for A level study.
If she is determined on a specialist school she needs to spend another year to top up to 5 GCSEs with decent grades including the subjects she wants at A level.
Otherwise look at local colleges instead and find a suitable lower level initial course that offers a gateway to higher level study.
There is always more than one way to achieve a goal. Might take a bit longer but won't be significant in the grand scheme of things.

What a mess, how does your daughter feel? My concern even if she was allowed onto an a level course would be the content and knowledge gap she needs to overcome. Speak to admissions now and see what you can salvage for her.

Not sure why it's all so outing and why that matters so much to you, but if the collage is abroad can you speak the language to be able to communicate what you need to well enough, if not consider finding someone who can. Don't muddle through that too and mess it up.

Why the hell weren't you more engaged for the past however many years you have been watching her drift.

Doesn’t 3 humanities plus English mean he has 4 GCSEs rather than 3?!

I don't think it is a mess at all. And I feel no desire to criticise the OP.
Her DD will have gained things from being home educated.

That these are not the standard academic gains is not a cause for concern. She has had a childhood unconstrained by the narrow school curriculum and rigid timetable. She just has to accept that things will be achieved careers-wise a little later than the accepted timescale .. but that is fine. It is an artificial timescale anyway.

There will be college options that will help her achieve her goals. It is not a problem at all.

I agree - the OP said that they decided to focus on the activity at the time because academics could be caught up later. I don’t understand why that reasonable plan has been abandoned. There’s no rush to have everything lined up aged 18 and there appears to be a reasonable explanation for colleges or employers around why they didn’t have the qualifications at the “normal” age.

You don’t think it’s a mess despite the Op, the girl’s mother, knowing the ins and outs of the situation and very much thinking it’s a mess