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.

Mark Zuckerberg got into Yale/Harvard. I know it's not the point you are making but I wouldn't say he was academically unsuccessful

Um, very easily! What do you not understand?

One of my oldest friends was genuinely one of the brightest men I know. Knew everything. Academically one o level.

He didn't turn up at school, fell out with teachers, couldn't study.

I'm sure now he'd be diagnosed as ADHD.

Done amazingly well.

She won't be able to get into 6th form with those grades or do any A levels with those grades.
Best go to the local further education college and see what her options are there. The college will also do resits for English language and maths.

Ahhh, feel for your DD. I bet she is gutted! Hope she's doing ok.

As PP have said, she will be able to resit English and Maths at college. This will be discussed at her enrolment interview.

It is such a terrible shock when it happens. I am a Head of English but I failed every one of my GCSEs when I was 16. I still remember it to this day and relive it every year. But, thanks to my parents, I did resits in all of my exams and passed the following year. I then did A levels, a degree and a few years later my PGCE. She will feel like it is the end of the world at the moment but it’s not. Speak to her school and see how close to the boundaries she is for each subject and then go from
there.
I wish you all the best of luck.

Very gently, the jump from GCSE to A-level is very hard. So, if she is struggling at this level, then A-levels are really not going to be a good option for her. I teach history A-level and it is incredibly challenging and even very academic students struggle.
I would really recommend a re-group and attempt to find a vocational route of something she might be passionate about.

If she’s not academic look at an apprenticeship, she’ll be able to do functional skills maths and English as part of it. Functional skills level 2 is the equivalent to GCSE’s

From your post I assume you may be academic, but not very bright

OP try to remember and remind your DD that 1/3 of GCSEs are a 3 or below. It's the way the system is designed.

Please don’t panic. My DS got mostly 2s & 3s last year so went to college where he has thrived! It’s a totally different environment & proves to me that school just isn’t the right place for lots of kids. He’s just retaken maths & English and got a 4 in maths which has enabled him to progress to the next level of his college course.
I’m so proud of him. It can be really difficult reading threads where people are disappointed with their child’s grade 6/7/8 etc.
Just remember that there are lots of other routes & ways to be successful. I hope your DC enjoys their next steps whatever they may be.

My daughter hasn't got the English grades needed for the sixth form college of her choice to do Art, Psychology and Sociology A-levels.

For us, this might have been a huge silver lining because I think she would massively struggle with the textbook learning and essay writing. She's a visual thinker. We're off to a college tomorrow morning to see if we can enrol her in a BTEC Extended Diploma (worth the same as 3 A-levels) in an arts subject.

College, for a Level 1 or Level 2 course on and interesting practical subject, along with functional skills Maths and English, in a year she could have 5 GCSE equivalent and be able to progress into work or further study or an apprenticeship. There are lots of options, don't give up. (I'm just cross so few of these options are available in KS4).

Edit - if she has grades 3 she should be able to resit GCSE maths and English at FE college.

As others have said it’s not the end of the world . My sister did not pass a single exam , she was more interested in playing truant etc , however in the long run it did not do her any harm . She has always been interested in beauty & she has her own aesthetics business & also did makeup & hair . She owns her own home & drives an expensive BMW . You said yourself your daughter is not academic , there are lots of other opportunities available as long as u have the willingness & drive .

As her school doesn't do resits, she will need to move to a local college.

The best bet might be a one year level 2 course, they do them in various vocational subjects such as Business or Tourism and they will expect her to also study Maths and English GCSE alongside the course and do resit exams for these subjects. The good news is getting 3s will tell them she's not far off a 4.

I would start by identifying a local college she is interested in and looking online at the level 2 courses they offer.

If she does well in that one year course she could progress onto a level 3 course which is equivalent to doing A levels.

A lot of harsh comments here saying A Levels are not for your daughter.

She's only 15/16 years old and not done well on her GCSE's... don't write her off yet!

she can still re sit else where and then do her A Levels and go to uni.

it's a set back but not the end of the world!

a bit of encouragement is what she needs.

I’m sorry OP but if she failed every GCSE with tuition I do not think she will do well in A Level history or sociology. I’ve never taken business so no idea about that.

I got 5 A* at GCSE and still only got a B in history at A level. The jump is huge… bigger than between A level and university in my experience.

I would recommend she takes a college course alongside retaking maths and English.

I’m sorry that you’ve had a shock.

Echoing pp, A levels are not going to be an appropriate option for her. It was poor of her school to push her in that direction based on the mock results that you mention.

She will need to enrol on a level 2 course at college and she will have to retake English and Maths. If you have the means to afford private tuition then I would advise you to throw everything at English and Maths tuition with a view to resitting in November. If she fails the resit then she will be required to keep going until she passes or turns 18, and it’s so hard to keep the momentum. Get the maths and English passes first. A flexible college might then allow her to transfer to the L3 equivalent of her course.

This happened to DD. After a few false starts she found a caring apprenticeship. She took to it like a duck to water and is very happy in her job.

I'd assumed neither.

How’s it harsh? She failed every GCSE WITH tuition. Unless she bombed the exams due to nerves or something then pursuing a higher level academic qualification is not for her right now. It’s much harder than the exams she just failed.

Maybe when she’s older and has matured she can take some as sometimes that does help. But right now, she needs to get her maths and English GCSE or else she’s going to find it very hard to be employed.

“He's incredibly bright but not at all academic”
How can he be incredibly bright but not academic?

There are so many types of intelligence, if you are lucky you get a smattering of them all, being academic is useless if you lack people skills, so the ability to transfer your knowledge to other people, the ability to negotiate, pick up a phone and speak to another human being, see the world beyond academia and how your knowledge could be useful or interesting to other people, other wise you are going to be stuck in a very narrow and fairly useless rut ! And academics don't earn as much as electricians

It’s not the end of the world OP, although it might feel that way atm. I’d say get her to retake her maths and English, because they’re generally the ones you need for most jobs. I would also say it doesn’t sound like going down the path of A levels is a good idea at this time. My son didn’t do great in his GCSEs when he took them a few years ago, although got good grades in English and Maths, but wanted to go on to take A levels. Big mistake, because he approached them the same as he did his GCSEs, and failed all three. He is working in a job he really likes now. Although i’ll admit it’s taken us three years to get there!

I’m sorry. What an incredibly stressful time for you and her.

near me we have a couple of colleges who take them for resits. They basically do them in a year and generally they do pass. They just needed that extra support, differing teaching methods.
she will be ok

Deffo not A levels, local college, vocational course and re-sit maths / English - still loads of opportunity ahead!