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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

Original poster

Year 12 - first half term DONE.

999 replies

OhYouBadBadKitten · 19/10/2016 13:25

new thread so we don't get lost. Well done to all our dc whether doing btech (or breach as autocorrect prefers to call it) or a levels. 1/6 of the way through this year. (blimey)

OP posts:
FantasyAndHope · 09/12/2016 15:56

I am sorry to hear that thesecond have you discussed it with him? Hopefully head of 6th can guide and assist you in the right direction and maybe think of an action plan over the holidays if he needs to drop out?
Dd is home! Holidays have started, and an excellent school report. I doubt I'll see much of her since she's got a boyfriend now Sad and she seems to be doing a lot with friends

TheSecondOfHerName · 09/12/2016 21:27

Thank you all for your kind comments. He enjoys History but there are no other subjects that appeal to him. He doesn't want to do a vocational course or apprenticeship and doesn't want to get a job. Hmm

Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 09/12/2016 22:01

is there a particular era in history he likes?

OP posts:
Icouldbeknitting · 09/12/2016 22:19

You've been on my mind all evening TheSecond. At least once a week DH and I have a conversation about how lucky we are that DS has fallen into what seems to be an ideal setting for him. Last year saw major parenting action but now I just collect change for the bus. I do appreciate how lucky we are, I've been appreciating it even more tonight.

FantasyAndHope · 10/12/2016 00:38

Dds favourite subject is history too!
Teens can be extremely stressful at times!

EllenJanethickerknickers · 10/12/2016 20:08

What a shame, second. Could he restart History next year at college alongside a general BTEC like management or IT just to keep up his options open? DS2 is finding BTEC pretty easy so far, not much homework etc.

MsAwesomeDragon · 10/12/2016 23:45

Sorry I've been quiet recently, I've been snowed under with mock marking (y11), report writing (y9) and general Christmas concerts/life. So busy in fact that you feel of my threads I'm on! Xmas ShockXmas Shock

Second, that sounds like a horrible situation to be in. Is there any career guidance available near you? It does sound like he needs someone impartial to help him think through his options. My friend's dd was in a similar situation a few years ago and ended up dropping out for a few months to decide what she really wanted to do, then managed to get herself onto an apprenticeship that she's really loving. I know your ds says he doesn't fancy that, but I'd he truly aware of what other options there are out there (I certainly wasn't at that age)?

We got dd's first report last week. It doesn't say much as it's not a full report yet, just targets, predictions based on what they can see so far, and attitude grades. Her targets are as I thought they would be, her predictions aren't quite there yet, but as a teacher is be surprised if they were at this stage, and her effort is very good. I'm happy with that, and so is she.

She's a little put out as her further maths teacher is currently on 2 weeks paternity leave, so that's 2 weeks of teaching that they're going to have to make up elsewhere. My suggestion of "you could have a look at those chapters yourselves" was met with disdain, as she already has, but nobody else will. I'm sure she'll survive, and it won't do her much harm in the long run (is not as if the teacher is just taking the piss)

TheSecondOfHerName · 11/12/2016 00:05

Could he restart History next year at college alongside a general BTEC

No local FE colleges offer A-levels. And no local sixth forms offer BTECs.

Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 11/12/2016 08:56

how frustrating TheSecond. That's not very helpful of them!

OP posts:
Icouldbeknitting · 11/12/2016 09:16

Our local college stopped teaching A levels in 2016, they transferred provision to one of their other sites an hour's travel away, but they were going to offer everyone a free bus pass so that's ok then isn't it? No, because the bus that would have taken local children to the original centre altered from six an hour to three an hour and next year will be one an hour. The school sixth forms we went to look at were all A level focussed, I think they all offered BTec social care but that was it. The shining exception was DS' old school which took a new direction from 2016 and was going to do it all - apprenticeships, Btec and A levels. How well they do this I don't know, they didn't have the A level combination that DS wanted so he went elsewhere.

My mum's next door neighbour has a 12 mile journey, my son does 11 miles, two of his friends do 10 miles in the other direction. They are able to do this because they can step onto a bus. If you are lucky you have real choices at 16+ but so many of our children must have their options constrained by transport.

Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 11/12/2016 09:46

I fully agree with you knitting. And it's often affordability that has an impact. With education or training now being compulsory, it is wrong that these post 16 students often have to pay full adult fares, or adult season ticket prices to access their education. It puts families in a difficult or impossible position to get the right sort of post 16 training for their child.

OP posts:
EllenJanethickerknickers · 11/12/2016 12:02

That makes it even trickier, Second. It seems very short-sighted of your local college, but you can only work with what's available. It does seem like A levels are not going to be his thing. DS2 and I agreed before GCSEs that A levels weren't for him but that was only really with the experience I'd had of DS1 being in sixth form. I would have probably gone along the (what seems to be standard) route of A levels otherwise. I saw how hard DS1 was working and just knew DS2 wouldn't manage it. And we couldn't think of 4 A levels he could take. 4 was the minimum he had to start with in his school sixth form.

All I can suggest is he looks very hard at what BTECs the college has to offer. It's a very different style of learning to traditional academic A levels. There are some exams for nearly all BTECs starting from 2017 but most of the marks come from assignments that they do throughout the course. There are lots of different types of level 3 courses, from those worth 1 A level like a subsidiary diploma to those worth 1.5 or 3 etc. He will have to do some type of training or education as I'm sure you know, and that might be a stick you can use if necessary. It might be that a mix of carrot and stick strategies could work the best?

Traditional academic A levels seem to be pushed hard by schools as the 'best' option but they just aren't suitable for lots of DC. I have friends DC who have changed direction in the middle of sixth form due to finding this out for themselves along the way who have successfully gone on to various colleges offering alternative qualifications. It must be very difficult if your DS can't see something that he actually wants to study, though and I appreciate he must be feeling very disheartened at the moment.

My niece did a college course on travel and tourism without any real knowledge of wanting that as a career and she's now happily working as a sales rep. Some of the skills from her course do apply.

I would think if your DS has absolutely no strong feelings to follow any vocational course something as general as business or management might be a good option. He's obviously an all rounder if he's attempted maths, science and English A levels, so he should qualify for almost any course at BTEC.

I hope that you can find something suitable and manage to have some down time from it all over Christmas. Flowers

FantasyAndHope · 11/12/2016 13:08

Well the history teacher who was diabolical has left! Getting a new one till may when her old teacher returns sounds busyms ready for a break?
Dd has set about doing her work straight away. She spent a day with her friends yesterday and spending Monday with her boyfriend.

raspberryrippleicecream · 11/12/2016 13:08

second I am so sorry. EllenJane's post is excellent and I hope it helps in some way.

TheSecondOfHerName · 11/12/2016 14:30

Thank you all, some useful advice here. DS1 has always been rather stubborn strong-minded, so whatever he does next, it's best if he thinks it was his idea. Smile

FantasyAndHope · 12/12/2016 15:52

Girls and boys! Too much drama for one day!
Some fake account messaged dd saying boyfriend was cheating on her and that kinda story cue massive meltdown,
I prefer my single dd

mintthins · 13/12/2016 15:49

Oh Fantasy that's awful! We just had an email from school telling us that the whole sixth form was going to be given a serious talk about online messaging behaviour. It is the most serious tone I have ever read in a letter from school and makes me worry that some poor soul has been on the receiving end of something awful. I do wonder sometimes what does through their heads.

FantasyAndHope · 13/12/2016 16:03

min
We've had an email sent round from school about sexting, if she was younger that would bother me but she's 18 and wise and probably does it not going to lie.
Messages have stopped however she is sulky and not speaking to bf

catslife · 13/12/2016 17:26

Sorry to hear your news theSecond. Please keep posting as it sounds as if you really need our support at the moment.
I think Ellens post is a good one too.
Hope that you and your ds find the advice that you need locally about possible ways forward.
The only thing that I wanted to add is that schools (with A levels) have a focus on subjects whereas in the real world, you need to think about skills. So perhaps the way forward may be to think about what your ds likes about history and what vocational areas may be linked to those skills. Hope that's some help.
2 more days of college here until the end of term.

chocolateworshipper · 13/12/2016 19:35

I am starting to realise how lucky we are with FE provision round here. I have just taken it for granted that both local sixth forms offer A levels and BTECs, with one of them offering apprenticeships.

TheSecondOfHerName · 14/12/2016 22:03

Positive news: DS1 has decided he wants to try to continue with A-levels. He went into school full-time for the last three days, attended every lesson and has even made an attempt at organising the few notes he has actually taken this term.

We're now waiting for school to decide if they're happy for him to continue.

mintthins · 14/12/2016 23:10

Fingers crossed TheSecond

HesMyLobster · 15/12/2016 01:20

That's Good news Second, that he's made the decision, hopefully the school will see that he's working hard to move in the right direction and will give him the support he needs to get back on his feet. Fingers crossed for him, and you.
2 days to go . . . BrewBrewBrew

Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 15/12/2016 08:57

oh wow TheSecond. Crossing all of my fingers and toes that your ds can continue in a new vein come January.

One more early rising then done for two weeks. Woo hoo! I am very grateful for this thought.

I'm marveling at how dd has grown up this term. She took a big disappointment very well recently and is looking so positively at life. She has a good group of friends, but they've managed to balance fun with working extremely hard, so her end of term results were all we could have hoped for. Sorry, that's a bit gushing, just feeling really happy for her, to see her blossoming like this. She's not always had an easy time at school in the past, (understatement!) so it's so lovely to see.

OP posts:
Icouldbeknitting · 15/12/2016 10:16

TheSecond I hope that this works out, that school let him continue and he finds a love for the subjects. I don't want to rain on your parade but If he was mine I would not be cheering yet. DS would have done this in the last week of term so that everything was happy in the house over Christmas and he would have changed his mind again in January. I hope that you have a straightforward thinker rather than a strategist and that there is a fresh start ahead next term.

"Next term" - didn't that come round quickly? I am happy because today was the last bleak dark school run, when I start again in January I can tell myself that the days are getting lighter and I won't be dropping him off and picking him up in the dark for too much longer. He finishes at lunchtime today and should finish at lunchtime tomorrow except that he has a funeral to go to so will miss the single lesson he should have had. I might stop in bed tomorrow, maybe all the way to 7.30.