sixth form struggles

[FirmGoldJoker]

DD got her GCSe results she passed 7 out of 9 getting mostly 4s and one 5 and one 6 which we was all very proud of her
she started sixth form at her secondary school doing 3 betecs she has a lovely group of friends but its the academic side she is really struggling with she had done some practice tests in one of her betecs and has failed all three of them waiting for the results on the most recent one her confidence is just going down , I really do hope she has passed as her mental health is just getting worse
she does revise for 1 hour a day but she struggles remembering stuff
she has given up all her hobbies to focus on her academic work
what else can I do to help

Does she enjoy the btecs? Do they play to her strengths? What does she want to do when she leaves? Did she look for other options at a college or did she just want to stay at the school she was at?

What is the end game? What does she want to do after 6th form? Would a different course be more suitable than what she is currently doing?

@Skybluepinky she does enjoy them she says but just struggles to remember the content in them , she wants to do some sort of teaching but doesn't know if uni would be right for her so shes looking into apprenticeship , she actually did a week at a local college studying the same subjects but she missed her secondary school so went back
@Littletreefrog she wants to do an apprentership in teaching she likes the courses but really struggles with remembering content and has failed all tests so far

Has she found out what qualifications she needs to be able to do the apprenticeship she wants?

An apprenticeship route into teaching would be a degree apprenticeship to complete a bachelors degree in education and PCGE, studying part time whilst also working in a school. In most subjects they are super competitive (more competitive than straight uni degree) and although you are not incurring fees will be more work and pressure. I don’t think it’s an easier option for someone that doesn’t consider herself cut out for university. Would she consider early years qualifications or becoming a TA if she wants to work with children?

With mostly 4s at GCSE I think she’d struggle
to get a teaching job at the end of it all.

get her to book a careers appointment at college and look at what she needs to do what she wants

she needs to explore better revision methods - an hour a day should be working better than this.

can she discuss her learning and revision. Process with the college Senco? There may not be any ND traits but the Senco will be able to talk her through different learning strategies.

she’ll have to be more proactive on this at college and actively seek this support

I agree with a PP that a teaching role might not be for her. Even if you go via an apprenticeship route, you need a degree to be a teacher in the UK. That sounds as if it might be a real challenge for her based on how she is doing currently. But yes, there are other options for working with children if that is what she would enjoy. TA or a childcare role for example.

I would focus on what’s going on right now tho. If she is really spending an hour a night on her schoolwork, why is she doing so badly? What are the Btecs she is taking? Are there specific areas she is finding challenging?

I agree that it would be worth a discussion with the school to see where she is going wrong. How hard did she have to work for her GCSEs? What I mean is, were they a massive struggle? Any post-16 course is a step up and maybe she needs to rethink her way of working.

What is she doing in that hour? Passive revision methods like reading through your notes and highlighting important facts are popular but don't work very well. Active methods, basically "testing yourself", work better. So, something like: read a page, close book, see how much you can recall, repeat until satisfied. And practical things like maths need constant practice with feedback (is your answer right or wrong?) and then working to understand your mistakes. Maybe a chat with her teachers about study methods would help.