DS failed nearly all his GCSEs - advice needed!

[OhFuckWhatNext]

I've name changed for this as I'm a regular poster and feeling quite sensitive right now. I'm hoping some teachers or posters with similar experiences will come along and offer me some advice.

DS unfortunately did really badly in his GCSEs. 2's in maths and English, Fs and Us in everything else, 1 BTEC level 2 pass.

I wasn't expecting him to shine, he's not had a great time at secondary school, been unlucky with teachers, etc. He's also not really put much effort in. However I was expecting maybe Ds and Es.

I've spoke to the sixth form college who were very reassuring and have said to come along on enrolment day
with him and they'll go through all the options. However I'm really worried about him. He's a lovely boy, but his self esteem is pretty low and he's not got much confidence outside of his friendship group.

I just want to do what I am for him and help him find his way.

Just as an example, my training provider takes on young people with D,E,F, old grades and usually turns them into level 1and 2 functional skills whilst the student is doing an apprenticeship. They do have to want to learn though. This can be a good option for the less academic as they get paid too.

OhFuckWhatNext there is nothing to stop him doing his level 1 or 2 course and resits at the same college as his mates. At the end of next year he will have grown up a bit more and might be ready for a more vocational course.

Right now he is looking for the comfort of the familiar.

I think that it is very difficult for the non academic 16 year olds. To a large extent they get cut adrift by the education system. They are supposed to know what vocational route they want to take when they have so little knowledge of what careers there are out there.

The issue we have found (ds going into year 11) is that a lot of colleges that offer vocational courses need you to have English and Maths before you can apply.

Ds wants to learn a trade. His heart is set on it and he can't wait to start. However out of all the colleges in our area there are only 2 who last year didn't require a pass in both English and Maths and they only take 16 students each year.

It is like the practical courses that were for those that were not academic in the past are now only offered to those that are academic so there is a section of society who don't have anywhere to go at 16.

Dp is an example. He didn't pass English but has gone on to qualify in 2 separate professional fields and gets paid accordingly. If he had to pass English before he could do anything then his career would have never taken off.

Ds is very badly Dyslexic and has dysgraphia. His end of term exam results over the past 2 years have resulted in the highest score of 7%

If these last 2 colleges change there criteria then he will just leave school all together and I don't know what he will do.

Dd at 16 did a 1 year course at college and was offered a full scholarship to go into the 2nd year but refused as although a very physical and practical course the writing and the essays that you had to do really put her off. She has started her own business at 17.

Highest score of 7% is in.English

Ah OP it's awful isn't it. DS didn't do brilliantly either, although thankfully got English & Maths. I had a thread on here a couple of days ago.

DS initially was very reluctant about going to a different sixth form to his friends who are doing A levels, but his best friends Mum giving him a stern talking to did the trick! Is there anyone else that could chat with him about looking at different colleges?

Sometimes hearing it from a non family member can really help.

Sending you very best wishes though OP, I also feel as though I've failed him but deep down I know that that isn't true .

He's clearly not academic-In some subjects even 18% was a pass apparently. It was a low pass mark because it was a very difficult exam!

My brother failed his English, did a BTEC in Engineering - which contained a module which was accepted as a sub for English GCSE and he was accepted for an Honours Degree - he's in a very well paid techie management job now.
Other brother basically left school at 14 (played non stop truant for the last 2 years) - he started working in a shop met customers who thought he had a good head on his shoulders and offered him an apprenticeship, he now runs his own very successful business - it didn't happen over night. He's a grafter and he's clever, good with people but MN parents would have labelled him as a lazy boy - he wasn't lazy, he just wasn't interested in what school had to teach him. All is not lost!

Hope,you sort something out for him.

Hopefully he will pull his finger out next time and do a bit more revision and pass English and maths. Saying that dh never passed English and has Avery good job as a senior engineer earning twice the national average salary. So I guess there does come a point where your work experience counteracts the lack of an English qualification. Just wanted to point out not passing doesn't equal NMW job for life. Good luck.

Oh and dh has a degree as well, so I would say he can be academic when the subject interests him.

FrenchRoast the issue nowadays is you probably wouldn't be able to access a BTEC in Engineering if you lacked Maths and English gcse. The days when if you weren't academic you could take up a trade are sadly going with nothing for those who are never going to pass English and Maths

And the sad thing is that the system is set up for 30% of kids to fail!

Exactly French the government has abandoned kids who are not high flyers. Total change to GCSE structures to benefit students who might get 8s and 9s. No one cares about students with so much to offer but who can't write creatively or do algebra.

In the past you could access vocational courses with lower maths or English but you can't now. Hence my advice drop to a lower level main qual and focus on maths and English.

And looking at the local Apprenticeships around here anyway - they are a joke! Trainee Bar Tender - needs a years experience and pays minimum wage and most of them were like that - no trade to work towards - no hope to ever earn a decent wage.

The govt really need to introduce a functional maths and English qualification for kids who aren't going to pass their GCSEs. Something which shows they're not illiterate, can string a sentence together and do addition, subtraction, etc. Who the hell needs to be able to do equations, etc in real life?

SoPassRemarkable

We have functional maths and English quals as you describe. The government has downgraded them and they are now not recognised by education institutions and employers.

The government insists young people must do GCSE maths and English. I was talking last week to a friendly, capable girl who is stuck and can not progress educationally because she had failed maths for the fourth time.

Gove is bastard who has wrecked lives.

Hey op

Please don't panic both of you

College is very different from school, I've known kids who have hated school and been asked to leave at 14/15 went to the local college and enjoyed it immensely, all are passing their exams, and are going on to do other courses they enjoy

I had no qualifications when I left school in the 80's my reports were shocking, didn't stop me doing anything.

It is not a case of hating school it is a case of not being able to access colleges because you cannot pass both Maths and English.

Just because you had no qualifications in the 80s and you could do anything you want is irrelevant. Nowadays things are different and if you don't pass English and Maths you are screwed before you even begin.
Ds like a lot of bright but dyslexic children could have nothing but English lessons 5 days per week 52 weeks per year and never pass English. Others have a block with Maths.

I would love someone to tell me what happens if you don't pass English or Maths.

Please don't feel despondent. I failed all my GCSEs- still don't know why. Went to 6th form retook them. Did A levels, then a degree and am now a teacher. All is not lost. Maybe he wasn't ready to take them and 6th form will give him a boost to have another go next year. Good luck!

Olivers - if your son is acknowledged dyslexic/dysgraphic, what assistance is he getting with written work both ordinarily and for tests and exams?

I read these sorts of threads with sadness, as I have long believed the most important thing from mid teens onwards is to have routes that keep children engaged and motivated by what they are doing. And then have proper and realistic routes that go from work / practical training back into university and similar for those who turn out to be late developers. Forcing this age group to do something that they are not motivated by / not yet ready for / currently view as pointless - is just a recipe for bad behaviour in the classroom, and reduces the ability of the teacher to teach those who ARE switched on by the topic at hand.

I'm sure there are a significant minority of less academic kids who would be best motivated by going out into the workforce in some capacity, and returning to education after a few years when they have found something they love doing and want to progress to the next step.

[and I speak as one who was at the academic end of the spectrum and bored by an inadequate curriculum in school - since I moved to the UK I have watched with sadness at changes in A level content that seemed headed the same way as what I had to do. You really can't create an exam system that is one-size-fits-all]

Is there a reason why you DS did so poorly?

Is he depressed? Depression can have an awful effect on academics. If he is, then it should be sorted.

Hello, thanks to everyone for the advice. We went along to the sixth form college this week and they have enrolled DS into a foundation level (level1) course alongside certificate in maths and English. He'll do this for a year, the all being well can decide to do a level 2 next year and gcse maths and English. At first I was very upset, but DS was very calm about it and seems much happier and more relaxed. It's as if the pressure is off him. The head of dept is going to arrange some diagnostic tests to see if he has any learning difficulties.

The college seem much more supportive and interested in DS than the school ever were so I'm really hoping this all works out.

Hi OP - just read the thread. So pleased to hear that the college are supportive, and wish your DS all the best. It shows immense strength of character on his part to take a knock like this and come back calm, happy and ready to take on the next challenge.

That sounds brilliant ohfuck. He'll get there.

Good luck op
And your ds!!

Can somebody help me please, I really need advice. I am a single mum with my child who is 16 and nearly going to do his GCSE’s but he failed all his mocks and practise ones except for his art and English. He has no interests in passing them and I’m really worried, all he wants to do is play on his PS4 24/7 and whenever I try and help him he always assumes I’m nagging him or shouting at him. Whenever I try and get him a job he always refuses and I feel like I’m pushing him away can somebody please help me?