Terrible Junior cert results

[gabsdot45]

My lovely son got his Jr cert results yesterday and they were terrible. He got 3 Cs and failed all the rest including one NG.

He's not stupid, He doesn't hate school, He's just not interested in books or studying or anything academic. However I can't believe that he went to school nearly every day for 3 years and not didn't remember enough to at least pass the exams.

I feel like we've failed him too although he had a tutor for a month before the exams to help him with revision and he did a study workshop thing last Sept.

He's in TY now and DH has suggested that we get him the tutor again and get him to repeat some of the exams next June.

I know the JC isn't important in the grand scheme of things but still. He wants to get a job when he turns 16 and he can't write those results on a CV.
He's hoping to do an apprenticeship after he leaves school but I'm wondering if he'll ever get enough LC points for that.

I guess I'm looking for some consolation. Stories of other kids that failed the JC and went on to improve vastly for the LC.

OK, long post coming up. Sorry to hear his results weren't great, I can understand your worry It's tough when they don't do as well as you/they hoped.

The big positive I can see here is that he's doing transition year. That will give him two important things, a year to mature & the chance (if the TY programme is any good) to do loads of things he can put on his CV. I wouldn't bother repeating JC exams, they aren't important in the grand scheme of things. On the CV he can just put the year he took them, don't mention the grades. If he can get a part time job to go on the CV, that will help too.

When he gets to the Leaving, get him to choose his subjects wisely, geared towards an apprenticeship. Yes he'll have to do English, Irish & maths - get him to do them at lower level to reduce the pressure. Then for the others make them practical subjects he likes, relating to whatever he'd like to do for his apprenticeship.

If it helps, one of my DC got a disastrous LC, thanks to mental health issues. They did a PLC and are now flying it at university, doing really well.

Don't worry, those results won't define his life, a few years down the line nobody will even remember them.

I'm sorry he didn't get on so well. I wouldn't get him to do TY. It's an extra year of school when he doesn't want to be there. Have you talked to his teachers?

My Cousin hated school. He did his LC but got in trouble outside of school. He went travelling and worked, eventually got sick of minimum wage and did an apprenticeship. He worked during the boom until the property crash. He decided to go back and do his LC as an adult through VTOS. He got on great and went on to go to college. He was a lot more mature by then and it worked out very well.

Don't lose hope. He will find his way.

I wouldn't recommend repeating JC exams, let him move on and focus on getting as much from TY as possible, doing as much much work experience and community projects as he can. I promise you no one that a 16 year old looks to for a job will give a fig about his JC results if he can show that's he's willing to work hard in a team setting.

Ds sounds a bit like your son, I couldn't tell you what he got in his JC, I doubt he could either, but it certainly wasn't straight A's! He really loved TY though and one of the projects he did gave him an idea for a future career and he identified a PLC that he wanted to do. He found 5th year very stressful and I did a bit of research and talked to the college and his school. He went for an interview for the PLC and they offered him a place at the end of 5th year. DS wasn't suited to school but he is flying in college and on his way to a degree without ever sitting his LC. The 1st year of the PLC was a level 5 qualification he then transferred to a college and is now doing a level 7. If your ds is interested in a particular apprenticeship have a look at the requirements, he may not even need his Leaving. For some kids the stress of the LC is not worth it if the career they want doesn't require it.

There are so many routes to a career now, which is brilliant, just because a student isn't a great exam candidate doesn't mean they can have a bright and fulfilling future ahead of them. Good luck to you and ds!

Chartreuse's advice is very good. Forget the JC. Look at what he wants to do and what the best path for him is to get there. Use TY and particularly the work placements with a view to him (a) getting a part-time job (b) finding placements connected to the type of apprenticeship he'd like. If he gets a restaurant or shop based placement and does a good job he has a good chance of converting that into weekend work (that's what I've seen anyway). His JC results won't be relevant then.
Choose wisely!

My ds had a very mediocre JC but he did no work and had always said he would work for his LC (though I was sceptical). TY was a great growing up experience and he was true to his word in 5th year.

There are more routes and paths now than ever before. You'd think the world only revolved around the LC but there are other options. Hang in there! If he isn't lazy and can commit and work diligently he'll be ok.

Be aware gabsdot45 that it's important he keeps up his core subjects in Transition Year.

Some schools' Transition Year programmes are not well run. I know DD1 was very lucky in her Transition year as it was very well run and they had to do English, Irish and Maths classes too and homework assignments. She whinged but was very conscientious. Not all classes in her year had to do as much homework. It stood to her when doing 5th and 6th year.
She did very well though in her JC.