My DD failed her GCSE miserably

[bassmonsteruk]

Hi all,

My DD didn't get a single pass in her GCSE exams. She got all 3s which caught us off guard and now we're not sure which way to turn. She's not academic but she got 5 when doing past papers in maths, English and science. She's had private tuition for all 3 subjects for the past year and a half. Her school does not allow resits.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

I am pretty sure there will still be college courses she will be able to access probably whilst retaking English and maths alongside, but you'll need to check obviously . What were her plans before her results came through?

Not the end of the world these days at all op, there are lots of provisions now for kids that aren’t academic and her guidance/career advisor will help her find the right way for her. It’s not the end of the world and might actually redirect her into something really great for her

She will need to retake maths and English as she got grade 3. She will be eligible for a level 1 or 2 course at a local college and they have retake classes for maths and English, or you could look into functional skills level 2 for maths and English which are equivalent to GCSE passes. Have you had a look at the range of opportunities in your local FE college? Does she know what she might want to do? They have options such as trades, childcare, food and nutrition, hair and beauty, animal care etc. If she does well in first year of sixth form she can move up to the next level of qualification.

Do not panic!! Speak to your local college and see what her options are. She can resit at college and honestly it will be fine in the end.

She was supposed to go 6th form of her current school to study, history sociology and business.

what has the school said? Are they offering you any help finding a place for her? They should be!

I would say, gently, that A levels are not the right course.

She needs to go to a local college to retake the English and Maths.
That's the starting point.
If she had private tuition then the tutor might be able to see where she went wrong in the actual exam.

She can do maths and English at college. I did that on my way to my law degree so don’t worry

You need to go to your local vocational college and see what’s available and she’d like to do. They will likely be open all next week for information and enrolments for people in your position.

They’ll facilitate retakes in maths and English alongside whatever course she chooses.

Gently A levels are not going to be the right course of action for her. She is best looking at a BTEC or whatever is equivalent to that nowadays.

Hi all is not lost. I work at a college your daughter can apply for a lower level course subject and take English and maths alongside it.

If she’s not academic then A levels aren’t the answer, even if she did pass. What is she interested in? Can she do a trade, or get an apprenticeship?

My son has got a mixture of 2s, 3s and 4s. He's incredibly bright but not at all academic. He's enrolled on a multi trade Level 1 BTEC and will choose an apprenticeship route at the end of his first year in the trade he likes best. He'll resit English and Maths in November. The college were brilliant with him today and made him really excited about what's to come. Please dont be disheartened, there are so many more vocational courses out there that may suit better than a-levels. Good luck. It will all work out.

Please dont push her to A levels

At most schools A levels are for students who get 6+ in their GCSEs while level 3 BTECs are aimed at the students who get grades 4-6. If the subjects that she picked are A-levels then school should have alerted her to alternative qualifications like BTECs.

I would look at courses at your local further education college and organise a chat in the next few days. Your local one will probably have a website with the courses that they offer together with details about retaking maths and English.

“He's incredibly bright but not at all academic”

How can he be incredibly bright but not academic?

Poor thing, that must have been a shock.

Is she really keen to do those A levels or is it her default because she’s unsure of what she wants to do?

Tell her that the same thing happened to my daughter. She used her strong work ethic and personable nature to find an apprenticeship. She visited all of the businesses in person that she was interested in with a copy of her CV.

She studied maths and English GCSEs alongside working, and day release at college. It was a busy time but she blossomed. She now has her own business at 24 and is about to buy her first home.

I’m surprised given her projected results she was being queued up for A Levels to begin with.

Youll need to look at options to get her through maths and English at a local college (which might be easier if that’s her sole focus) then start looking at other options like BTEC.

Going down an academic route isn’t for everyone. It’s not a failure to plot a different course in life.

Think about what her strengths are and what she enjoys and look at courses that play to those potentially with a more hands on and practical syllabus.

A levels are definitely not suitable, look at local colleges there are loads of courses available. What does she want to do?
My daughter got a 3 for maths and continued to study it at college and had retaken it, unfortunately she hasn’t passed so we will now look at her doing a functional maths course. She hated exams but absolutely loved her college course and completed it to level 3 with a distinction.

It's likely she'll fail her a levels even if she does get into an a level course but there are loads of level 1 and 2 courses that will be enjoyable and useful.
L2 is equivalent to GCSE but doesn't mean it's low value - after 1/2 years doing L2 vocational alongside GCSE resit she could have a great career plan.
L3 is A Level equivalent and if she's desperate to reach that tier of education then look for a L2 course that can be continued at L3 once L2 is passed - I know both hairdressing and electrician courses do this, I'm sure most do.

Definitely don't put her through A-levels OP - evil things! Even if she was getting 5's then I really don't think her school should have been recommending them to her. Have a look at colleges for retakes and BTECs, BTEC course structure might suit her much better.

Onwards and upwards, there is nothing she can do to change these results now but you can look for ways for her to continue to study on a suitable course and retake her maths and English. It isn’t the end of the world.

What she needs to do is go to college and do a one year level 2 vocational course, plus English & Maths resits.
Then after that 1 year she can move on to do a 2 year at Level 3, either a BTEC Extended Diploma, or T-Levels.

Or she could do an apprenticeship with day release to college.

Did you do any non A level research?

I know people who are.

Ive got a post grad degree but have a friend who can run rings around me intellectually whose barely a GCSE to his name.

He’s a visual/experiential learner (rather than texts/books) and while very very articulate struggles to put thoughts to paper.