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.

My guess is because this cohort spent Y6 and Y7 in lockdown and depending on how good online provision was, missed a lot of the building blocks they needed to access GCSE.

However the government thinks it’s all back to normal and there was zero allowance.

I agree. Sorry to be harsh to CornwallChippy but someone who is ‘incredibly bright’ does not get levels 2 and 3.

Bright and academic are not the same thing.

Respectfully, that's an ignorant comment. Also potentially quite hurtful to some people, myself included.
There are so many different types of intelligence. Cramming for exams and holding your nerve for a couple of hours enough to remember learnt facts, is just one type.
As mentioned up thread, my academic ability fluctuated depending on what was going on. I'd variably been considered an academic genius, utterly stupid and very average, depending on what was going on. I'm highly sensitive, and when I was in the wrong environment for my personality, and horrifically bulled, I totally lost my ability to concentrate or learn. Didn't mean my actual base intelligence had reduced, I just couldn't tap into it, and it wasn't my priority, as I was in survival mode.
I've known people who are extremely academic, but can't succeed in real life, and vice versa. There's a spectrum of course. Some people who haven't been encouraged, don't discover how bright they are till much later in life. Some people are very quick witted (which I think is a form of genius!) but can't pass exams. So little is understood about the human brain and how it works. Your view of intelligence seems very narrow and that's a pity.

Bloody hell @Clearoutthecrap you really are getting flamed and insulted on here.
So many people trotting out the famous ‘failures’ and ND/autistic people who have specific types of intelligence. But these are the minority. Most students who get 2/3s in their GCSEs are often average students who lack application or who vastly underestimate the amount of revision and independent study required.
I feel sympathy for OP and her DD and it IS possible that she’s a bright girl. OP should try to discover why her DD did so badly. It’s heartbreaking for them.

A pity for whom? I posted a reply at 7.39 which you may or may not want to read. I have nearly 40 years experience of teaching and being a lead examiner at GCSE. Generally, bright students do well and not-so-bright students and/or those who lack applications don’t do very well. Clearly, OP feels her DD is in the minority. I hope they both get support.

Well, the students you perceived to not be very bright in the particular context of the institutional school environment, have generally not done well at GCSEs. Doesn't mean they weren't bright in other ways not obvious in that narrow environment at the time.
As stated above, I was considered completely stupid for a brief time in my 'education', by teachers and pupils alike. But, I was just misunderstood at the time. I'd previously been considered highly academic by teachers and pupils alike. I was later considered somewhat average in most subjects, excelling in a couple.
These things are fluid.
I obviously respect your professional experience, but I do wonder if it has left you with a very school/exam-based understanding of intelligence? You might not have a chance to see some of your less academic former students absolutely excel in other areas in real life after they've firmly left the school gates behind them? Or see others who've discovered abilities years later?
I think it's widely understood that there are many different types of intelligence.

Ok.

Don't panic, my dd didn't do well. She struggled a lot in school, but is now flourishing at college doing a level 3 course in performing arts, which includes loads of transferable skills.

Your DD just needs to find where she fits x

Agree!

OP please ignore those type of comments. I did not do well in a school environment. Got pretty poor GCSES. Didn't attempt A levels.

Im now a qualified accountant and currently work as a finance director.

There are so many routes for DD. Don't lose hope.

I also know the opposite. A friend absolutely smashed GCSES and A levels. Got into Oxford.
Totally derailed. Wasn't out partying at all just the uni environment did not work for him.
He dropped out and went down another route to become a coder.

People can be bright, academic and clever but need the right environment to shine.

I agree that Covid did no favours to this year group or any other but there comes a time when we have to move on and accept things as they are. There have always been circumstances where education has been disrupted for various reasons. When l was ten, a similar age to these children during Covid, I was in hospital and off school for nearly half a term. This is in addition to the times l had off at other times for serious infections. When I was eight, I chickenpox so badly that I was away from school for a month. I knew someone else who was in and out of hospital for years. Both of us did well. What about the children who were and are caught up in wars? Their education was and is severely disrupted. Covid was four and five years ago now and, while it was a terrible time and there is no doubt that children suffered in many ways, we have to move on. To continually blame Covid for everything that goes wrong is a huge disservice to everyone, especially our young people.

*had chickenpox

@CandidHelper your daughter will be laughing if she learns a practical trade like plastering. Honestly, I think it’s a great route to go down!

Oh I don't disagree that there comes a time to move on.

I said on another thread that from this September I feel my DD is finally starting from the right place and totally unaffected by Covid. Music was the one thing we managed to keep completely normal for her throughout.

However I know there were huge gaps in things like Sciences due to lockdowns, lack of teachers and not having the building blocks going into GCSE. Part of that was Covid, part of that was school, part of that was the general shortage across the UK. A huge part was her own SEN that meant self-teaching was almost impossible.

One of my aunts spent most of her childhood in a concentration camp, moved to the UK at 9 speaking no English, won a place at grammar school two years and won a place at Cambridge, so I am well aware of how children can come back from extreme trauma and succeed.

My comment was in response to this "I'm a tutor and Examiner. Students this year seem to have achieved a grade lower or even two in certain subjects. However, the standard of papers this year was also far lower than previous years for some reason."

Really? You don’t think a plumber can be incredibly bright? Seriously? My grandfather was a farmer and one of the cleverest people I’ve ever met.

College course where she does level 2 again. Move forward from there and look at apprenticeships.

I failed my GCSEs because I was not interested nd looking back was quite srressed and depressed at the time . I realised after I left school and was working that I'd messed up . I sat them again at night school and passed with good grades then did A levels and passed them too . She is probably feeling upset about failing and letting you down . I'm sure there are college courses she could do if she wants to stay in education but academia is not for everyone. Maybe ask her what she wants to do for work and go from there .

Agreed. My son is at uni currently - doing well. Got grade 8’s and 9’s at GCSE. I asked him if he enjoys uni and hesaid it is alright. I told him I was surprised as he has always been ‘academic’. He said he is not academic and being academic is more than achieving high results. He is right.

He has a friend who did poorly at school and now owns several airbnbs. I hate the airbnb model but he is 21! He is as bright and switched on as they come.

My dad left school without qualifications, worked in a care home, did a degree at 30, became a social worker - ended up head of social services for a London Borough and advising the government on disability.

My youngest boy (scrapped GCSEs last year), has dyspraxia, tests of memory/exams do not suit him, could not be scored any higher in non verbal and verbal reasoning tests at the age of 7 when being assessed by an ed psych - to do so moved him into adult range. He is bright and articulate.

Those defining a 16 year old by their GCSE results and believing them to be non academic or not very bright is very short sighted and somewhat ignorant. It also implies meritocracy, which is a myth.

She should be able to find a centre that will allow her to take resits. I'll have a look for you. (I am a retired teacher).

As above and support and offer her live and guidance - …my DGS failed too and at first College were no help but he’s sorted now with guidance and perseverance from his DM and College - good luck to your DD xxx

Suggest you help her find a Btec college course. They are mainly coursework assessed rather than based on exams. Not everyone shows their best in formal exams. My children and grandchildren have been more successful with them .

Then not the

I asked ai if students could take resits at an independent centre. Came back:

Yes, a student can take GCSE resit exams at an independent or private centre, but they must find a centre that accepts private candidates and then arrange their entry with that centre. You can locate a suitable centre using the JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications)'s online tool, by contacting private candidate support services from awarding bodies like AQA or Eduqas, or by using dedicated websites like Pass GCSE and MME Exams.

FYI 3s are not fails. And to describe her marks as miserable is quite cruel.

To have qualified as an accountant you would have needed some serious qualifications. At least a first degree or similar.