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.

Aw, that must have been a blow if she wasn’t expecting it. i hope she’s ok. Lots of options out there, I hope she can find something she’ll enjoy.

As others have said, speak to your local college and she can do a level 2 BTech alongside re-sitting maths and English.

Our college has a brilliant careers advisor so if your college has similar, it maybe worth making an appointment

My daughter is massively dyslexic with some other SEN and really struggled with her GCSEs (still can’t pass bloody maths!) but has recently achieved all distinctions in her level 3 BTech as that style of learning really suits her.

She’s off to uni in September (no exams in her course and has a contextual offer) - it’s been a longer route to get there, but she’s got there in the end.

My daughter is "incredibly bright" but couldn't do GCSEs because she's autistic and her attention span is all wrong for a 2 year course.
That's actually quite an insult to say those who aren't academic aren't "bright".

Really? I am surprised you have to ask this.

I am academic. Passing exams is a specific skill. It demonstrates a very specific form of intelligence. There are many kinds of intelligence.

Find a college that offers btec level 2 business or the transition level 2 to T level. She can add English and maths alongside.

Either that or an apprenticeship.

Easily. He just doesn't relish studying and investigating ideas. My brother couldn't wait to leave school because he didn't want to sit in a classroom. He wanted to know how things work so he became an engineer.

There's more than one type of intelligence. Some people just aren't good at sitting exams, for various different reasons. I had a friend at college who would literally make herself sick with nerves when it came to exam time, nothing she tried worked to address it. Her results were therefore never going to be an accurate representation of her intelligence.

OP you've had some good advice but I'd like to give some hope if I may. I didn't even sit a single GCSE at 16 and my family thought that that was it, my prospects were non-existent. They were wrong. It was a hard road from there but there were options for me and I now have a fulfilling career. Her journey may look a little different to what she imagined but please do encourage her to keep taking the next steps.

@bassmonsteruk were the sixth form plans to study A levels or another qualification?

A Levels won’t be an option. She’s likely to be looking at a Level 1-2 college course but don’t worry, she can work her way up.

Because being able to regurgitate data onto paper in an exam is not the only indication of being bright. 🙄

And I say that as a parent of two "academically bright" children.

I agree. If she had tuition and got 3 then it likely A levels are not for her. She needs to think.about what she is interested in doing and look provision in colleges.

Quite!

Some of the most successful people I know did abysmally in this outdated yardstick assessment of intelligence the government seems intent on breaking our children with.

OP, I don't think a'levels are an option, and certainly not wise.

What does she enjoy, what does she want to do for a career? I'd focus on her maths & English resits, and a vocational course that she will actively enjoy.

I’d agree even with 5s A levels would be a stretch. Does she potentially have any barriers to learning or getting answers down, had her tutor or school mentioned anything? Phone colleges tomorrow, they will have advisers who can look at her situation , talk to her about her ambitions and suggest a way forward. Resitting English and Maths gcse would be a given. But she may be able to take level 2 Business (bearing in mind it needs a certain knowledge of maths) or something similar. Good luck.

If her interests lie more in sociology then she could consider level 2 health and social care.

But yes I’d be moving her towards vocational options. These can still lead to un after level 3. Schools only tend to talk about A levels but there’s a lot of choice out there that could out better for her. Go find out. Go chat to different colleges. They’re all
open now and recruiting.

I'm not sure I can find a kinder way of saying this but, if you need to ask the question, I'm not sure you'd be capable of understanding the answer.

Bless her. That must be a blow. But all is not lost! I wasn’t academically bright but got into a trainee marketing role straight from school and have been running my own business for the last 20 years. I don’t say that to show off but to assure you/her there are various paths she could take. Whether it’s the college or workplace route she chooses, there are options.

This. Especially given one of her choices is history. It's a non starter as an a level on those grades unfortunately. She'd just struggle.

She wanted to do sociology. There's much more practical options along those lines.

I'm sorry to hear that your daughter's results were not what she was hoping for. It is always a blow when this happens, but it doesn't mean that she has no options/cannot be successful going forward.

As a secondary/A-level teacher, I would strongly suggest that A-levels are not the right route.

I would suggest that she go and speak to local colleges (that offer vocational/technical qualifications).

Does she know what sort of area she might want to work in? If not, they can advise/offer suggestions. She will also be able to work towards suitable level 2 qualifications in English and Maths, alongside her other course.

I would suggest you go with her if possible- it can be overwhelming at 16 trying to sort these things out!

Can she speak to the local college? Level 1 or Level 2 and resit Maths and English alongside. Loads of teenagers go to college.
There is sport/ media/art and design, what is she interested in? The enrolment days are very busy.

Very similar happened to my child last year. Do not panic.

She has gone to our 6th form and did 3 level 2 courses (GCSE equivalent) and has got top marks (she passed 4 GCSEs originally including English). She has resat her maths but unfortunately has failed again so will need to resit again. But she will now be allowed to go on to A levels/BTECs.

The college has been brilliant-super supportive. These things happen. It is not the end of the world although feels that way today i know.

Quite easily if you're not that interested in studying. DP left school with no qualifications because he wasn't interested. It doesn't mean he's stupid it just meant that when he was 16 he didn't want to study. Fast forward 20 years and he was working in a manual job but did an OU degree in Maths just to see what Higher Education was all about. He got a 1st (average score 98%) and carried on working in his manual job, satisfied in the knowledge that he made the right career choice.

Me, I am a bona fide academic with ALL the qualifications but should have followed my heart and trained as an electrician.

As others have said, she can go to college for Maths and English, look at options for other qualifications, and the difference in college environment and approach compared to school may even suit her and help her to achieve. If nothing else, she’ll have the time to think a bit more about what interests and enthuses her, learn what her stronger skills are, and gain more confidence. She also doesn’t need to decide right now what her long term future is going to look like and make any major decisions now. Life isn’t a binary of A Levels and university, or doing a trade: the world of work is a lot broader than that, and she’ll learn more of herself over the next couple of years.

My younger brother did poorly in his GCSEs. It was a bit of a shock for him at the time, he wasn’t expecting to excel but he also wasn’t expecting to fail and it turned him on his head a bit. He licked his wounds and enrolled at the local college to retake Maths and English and a business skills qualification. At the time he had a Saturday job at a major supermarket: he took on more hours there around his college courses and then a year or so later when he’d finished his exams his manager encouraged him to apply for their fast-track managerial training programme - because whilst he’s not a book-learner or exam-regurgitator, they recognised that he’s smart and has excellent people and problem solving skills. He then made his way up from floor manager to store manager to area manager, and a decade and a half on he’s a regional manager, great salary, really enjoys the work, and is glad that he didn’t just scrape enough in his GCSEs to go onto A Levels where he would almost certainly have just struggled, drifted and come out with poor results and still not really know what his path was going to be.

She should be able to do either a GCSE course ( normally 4 GCSES) or do the maths and English alongside a L2 award in a vocational subject ( business?) Have a look at what the local college offers.