Daughter not being allowed to sit A-level?

[MellowSnail]

DD got 7s to 9s at GCSE at her current private school

Unfortunately in 6th form she got disrupted by boy issues.

She initially was doing maths, biology, and psychology, but maths was downgraded to AS, and finally dropped.

She is now due to sit biology and psychology, but the school don't think she should sit biology, having scored Es consistently in mocks. Her psychology is at C.

She has an offer of 32 pts for foundation psychology, so can do that with a C or two Es.

Her other offers are typically 2 Cs, so a C and an E or D wouldn't realistically help. (She has an AA non-foundation offer)

Her exams are

psych 1 16 May
Psych 2 21 may
Bio 1 5 June
Psych 3 9 June
Bio 2 13 June
Bio 3 18 June

She has been of the opinion that she will improve. However her attendance is very poor and reasonably this is in doubt.

The school have said:

Come into school (when others are on study leave) and the psych teacher will help you one to one until the end of exams.
Drop biology.

This makes some sense as she might therefore do better in psychology. However it might be she is lazy and doesn't want to go into school idk.

Anyway, can anyone advise:

1. Can we insist that she does biology? ultimately if she's informed of the consequences it is her decision to make
2. Is she likely to get anywhere with, say, 1 A in psychology, and no other A-levels, in clearing? I.e. is the school's suggestion/decision in her interests?

I suspect less than stellar parenting and this is the result. She floundering because she has no anchor.

I would agree. I can hear the cry for help, poor girl.

I’m aware of the marking schemes for A levels.. and at the bottom grade (E) all that’s required is ‘some awareness’ (according to the grade descriptors). The candidate doesn’t need to demonstrate perceptive knowledge, or ‘do much’ with the information (such as interpret, synthesise, make judgements against, etc).

If she barely has awareness after two years of study, it seeks like madness to pursue an academic course at university for her. Also it wouldn’t be a university with any kind of prestige.

A vocational course would surely be better. Nursing degree?

Sounds a bit like me at that age - I went from working hard and getting nearly all grade As at GCSE (top grades at my rubbish comprehensive school back in the day, when A was the highest grade), to two Ds and a U at A-Level, due to a complete lack of effort. I somehow got onto a degree course at a respectable university but carried on the same, graduating with a lower second.

I just lost all motivation after GCSEs, I’m not sure why, but have done well in my subsequent career, once I had to work to support myself and there seemed a point to what I was doing. I should have left after GCSE in retrospect and maybe gone back to studying in later life. I think that you could get away with it a bit more in those days though!

Is resitting the 2nd year of A Levels an option?

However. If this were my child, I would not be throwing good money after bad. A lot seems to be getting blamed on the relationship with the boy, but she's STILL avoiding school. And is deluded about the grades she can achieve.

Why can't she move in with you and get a job? I get why her mum has had enough. Time for you to step up maybe? AND lay down the law. No more loafing, avoiding and laziness. Get a job (fast food places are always hiring). And maybe redo A Levels at evening classes. That'd have the benefit of being cheap AND allow her to show whether she really is committed to studying or not.

How did you get onto a degree course at a respectable university with two Ds and a U?
Which university and which course?

Does she want to leave home ? or you’re kicking her out if not going to uni?

Some universities will take anyone if they have spaces after clearing as it brings in money.

I’m a uni lecturer. Kids who are like you describe your dd don’t grow up at uni generally. To be honest the opposite is true. Every year I have multiple 1st years going off the rails to some extent, too many boys and partying. There’s not going to be anyone nagging them to turn up for lectures, etc

I just thought the term "respectable" probably meant they could fill their courses. However, courses vary enormously too.

will be an adult and can insist that she does just this

oh ok, so she can fund university living costs without you? Because if not in all honesty she can’t insist on anything.

I don’t want to supply more specific details, but it was an “old” university, then rated in the top ten, back in the post university versus polytechnic early 1990s, and on a popular science course. I think that I got it based on my impressive GCSE results and being good at interview. Given that I carried on in the same vein work-wise as with my A-Levels, it is a good example of why universities shouldn’t allow people with bad results onto courses to fill places!

Whether she is entered or not is entirely up to the school, but it really doesn’t sound like she is ready to sit, or to go to uni. You sound like you have had a tough time, and after a 20 plus year career in 6th form, I’ve met you many times. I think you’ve got work to do as a family, but I do urge some independent career/next steps advice from somewhere like Career Connect as uni in these circumstances is likely to be a costly mistake in more ways than one. Good luck.

> oh ok, so she can fund university living costs without you?

She'd get a full loan and has her Child Trust Fund, so yes.

Agree with this. I would step back and let her fight her battles for herself. Support her wellbeing but you can’t help someone who won’t help themselves.

How are the basics? How is her diet? Her sleep hygiene? Is she getting exercise, time outdoors and in nature? Is she regulating her phone use? Is she misusing alcohol or drugs?

Maybe she has to fail first before she learns how to succeed?

Would she be interested in going abroad to do volunteering work , there's lots of different opportunities , South Africa for example, volunteering at a game park .

Fair enough then. Sounds like you couldn’t stop her if you wanted to. I just fear you’ll be in the same situation in 12 months when she either fails foundation or doesn’t do well enough to progress but guess you can cross that bridge then. Her trust fund will run out at some point and she’ll have to grow up then.

But how long will that last?

I went to uni with someone who scrapped through their first year, did most of their second year but then decided to change course. Started the new course in their third year and then just dropped out. Completely left other friends in the shit with accomodation as they had a shared tenancy agreement and they were expected to find a new housemate or cover his share.
Anyway my point is they did almost 3 years at uni and left with nothing. No idea what they are doing now. And no, they didn't have great A levels either and were at uni for the experience.

I think at this point I'd sit down with her and talk. She has to be on board.

Choices:

1. Drop biology and throw everything at the one A-level. Next year she will need to try and find a job, which won't be easy unless she is motivated.
2. Insist she does biology (and if she's been getting Es then they should let her do that because that is still an A-level) and try and get a uni place, perhaps in clearing.
3. Ask if she can drop a year. For the rest of the academic year she really puts full effort in (do a time table) and she works a couple of hours a night to bring herself up at year 12 stuff. Next year the agreement is you speak regularly to her teachers and she is accountable to do the work. She really tries to pull it up.

I'd say, from this position, 3 would be what I'd suspect would be best, assuming she will work for the next year. But 1 would be the easiest at this moment.

But whatever she chooses, she has to be on board and step up or take the consequences. Might even be worth, if she is wanting to do her best, writing a contract where you both sign agreement.
DD: I will do 2 hours of work every week evening at the kitchen table, unless Mm has agreed I have a good reason.
I will not complain when Mum reminds me.
Mum: I will remind dd to do the work 10 minutes before she is due to start.
I will make sure that dd isn't disturbed by younger siblings during her 2 hours of work.

'The Btec crew' 😄

The posts from op seem so devoid of emotional concern or care.

I was btec crew. 😁👍🏻. I’m a senior university lecturer now at a decent university with multiple degrees. I did however work my socks off during my btec OP sounds like he thinks btecs are for thickos or dossers. However ime you have to be self motivated to do well which is great preparation for uni.

Sorry am on train with poor reception and double posting!

I have tutored kids like this and with support and exam skills work they have gone from an E to a C in 2 months with tutoring 4 hours a week and doing the homework I set in between tutor sessions. You need to support your DD to get her over the line. If you don't support her now she may end up failing both her exams.

@CamillaMacauley I teach 'the Btec crew' and the majority of my students go into work and onto university which is why the comment stood out to me.